Gracie Lou Wants A Zoo Hardcover 1732315825 9781732315822 Shelly Roark

This thirty-six-page paperback targets four to eight-year-old children who like stories about animals and trusting God. With no scary scenes, it would best be read out loud to beginner readers due to some complicated wording. Colorful, expressive illustrations are on each page. The ending has fifteen fill-in-the-blank questions and biographies of the author and illustrator. In this short tale, a little girl named Gracie lives with her parents and pet turtle in a small apartment, yet all she wants is to have more animals, such as an entire zoo of them. Each time she asks her dad and mom for a monkey, duck, giraffe, and elephant, they tell her to be patient because God has a plan. After she confides in her pet turtle and has a dream about all the animals being in her home, she learns to wait on God. ~ Why ~ This is a nice story about a child wanting to have a zoo full of animals but later realizes it is not the best idea. I loved how the demands of a child are answered calmly by her parents, trusting God to find the right answer. The problem of owning more pets was easy to comprehend for the age level. ~ Why Not ~ Children who do not have a relationship with or do not know God as their personal Savior may not enjoy or see the value of this book. Beginner readers may struggle with the two and three-syllable words. ~ Wish ~ There is nothing I would change in this book. I greatly appreciate that it is well written and promotes relying on God. ~ Want ~ If you are looking for a kid's book that is cute while promoting patience and understanding there are reasons we do not get what we want, this is a keeper, especially if one realizes all is in God's timing, not ours. Thanks to BookCrash and the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.