My 5 year-old cousin plays this game, and she really enjoys it (she can't read though, so someone has to be with her for her to understand most of the words) the crocodiles seem like they would scare her, but she doesn't really play with them anyway, so there's no problem :)
This is a good game right here. I sold my Havoc-Heli for $20 and began looking for a good game for Nintendo DS. Then, I found World of Zoo. It looked interesting, so I tried it. And guess what? I haven't been able to get off of it! There's no "Attacked" stuff in here. Maybe that's just on the Wii and Windows. Anyway, it's a little bit boring. All you do is tend to your animals. No guests or shops or nothing. I was expecting something like Zoo Tycoon, but this is fun in its own way. You also get to type up Journal Entries each day!!!
Very fun! Me and my sisters LOVE it! As you take care of animals, They start likeing you more and more until you get promoted to a even higher level until you become a "Whisperer". But still, This game requires PAITANCE AND
PEOPLE WHO CAN CONTROL THEIR ANGER! Although,
this might not be PERFECT for 5 and smaller. Because, When you're playing with the Crocodiles, They CAN attack you.
Hope I Helped You Decide!