In my most recent search for the best picture books for picture book writers to study, I stumbled upon Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo:

Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo is a story about a boy who falls asleep at a concert “right next to the zoo.”

While he was sleeping, the animals became so very excited about the concert that they broke out of their cages:

The animals became consumed by a need to make their own music and took the instruments away from the usual musicians.

Ultimately, the zoo animals became the orchestra.

Although their music is a bit cacophonous, the animals are proud of their performance, and they take a bow.

The illustrations for the picture book Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo are wonderful, but I am not sure that I would have loved that book nearly as much as I did when I watched the production that includes actual music and Lithgow’s singing. I love the following performance:

The production above is so very fabulous that we might fail to analyze some of the deeper messages in Lithgow’s Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo.

1. The Animals in Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo might be viewed as the natural wild person self that is re-connected with nature.
2. The picture book The Animals in Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo might be viewed as the natural wild person self that is re-connected with nature.
3. The picture book The Animals in Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo addresses the primordial need for self-expression.
4. It is not necessary that our creations are perfect