Yasmin is both excited and a little nervous for her class field trip to the zoo.

This book series is incredibly popular at my library so I was curious to see what the kids liked so much. The story is short and straightforward, with the field trip being a time-honored experience that many children will be able to relate to their own lives.

In addition, only a few chapters encompass the whole book. For younger readers, they will feel accomplished that they were able to read a chapter book on their own. This is the perfect bridge between simpler early readers and longer chapter books.

Faruqi primarily uses basic words that younger readers will be familiar with, but she does also occasionally drop in some words in Urdu, which are easily defined by context cues. I love that she is broadening children's (and adults') diversity exposure with this.

And, of course, speaking of diverse, it's great to have more children of color in the role of protagonist as Yasmin is here. Aly's illustrations further diversify the cast of characters. ( )