Bin chicken, feeding time at the zoo by Kate and Jol Temple. Illus. Ronojoy Ghosh

In verse form, the ibis at the centre of the story is aware from her rumbly stomach that it is lunch time. She flies past a bunch of children on an excursion, frazzled teachers in tow, and looks in at the giraffe eating its lunch. He offers shoots and leaves which the ibis rejects, flying on to the elephant. But all he has is a bale of hay, which does not appeal. Nearby she spots a bucket of fish, but is warned by the children, pointing out the sign which says, ‘Don’t feed the ibis.’ She is appalled, this is lunchtime after all, and grabs a fish in her beak ready to fly off, but a seal whips around and takes the fish from the ibis. Reeling away from the seal, the ibis lands in a cloud of pink fairy floss. She hears some cheering and sees a bunch of birds, each flying to catch the treats thrown by the keeper. She joins in and in return she shows the birds how to open a lunch box, and of course is berated by the hassled teacher.  She gets away with an array of food and is applauded for her dexterity and cleverness.

A very funny look at the bin chickens which have adapted easily to life in the city, this story will have younger readers laughing out loud, prompting them to predict the rhyming word, and act out the noises made while the ibis eats.

Wonderful illustrations cover each page, and impressions of the zoo and its creatures can be seen.  The ibis twists and turns on each page as she tries to get some lunch.

A worthy successor to Bin chicken, and Winner, winner bin chicken dinner, Feeding time at the zoo is a funny and easy to digest story about the invasive bin chicken, which most children will have seen in parks and gardens of the cities.

Themes: Humour, Zoos, Persistence.

Fran Knight