Zoo Girl

Picture Book Of The Year *Highly Commended*

Zoo Girl by Rebecca Elliott Lion Hudson £5.99, 2+

The story of a lonely little girl, without family or friends, who one day gets left behind on a trip to the zoo. There she finds the closeness she craves living among the animals, before being discovered by a childless zookeeper couple who fall in love with the little girl and adopt her. Written with very few, but poignant words, and an illustrative style that is both touching and captivating, Rebecca Elliott’s book has all the hallmarks of a classic. “Stories of feral Mowgli-esque children have always fascinated me and as a child I adored animals and daydreamed of living amongst them,” says Elliott. “I’d had the rough idea for Zoo Girl buzzing around my head for years, but as with all the book ideas I have, at some point I had to grab that vague idea and pin it down.” Elliott’s choice to use so few words was an easy one. “I think the words should only enhance the story rather than repeating what we can already see,” she says. “So in the end the whole book is told in just 20 words! I hope it encourages greater imagination and examination in the storytelling process.”