Zella the zebra helps Zack the ostrich when he is young and helpless. When he grows up Zack returns the favor by saving Zella's young offspring from a lion.
Bill Peet was the author of 34 books published by Houghton Mifflin. One of these, BILL PEET: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, was named a 1989 Caldecott Honor Book. All of Bill Peet’s books published by Houghton Mifflin Company, including his first book for children published in 1959, HUBERT'S HAIR-RAISING ADVENTURE, remain actively in print today.
In both his career as an author and illustrator of children’s books and in his work as sketch artist and continuity illustrator at Walt Disney, Bill Peet created a menagerie of memorable characters. As he himself noted, "I write about animals because I love to draw them. Most of my animal characters have human personalities, and some are much like the people I know."
At Walt Disney, where Bill Peet worked for 27 years, he was a key participant in the production of classic films such as Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and 101 Dalmatians for which he was not only an artist, but the screenwriter as well.
Bill Peet’s signature style enabled him to create fast-paced stories of fantastical adventure delivered with warmth and laugh-out-loud hilarity. His unfailing humor did not, however, prevent him from addressing such poignant issues as kindness toward others and respect for the environment. Through the exploits of his characters, Peet offered his audience a chance to see themselves and their world through new eyes.
"At some point," Bill Peet once said, "it occurred to me that drawing was something I couldn’t possibly give up, and somehow it must be turned into a profession." He went on to not only fulfill his dream but to introduce generations of young readers to his delightful vision of humor, friendship and compassion.
With wit and wisdom, Peet delivers gentle morals using animals to demonstrate human foibles. And what wonderful, whimsical animals they are. The author's 31st book proves the adage, ``One good turn deserves another.'' A zebra named Zella adopts and cares for a baby ostrich, who has hatched all alone. When Zella gives birth to a rather awkward baby, the now-grown ostrich saves the zebra colt from a lion and protects him until he is on his own. The story is told in verse, perfect for reading aloud. Peet takes Aesop one step further: he doubles the fun of his delightful stories with mirthful full-color illustrations. Whether he's drawing a perplexed ostrich chick, a baby zebra with hooves too big, or a foiled lion, Peet once again adds much laughter to his tale. (48) Copyright 1986 Cahners Business Information.
K-Gr 3 Reminiscent of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hatches the Egg (Random, 1940), Peet's book tells of a baby ostrich, Zack, who is abandoned by his mother and adopted by a maternal zebra, Zella. Zack eventually grows into a tall bird, towering over the zebra herd. When Zella gives birth to a clumsy, big-footed male named Zodiac, whose inability to run fast hampers his safety from carnivorous animals, Zack becomes his ``brotherly bodyguard.'' Written in Peet's usual nonsensical and poetic fashion, this story appears to be wordy and preposterous at times yet comical in its own endearing way. Colored crayon and pencil drawings accompany the text, increasing the humor of the tale. The uncluttered illustrations, showing animals and wide expanses of sky and grass, make the story especially suitable for reading aloud to primary grade listeners. Rita Soltan, Queens Borough Public Library, N.Y. Copyright 1986 Cahners Business Information.
