Minnesota Zoo http://www.mnzoo.com/ 13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN 55124 952-431-9200 Hours: Open 9am daily, closing times vary. Closed Thanksgiving Day and December 25. See website for detailed hours.

Experience dolphins, tigers, monkeys and more at the Minnesota Zoo 363 days a year. The Zoo features a tropical rain forest, marine center, northern tundra, woodland forest and a family farm. Don’t miss the new Minnesota Trail, and opening summer 2008 is Russia’s Grizzly Coast. With more than 2,000 spectacular animals from around the world, you’re bound for a new adventure on every visit.

Passes are limited to general exhibit admission only. Passes may not be applied towards educational and group tours. Special exhibitions and other attractions may not be covered, and other restrictions may apply.

Please visit http://www.mnzoo.com/ for specific exhibition information.

Learn more about it at your metro public library

All Ages

Animal Talk: Breaking the Codes of Animal Language

Tim Friend, Free Press, 2004

In the Shadow of Man

Jane Goodall, Mariner Books, 2000

Conservation International, Biodiversity Hotspots

website: www.biodiversityhotspots.org

Natural Wonders of Minnesota: Exploring Wild and Scenic Places

Martin Hintz, NTC/Contemporary, 2000

Life of Mammals Series

David Attenborough, BBC Warner, 2003 (DVD or VHS sets)

Critters of Minnesota Pocket Guide

Ann E. McCarthy, Adventure Publications, 2000

Venomous Snakes of the World

Mark O'Shea, Princeton University Press, 2005 yes

Mammals of Minnesota Field Guide

Stan Tekiela, Adventure Publications, 2005

Reptiles and Amphibians of Minnesota Field Guide

Stan Tekiela, Adventure Publications, 2003

A Naturalist and Other Beasts: Tales from a Life in the Field

George B. Schaller, Sierra Club Books/University of California Press, 2007

Life at the Zoo: Behind the Scenes with the Animal Doctors

Phillip T. Robinson, Columbia University Press, c2004

Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence, Thomas Dunne Books, c2007

Zoo Tracks Online Newsletter

(needs PDF reader) website: http://www.mnzoo.com/zootracks

Birds of Minnesota: Field Guide

Stan Tekiela, Adventure Publications, Inc., 2004, 1998

Minnesota: A History of the Land

DVD, University of Minnesota, College of Natural Resources: Twin Cities Public Television, c2005

Natural Wonders of Minnesota: Exploring Wild and Scenic Places

Martin Hintz, Country Roads Press, 2000

Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior

Temple Grandin, Scribner, 2005

Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think

Marc D. Hauser, Henry Holt, 2000

The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide

F. Cooke and Jenni Bruce, et al, University of California Press, 2004

Kids

Ocean Babies

Deborah Lee Rose, National Geographic Children's, 2005 yes

Baby Noah: Animal Expedition

Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Video, 2004 (DVD)

Let's Find It!: My First Nature Guide

Katya Arnold, Holiday House, 2002

Out and About at the Zoo

Kathleen W. Deady, Picture Window, 2003

I Love Animals (Little Bill videocassette)

Nick Jr., Bill Cosby, Paramount, 2002

At the Zoo!: Explore the Animal World with Craft Fun

Judy Press, Williamson, 2002

Snakes!: Strange and Wonderful

Laurence P. Pringle, Boyds Mills, 2005

Shark Life: True Stories About Sharks and the Sea

Peter Benchley, Delacorte, 2005

Everything Horse: What Kids Really Want to Know About Horses

Marty Crisp, NorthWord, 2005

Ocean

Miranda MacQuitty, Gardners, 2004

Outside and Inside Big Cats

Sandra Markle, Atheneum, 2002

Oh, Yuck!: The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty

Joy Masoff, Workman, 2000

Bats, Blue Whales, and Other Mammals

Steve Parker, Compass Point, 2005

Snakes

Susan Schafer, Benchmark, 2003

Zoobooks Magazine (Juvenile periodical)

Wildlife Education Ltd, Current

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Bill Martin Jr., Mantra, 2003 (Found in various formats and languages)

Lunch at the Zoo: What Zoo Animals Eat and Why

Joyce Altman, Henry Holt and Co., 2001

A Trip to the Zoo

Karen Wallace, Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2003

My Life as a Chicken

Ellen A. Kelley, Harcourt, Inc., 2007

The Zoo

Suzy Lee, Kane/Miller, 2007

Dear Zoo

Rod Campbell, Holiday House, 2003

Grizzly Bears

Gail Gibbons, Holiday House, 2003

A Room with a Zoo

Jules Feiffer, Michael de Capua Books/Hyperion Books for Children, 2005

Zoo's Who: Poems and Paintings

Douglas Florian, Harcourt, 2005

Zany Zoo

William Wise, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006

Animal Strike at the Zoo, It's True!

