Reviewed by Jennifer Reinoehl for Readers' Favorite

Noah Zark: What Do You Do When Your House Is a Zoo? by Susan Polk Van Dusen is a delightful rhyming picture book for young readers who love animals. Like many young children, Noah prefers animal friends to human ones. Unlike most children, though, his parents allow him to bring home and keep whatever pets he finds. This naturally leads to problems since their home is not large and Noah’s animal collection keeps growing. His parents’ solution is a rather unusual one that causes Noah to be slightly upset at first. Will he learn that he can enjoy animals without having them overrun his home?

Noah is a sweet kid who puts his animals first. Noah Zark teaches children that there is more than one way to enjoy different animals. This is not a traditional animal book where each page shows a new animal with a description. Instead, numerous animals fill most of the pages, providing a teaching opportunity beyond the story. The pictures alone are a reason to get this book. They are hand drawn by Scott Mattson and will appeal to animal lovers and parents who want to educate their children about a variety of different animals—from aardvarks to kangaroos to parakeets. Susan Polk Van Dusen keeps the action moving as Noah’s parents creatively resolve the problem of a house overflowing with animals. Children will learn that even if things don’t work out the way they want, they can still have a happy ending. This is an important lesson, especially for kids who become easily disappointed when things don’t go their way.