The New York Times bestseller My Heart Is Like a Zoo features bright colors, simple sentences, playful animals, and more than 300 hearts for children to count and enjoy. Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick says, “Starting with one simple shape, Michael Hall shows us a nearly infinite number of ways to make a menagerie of love.” This board book edition of the award-winning picture book is perfect for little hands and the very youngest readers, who will learn that a heart can be hopeful, silly, happy, rugged, snappy, or lonely. A heart holds every different feeling, and author-artist Michael Hall captures each one with his bold, graphic artwork. An ideal springboard for conversations about emotions, and for introducing concepts, math, and art projects in the classroom and at home. School Library Journal called it an “outstanding choice for one-on-one sharing.”

What Kind of Book is My Heart Is Like a Zoo

Reviews

Mr. Staccato

5.50

B is for Bookworm

7.00

LOVE this book! First off, it includes animals that are less commonly used in books. Second, all of the illustrations use hearts in creating their shapes! Third, the similes on each page are tender and sweet!

Lauren Hancock

5.25

Mom of Boys

6.00

The Goodfather

5.00

While it's the creativity of the illustrations that really makes this a great addition to a young reader's library, the text is also smart and wraps up very well with a clever ending that ties the whole book together.

Grammy

6.00

I am amazed at how creatively Michael Hall illustrates so many different animals, somehow also communicating their size and character in blocks of bold color. Told in rhyming couplets with great vocabulary the animals engage in some typical and some zany activities. At the end of the sleepy zookeeper's day, it all makes perfect sense. This is a favorite with my grandson and I am happy to read it again and again.

Marmee

6.50

This book is amazing and I love it so much! The illustrations are incredibly clever (all made out of hearts), and the rhyme scheme and cadence are FANTASTIC. In terms of content, the exposure it gives to a range of emotions in a child-accessible way fraught with silliness and similies is delightful.

Book Lists That Include This Book

Books about valentines

Chuckling Ducklings and Baby Animal Friends

Books about 100 Hidden Gem

Books about Unique Books for Baby Shower Gifts

The Creative Behind the Book

Author & Illustrator

Michael Hall

Michael Hall is the author/illustrator of The New York Times bestseller, My Heart Is Like a Zoo, as well as the critically acclaimed Perfect Square, It’s an Orange Aardvark, Red: A Crayon’s Story, and Frankencrayon. Before becoming a children’s author, Michael was an award-winning graphic designer whose work — including graphic identities for the City of Saint Paul, Macalester College, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Hennepin County Medical Center — has been widely recognized for its simple and engaging approach. Michael lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.