The Last Zookeeper

A master of the wordless form imagines a futuristic Noah’s Ark in a luminous sci-fi parable for our changing world.

From the winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal and Shadowers' Choice Awards for Illustration 2024 for The Tree and the RIver.

The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who's found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo’s beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land, only to discover something even more profound. With boundless compassion and sweeping scenes of sea and sky punctuated by detailed wordless panels to pore over, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Aaron Becker delivers a timely and concrete message about the rewards of caring in even the most difficult of times that is sure to inspire the dreamers among us.

Long-listed for The Carnegie Medal 2025 (UK) Nominated for ALSC Notable Children’s Book 2025 (United States)

From the master of wordless picture books Aaron Becker comes The Last Zookeeper, which will have your emotions soaring through this compassionate tale of hope, endeavour, and love[...] A wonderful addition to your collection. The School Librarian
A brilliantly imagined, bleak and thought-provoking parable showing what the future may hold for life on Earth if humans fail to turn back the tide of global warming. Becker’s minutely detailed watercolour and pen-and-ink illustrations provide many hours of immersive meditation. Red Reading Hub
Becker is such a brilliant artist and the book is a fabulous visual feast... In the illustrations lie a treasure trove of stories for you to uncover... And that makes it a book that will last a lifetime. The Letterpress Project

Aaron Becker is the best-selling author of the award-winning Journey trilogy and other books for children young and old, including The Tree and the River, which won the Yoto Carnegie Medal and Shadowers' Choice for Illustration 2024, A Stone for Sascha and The Last Zookeeper. When he’s not home with his wife and two daughters, he can be found creating something new in his backyard studio in western Massachusetts.

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