Kitty Ballou's Sanctuary Zoo is an animal story for children, grades 4-6, written by Cindy L. Shirley and illustrated by Cleoward Sy. Kitty Ballou always had a thing for animals. Even as a little girl, she eschewed playing with dollies in favor of rescuing and caring for injured or abandoned creatures. So, it was a natural progression for her to study veterinary medicine after college and become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. And now that she was a vet, she decided that it was time for her to open her own practice. Kitty’s grandparents had left her their ranch in their wills, and she decided it was the perfect place to set up her clinic.

Cindy L. Shirley’s Kitty Ballou's Sanctuary Zoo is a well-written and engaging animal fantasy story that will appeal to animal lovers of all ages. I liked how Shirley highlighted the all-too-common abuses and neglect of animals in circuses, fairs, and shows, and loved seeing how her young veterinarian gathered support in her new town to establish her sanctuary for the abandoned hybrid animals she discovers at the fair. The hybrids are marvelous, and the names she gives them are brilliant. Shirley’s plot is inspirational and compelling, and her characters are well-defined and authentic. Kitty Ballou's Sanctuary Zoo is most highly recommended.

Kitty Ballou's Sanctuary Zoo is a short story for children. In this book, we meet Kitty Ballou, a spirited young woman who loves animals and is always willing to help them. She becomes a veterinary doctor and thinks this is the ideal opportunity to move to the ranch that her grandparents left her and practice her profession while helping animals on the open land. When Kitty reaches the town, she runs into an unexpected surprise when she sees a trailer with some abandoned animals in it. But that is not the only strange thing about this—the six animals themselves are of a kind she has never seen before and come with all sorts of strange colors and talents. She is intrigued and also a bit afraid but decides to care for them because they need help. However, things don’t end there as she realizes that each one is unique and trained and she sees an opportunity to help more animals and also help the community. How she plans this and turns this around forms the plot of the book. There is a list of resources provided at the end for helping animals and preventing cruelty to animals, along with a list of endangered animal species in the world.

Kitty Ballou's Sanctuary Zoo: Color illustration edition by Cindy L. Shirley is a lovely book with a great message. Abuse and neglect of animals are all too common worldwide, unfortunately, and a book like this spreads the message of kindness and compassion towards all creatures, including animals. What I also liked about the book was the idea of acceptance. Each of the animals that Kitty rescues is different or “abnormal” but instead of viewing this as something inferior, it is viewed as unique instead which is a lesson that is applicable towards everyone in the world. So I liked that the animals are not ordinary animals and the acceptance from society towards them is a great lesson for kids as well. Overall, this is a well-written book that I would recommend for children.