Book 1 · The Galactic Zoo series

The Galactic Zoo

Greetlings, Earthlings!

We invite you on a tour of our intergalactic wildlife park, the best and ONLY zoo in this space quadrant. This funny rhyming picture book about aliens is as entertaining for parents as it is for their offspring.

Safety, however, is not guaranteed.

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Illustration from The Galactic Zoo: the Tallanoid, a grinning blue alien, holds a toy spaceship while yellow ships fly past

Look inside

Your guided tour starts here

Peek through the bars at a few of the residents. Each spread is illustrated in full colour and written in rhyme, perfect for reading aloud at bedtime (in your best tour guide voice).

The Hawkburr, a golden winged creature, sweeps over green hills while a small explorer watches

The Hawkburr

Golden wings, a song that makes you weep with joy, and venomous fangs. Good luck getting a feather.

The Schmerkle, a small green creature, sits on a ledge in a misty jungle cave

The Schmerkle

It hasn’t moved since we put it there. All it does all day is sit and stare.

Big-eyed Binglybongs climb the trees of an alien forest

The Binglybongs

They lie around in the trees all day, until they sneeze and fall out.

A herd of orange Millibeasts float above a beach decorated with bunting

The Millibeast herd

Fifteen legs each, sweeping majestically across the plain. Their dance moves are just insane.

Two goggle-eyed green Grumblesaurs, one stuck in a cat flap

The Grumblesaurs

They shuffle about grunting and groaning. Last week one got stuck in a door. Again.

The big green thing, a cheerful little green alien, sits with a detonator beside a pile of dynamite

The big green thing

It comes to your house while you’re asleep, then decides to explode. Hiss, hiss, BOOM!

A white rabbit with strange markings sits in a dark cave scattered with skulls

The rabbit

It may look just like a rabbit, but it’s the scariest thing on the planet. Mind the teeth.

Tour complete

Exit through the gift shop

There are more residents inside the book, and a few surprises we’re not allowed to put on the internet.

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Why families love it

A bedtime story the grown-ups enjoy too

Written for grown-ups too

I wrote it for the parents reading it aloud as much as for the kids listening. You get the jokes they won’t notice yet.

Rhymes with rhythm

Bouncy rhyming verse that’s easy to read aloud and quickly learned by heart. Expect requests for “again!”

Big, bright creatures

Every page is a new alien to point at, giggle at and invent voices for.

Meet the residents

The residents, as game sprites

Every creature at the Galactic Zoo of Zorgon 7 has a name, and most of them have a warning. Here they are as 16-bit game sprites, all at the same pixel size.

Errol from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

Errol

After a packet of custard creams, he sits all day writing memes.

The Tallanoid from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Tallanoid

Has lots of fun munching on planes.

The Grumblesaur from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Grumblesaur

Shuffles about, grunting and groaning.

The Schmerkle from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Schmerkle

All it does all day is sit and stare.

The Jingleblob from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Jingleblob

Really smelly, but makes super tasty jelly.

The Gasilisk from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Gasilisk

Floats about. Easily moved with a hoover.

The Technofly from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Technofly

Spends most of his nights out raving.

The Hufflesnuff from The Galactic Zoo (animated pixel art)

The Hufflesnuff

Eats a lot of sugar, then runs about all night.

More residents are being drawn. The Hawkburr has refused to sit still.

Book details

The Galactic Zoo

Author TJ Hayes
Series The Galactic Zoo, book 1
Ages [X–Y]
Format Paperback · Kindle
Pages [X]
ISBN [ISBN]

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Cover of the free Galactic Zoo activity pack

Free activity pack

Six printable pages: a word search, an alien maze, design-your-own-alien and a colouring page.

Download (PDF)

Trevor the Emotional Lizard in pixel art

Next in the series

Trevor the Emotional Lizard

Trevor first turned up in the Galactic Zoo and was far too interesting not to get his own book. He’s an alien lizard who controls the weather with his feelings.

See all the books

FAQ

Questions about the book

What age is The Galactic Zoo for?

It’s a rhyming picture book for children aged [X–Y], written to be read aloud by a grown-up.

Is it part of a series?

Yes. The Galactic Zoo is book 1. Trevor the Emotional Lizard, book 2, follows one of the residents.

Can you visit my school or library?

Yes. I do readings and author visits. Download the school visit flyer from the Books page or get in touch through the contact page.

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