cover image Worms for Breakfast: How to Feed a Zoo

Worms for Breakfast: How to Feed a Zoo

Helaine Becker, illus. by Kathy Boake. Owlkids (PGW, dist.), $17.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-77147-105-3

Showing that even animals can be foodies, Becker reveals actual recipes served to animals in world zoos, including “Flamingo Chick Formula,” which contains egg yolks, shrimp, and oily fish, and “Presto Pesto Sauce—Koala Style,” made from eucalyptus leaves and soy-based infant formula. Boake’s off-kilter photo-collages suit the mix of silliness and science (in one image, nocturnal pangolins, bat-eared foxes, and sugar gliders raid a fridge for midnight snacks), and Becker also profiles zoo nutritionists and includes details about the animals’ dietary needs. The spectacularly gross recipes (“Kelp Tank Goulash,” anyone?) should provoke giggles—though Becker wisely advises readers not to try them at home. Ages 7–10. (Apr.)