The Last Zookeeper

by Aaron Becker (Author) Aaron Becker (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A master of the wordless form imagines a futuristic Noah's Ark in a luminous sci-fi parable for our changing world.

The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect.

Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who's found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo's beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land and a new home, only to discover something even more profound.

With boundless compassion and sweeping scenes of sea and sky punctuated by detailed wordless panels to pore over, Caldecott Honor-winning creator Aaron Becker delivers a timely and concrete message about the rewards of caring in even the most difficult of times that is sure to inspire the dreamers among us.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
Epic storytelling erupts on the page without the use of a single word. Superb.

None

Others will find the story and the questions it poses lingering long after the book is closed.

ALA/Booklist

In this gentle postapocalyptic fable, presented through scenes both breathtaking and charmingly inventive, an ingenious and courageous struggle for survival yields a tender and hopeful ending.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

This beguiling ark story, splendidly drafted in wordless spreads, stars a robot zookeeper who combines the spare-parts body of Wall-E with the gentle bearing of Amos McGee. The enormous robot dwarfs the toylike giraffes, pandas, tigers, and other charismatic megafauna that it cares for in a postapocalyptic landscape of half-submerged architectural gems, and it makes model sailboats after a long day of labor. When rain begins to fall and the sea rises further, the robot gathers the animals and executes a large-scale idea. Usable wreckage, the robot's fascination with boatbuilding, and its own built-in tools produce a magnificent sloop capable of carrying the whole menagerie to safety--until a massive storm strikes at sea. While the place where the ship grounds is desolate, the unexpected appearance of a new friend changes everything. An epigraph from Jane Goodall makes the story's conservation message clear, but Becker (The Tree and the River) avoids polemics in favor of worldbuilding that suggests the need for early action, underscores the power of practical measures, and holds out the promise of hope. Ages 5-9. (Mar.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This wordless picture book invites repeat readings to catch the intricate artistic details—clever and thoughtful decisions about color, perspective, and framing result in a visual treasure. The fact that everything centers on the zoo mirrors a sci-fi Noah's Ark that prioritizes saving what can be saved (indeed, the robot's only designation is "nöa" on its arm)." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

"The master of wordless picture books returns with this moving retelling of Noah's ark that speaks to an uncertain future." —Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"In another visionary wordless picture book by multiple award-winning author-illustrator Becker, an endearing, gigantic yellow-bodied robot wearing a quiver of wind turbines tends to the feeding of zoo animals. . . . In this gentle postapocalyptic fable, presented through scenes both breathtaking and charmingly inventive, an ingenious and courageous struggle for survival yields a tender and hopeful ending." —Booklist

"Becker's characteristically virtuosic ink and watercolor paintings offer much for young readers to pore over and peer at. . . Others will find the story and the questions it poses lingering long after the book is closed." —The Horn Book

"Wordless, yet carries a timely, vital message. Five years ago, I would have called this sci-fi. Today, I call it our reality. The wordless format will invoke such meaningful conversations among people of all ages." —Lorie Barber, Anderson's Bookshop
Aaron Becker
Aaron Becker is the best-selling author of the award-winning Journey trilogy, along with several other books for children young and old. His love of travel led him to the city of Granada, Spain, where a rich history of layered civilizations inspired him to write The Tree and the River. To prepare for the story's illustrations, he first constructed a scale model of the book's rolling landscape, which he then slowly transformed with clay and wood over many months. When he's not home with his wife and two daughters, Aaron Becker can be found creating something new in his studio in western Massachusetts.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536227680
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
March 26, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002260 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Zoos
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
JUV059000 - Juvenile Fiction | Dystopian
Library of Congress categories
Stories without words
Zoo animals
Picture books
Robots
Science fiction
Deluge
Wordless picture books

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