Karma Wilson, HarperCollins, 2006

A Pair of Polar Bears: Twin Cubs find a Home at the San Diego Zoo

Joanne Ryder, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006

Signing time Vol. 9, The Zoo Train

DVD, Two Little Hands Productions, 2005

A Bear Named Trouble

Marion Dane Bauer, Yearling, 2005

A Walk Through the Minnesota Zoo

Jeanne Melich Gangelhoff and Gene Gangelhoff, G J & B Pub., 1993

Tell Us About Your Adventure

If you visited Minnesota Zoo, we'd love to hear about your experience.

Tell Us About Your Adventure!

Aug 15

I got a pass for the zoo and my daughter and my three grandchildren went. We rode the monorail and we all enjoyed that. It was very informative learning about the animals along the ride. It was the first time for my grandchildren to ride on a monorail. We really enjoyed the birds and took many pictures of them. We plan on going back many times so we can see and learn more about the animals.

Jan 1

Nice day at the Zoo. I'm moving to the Boston area in two weeks; I'll miss the Tropics Trail on a day that it's single digits for a high with a nasty wind chill. (Even the pumas on the Minnesota Trail were behaving as per the weather - they were dug deep in leaves and trying to rest.) I saw the Dolphin show (first time I did that even though my wife and I visited the zoo many times); it was 15 minutes long and they had two dolphins on display.

Jun 19

I went to the MN Zoo with my 3 year old daughter, my Mom and my 5 year old niece. My niece had never been to a zoo so it was exciting to see her reaction to all the animals. It was also a great bonding experience for all of us. I now have a 4 month old and can't wait to go back to the zoo again this summer!

Oct 6

My children and I had a blast!! We visit the zoo frequently and always find something new to do there. A few of the girls' favorite things to do is walk through the new Minnesota Trail, watch the dolphin show and walk throught the Tropics Trail.

Dec 10

We took our son to the Minnesota Zoo to celebrate his first birthday. Though he found the dolphins somewhat intimidating, he laughed out loud when one of the "big kitties" came right up to the glass. Thank you for making this an affordable adventure to enjoy as a family.

Sep 26

It turned out to be a very summer-like fall day. It was beautiful. My mom and sister were in town visiting from Arizona. When my sister lived here in town, we would frequent the Minnesota zoo. We brought our camaras to capture memories as well as the wonderful array of animals. She had not seen the Minnesota trail since it had been re-vamped and thought they had done a superb job!! Having the bald eagle at eye level created breathtaking photos. We were also very excited to see all the animals on the trek still up close and very active. The bactrian camels were singing, the siberian tiger came down to the water and the takin were very frisky. We very much love the floor to ceiling tanks of aquatics as well. It's so relaxing to just take time out and watch the sea turtle and the sting rays, not to mention the extreme beauty in the coral reef area. We had a marvelous day. I encourage others to visit there frequently.

Nov 17

We took our time enjoying each exhibit and ended up not completing the whole zoo. It was fun seeing some new animal behaviors we hadnt witnessed before. The kids really liked having the tiger just feet from them with only the glass between them! The kids and I also spent alot of time relaxing while watching the fish aquarium in the Tropics building.

Sep 26

I brought my mom and sister out to visit the zoo, it was a great family day spent at the zoo. It was a beautiful day and the animals were very photogenic and participated wonderfully for our camaras. We viewed singing camels, siberian tigers up by the stream, and many other great sites. The Minnesota trail is one of our favorite areas. Now that is has been redone - it's very impressive. The floor to ceiling coral reef is so relaxing and we were in time for the feeding. The adventure passes were a wonderful way for us to save some money while spending a great day together.

Nov 29

We hads a wonderful time checking out all the awesome anilmals my four year thought that it was the best place in the world! My four month old really seemed to enjoy looking at the fish. Thank you for such a wonderful day MELSA!