At 172 pages it's a bit of a slog filled with repetitive adventures and annoying affectations (the cow is a prig, the monkey is a manic braggart, the horse is a weary martyr...) while Harold Jones' amateurish illustrations fail to enhance the narrative. And the grand lesson to be learned....friendship, inclusivity, blah blah....is saved until the very end. It's a shaggy dog story that more or less evaporates once you close the book. Yes I know I'm an adult but I highly doubt my younger self would have enjoyed it any more. ( )

Post-apocalyptic Britian, with all the humans gone and just animals roaming around the mostly flooded landscape. While many of the animals stick to their own kind- herds of muttering sheep, packs of dogs, etc.- there’s a motley group at the center of the story- a horse, cow, pigeon, cat and dog- later also joined by a parrot. And then there’s Stanley. While the reader can soon guess what kind of animal Stanley is, the five animal friends have no clue. Other animals they run into are baffled by Stanley too, and their reactions vary from avoidance and mockery to aggression (“is it edible?” inquires an eagle). While the other animals don’t much care about human artifacts, Stanley is fascinated by them and constantly rummages through ruins of buildings for tools and oddities, trying to figure out their purpose. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes an ironic commentary about human nature (a lot of reading between the lines will get you that in this book). I laughed out loud at Stanley’s reaction to a typewriter. Then the animals find a sign from something called the London Zoo that depicts an animal like Stanley, so they decide to travel there in search of his kind. Lots of little mishaps, run-ins with other animals and amusing incidents along the way. Especially stuck in my mind was an encounter they had with hordes of animals that held an annual ritual at Stonehenge- without really knowing why they did it so- very unsettling. In the end, they finally reach their destination and do encounter Stanley’s kind, but what the London Zoo has become is something totally unexpected. This was a quick read, really funny and thoughtful in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. ( )

The scenario is a world where all the humans have left due to massive flooding. Six diverse animals become friendly and decide to take a trip to London. An interesting idea and quite thought-provoking, with hints of 'Animal Farm' in places. Enjoyable. ( )

In a post-apocalyptic world devoid of humans, 7 talking animals unite for a quest to London where they wish to discover the identity of one of their friends. On the way, they meet quite a few interesting animals and exciting adventures. This is an adorable book appropriate for pre-pubescent children, with a reading level of perhaps a 10 year old. It is also quite enjoyable for adults who like children’s lit. I wish it were still in print! ( )

Marketed as a Children's Book this funny and poignant novel can be enjoyed by all. Children enjoy the story and the characters while older readers can find different layers of meaning.

The story concerns a group of animals who come together in a world under water where the "People" have gone. Their unofficial leader is Stanley who wants to know what kind of animal he is. When they come upon a poster advertising London Zoo which features a picture of an animal like Stanley he persuades the others to join him in travelling down river to see if they can find more like him. When the group find a boat (with it's name QV66 painted on the side) the voyage becomes a possibility.

The animals undergo a variety of adventures, some of them frightening, and meet other creatures who respond to them in various ways. Not all are friendly. London Zoo in particular turns out to be full of surprises.

The narrative itself is absorbing but over and above this there is fascination in seeing the world we humans have created in disarray and from a different perspective. Books for example are seen in a purer way(Stanley can read)because the animals have no context in which to place them.