New Children’s Novel About Rainbow Families

A zoo where daytime yawns in emptiness and at night dragons, unicorns, dinosaurs, and a Yeti come to life: that’s the premise of “The Zoo of the Invisible Animals” (Amazon affiliate link), the new children’s novel by Andreas Z. Simon.

At the center is Suna, who unexpectedly inherits a zoo — and soon discovers that for years mythical creatures have been kept hidden from the world there. Together with her friends Roberta and Lucas, she must save the animals from a businessman who wants to turn the site into a profit-driven project. Suna has a Turkish background and is raised by two moms, while Lucas is Black: “Diversity has long been a reality for the kids I write for — in the book it should appear just as naturally,” says Simon.

More important to the author than the message, however, was the pace: “I wanted to write a book that grabs reluctant readers: short chapters, plenty of action in the mind’s eye, and characters that as many kids as possible can relate to.”

The 136-page novel, with illustrations by Alexander Knorre, is part of Beltz & Gelberg’s Ready series, which is aimed specifically at children who still find reading difficult — with short chapters and stories that pull you straight into the action. The book is suitable for independent reading from the third grade and for shared reading in schools, libraries, and at home.

Andreas Z. Simon has worked since the early 2000s as a writer and director focusing on children’s television. He is best known for the KiKA series “Dein Song” (Your Song).