Book Trailer Premiere: The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker

Now that the latest American Library Association Annual Conference has come to a close, I am so pleased to bring to you something that has had me buzzing for quite a while.

Many of you are well and truly familiar with the career of Aaron Becker, but just in case you haven’t fallen under his spell quite yet, allow me to remind you of his Caldecott Honor winning book Journey and its subsequent sequels Quest and Return. Or maybe you’ve been blown away by his board books, like You Are Light, each one playing not simply with the board book form itself but also light and shadow. You may even have discovered him only this year when his wordless post-apocalyptic The Tree and the River swept us all away (no pun intended).

Now, due out in March 2024, Aaron has announced the latest in his oeuvre.

And yes. There will be robots.

The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker was described to me initially as having, “a Wall-E vibe” and I can’t help but agree. Here’s the summary:

The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who’s found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo’s beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land and a new home, only to discover something even more profound. With boundless compassion and sweeping scenes of sea and sky punctuated by detailed wordless panels to pore over, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Aaron Becker delivers a timely and concrete message about the rewards of caring in even the most difficult of times that is sure to inspire the dreamers among us.

And now, to my infinite delight, here is the official trailer for the book:

Thank you to Aaron, of course, for allowing me the chance to premiere this trailer today. Thanks too to Karen Walsh and the folks at Candlewick for setting this up. The Last Zookeeper is due on shelves everywhere March 12, 2024. Look for it then.

Filed under: Videos