There were scenes with the zoo and zoo workers that I knew would play well on the big screen. Having said that, Benjamin Mee's story is fascinating and inspiring and I definitely saw the potential for a movie. The book was much more focused on the zoo and getting it ready for inspection and opening. I guess I just wanted more about how he and his children coped with losing his wife.

I felt that the book was a little dry and I didn't feel like I got an inside look into the author's emotions. In fact, as I was reading WE BOUGHT A ZOO, I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work as a movie. The book description that I included above pretty much tells the story (and sounds a lot like the movie!), but I have to say that the book and movie were very different. I have to tell you that I was a bit surprised by it, and I don't know that I'd say I loved it. So a few days ago, I sat down with the book version of WE BOUGHT A ZOO. However, being the book lover that I am, I wanted to read the book that the movie was based on prior to seeing the movie. I had seen previews for WE BOUGHT A ZOO and thought it looked like a great family movie. Heck, I'm not even a regular movie watcher, but when the opportunity presented itself to review both the book and movie for WE BOUGHT A ZOO by Benjamin Mee, I jumped at the chance. I am the first to admit that I'm not a regular movie goer.

We Bought a Zoo is the heartwarming and unforgettable story of an ordinary family living in the most extraordinary circumstances. Benjamin and his kids resolved to move forward, and today the zoo is a thriving success. But inspired by the memory of Katherine and the healing power of the incredible family of animals they had grown to love. Katherine Mee, Benjamin’s wife, had a recurrence of a brain tumor, forcing Benjamin and his two young children to face the heartbreak of illness and the devastating loss of a wife and mother. Tigers broke loose, money was tight, the staff was sceptical, and family tensions ran high. The grand reopening was scheduled for spring, but there was much work to be done and none of it easy for these novice zookeepers. Mee’s dream was to refurbish the zoo and run it as a family business. When Benjamin Mee decided to uproot his family and move them to an unlikely new home – a dilapidated zoo where more than 200 exotic animals would be their new neighbors – his friends and colleagues thought he was crazy. Summary: Here is a story about triumph against all odds.

We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee