The Zoo-Choo train is bringing sleepy animals back to their homes after a long day at play. There’s a lion and giraffes, hippos and zebras. But where are the penguins? Only one of five shows up. So the engineer backtracks to all the other stops he’s made until they’re all accounted for.

The Zoo-Choo Train by K.B. Otto is a cute bedtime read about tired, sleepy animals. The muted colors in RUi RUi’s illustrations evoke evening, and many of the animals look like they’re ready for bed, as they have closed or droopy eyelids. It’s a cozy feel until a slight worry near the end that all works out fine.

Trains and animals are always a hit with young readers, and when you combine the two in one story, they’re sure to like it.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.