Zooloween

At the direction of zookeeper Sue, shown with brown skin and spectacles, the City Zoo crew come out of their cages and habitats for a rowdy Halloween costume parade in this rhyming revel. From a snake dressed as a carrot to a hopping cotton-tailed cow, the animals joyfully don all manner of goofy accoutrements to take part in the masquerade. A local news reporter narrates, and happy families portrayed with various skin tones look on. Katz rolls out plenty of silliness for the occasion: “Take a glance but/ please don’t eat a/ walking, marching/ grilled-cheese cheetah!” And Laberis’s critters, rendered in boldly hued digital images, clearly understand the brief, strutting their stuff while exuding a fun, upbeat flamboyance. Ages 4–8. (July)