Thick gouache, the kind that leaves brush ridges. Go Wild! sits at the top in chunky green and orange letters with leaves tucked around them, and along the bottom a lion, a baby elephant and a giraffe push their faces out of the foliage, all three grinning, with fronds and red berries filling the corners.
Leo is five! runs across the middle in tall olive capitals that match the paint; A wild birthday awaits sits above, the date and Grandpa Ben’s garden below in forest ink. Put your own explorer in. Parents often trade the first line for “Roar if you’re coming” or “Safari hats welcome”.
Two to seven, and it suits a zoo trip as well as a backyard. Animal-cracker trail mix, binoculars made from paper tubes, a feed-the-lion bean-bag toss and face paint at the door. Give families two to three weeks, longer if the zoo wants tickets booked.
