The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker
Published by Candlewick Press on March 26, 2024
ISBN: 1536227684
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Aaron Beckler’s third picture book paints the story of a futuristic, flooded world, where NOA, a robot, cares for an assortment of zoo animals that have been abandoned to their fates.

Beckler’s signature is to tell his story through art, not words. The watercolor and pen and ink drawings do this beautifully. Initial pages show us a flooded but seemingly peaceful world, where large zoo animals are tended by a tall, humanoid robot. But then, as in the story of Noah’s Ark, the water rises to what’s-left-of-life-destroying levels. NOA builds an ark and bundles the animals on. They drift in a storm, are shipwrecked on a small island, and, eventually, saved by another robot flying by in a hot-air balloon.

Given our current climate crisis, this book feels both timely and disturbing. Unlike the ancient story of Noah’s Ark, which it is clearly based on, the not-so-futuristic rendering of this story feels like a warning. The illustrations are beautiful and there is a thread of tenderness and empathy running through as NOA cares for the animals; but for young children – or their parents – dealing with climate anxiety, this has the potential to exacerbate those feelings.

Three stars (beautiful illustrations but anxiety provoking story).

Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library