diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index cd1b955..f05d55a 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name = "SmallZarrGroups"
 uuid = "d423b6e5-1c84-4ae2-8d2d-b903aee15ac7"
 authors = ["nhz2 <nhz2@cornell.edu>"]
-version = "0.8.2"
+version = "0.8.3"
 
 [deps]
 AbstractTrees = "1520ce14-60c1-5f80-bbc7-55ef81b5835c"
diff --git a/src/loading.jl b/src/loading.jl
index d1cec30..1417d4f 100644
--- a/src/loading.jl
+++ b/src/loading.jl
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # loading a storage tree from a directory or zip file.
 
-function load_dir(dirpath::AbstractString)::ZGroup
+function load_dir(dirpath::AbstractString; predicate=Returns(true))::ZGroup
     reader = if isdir(dirpath)
         DirectoryReader(dirpath)
     elseif isfile(dirpath)
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ function load_dir(dirpath::AbstractString)::ZGroup
     else
         throw(ArgumentError("loading directory $(repr(dirpath)): No such file or directory"))
     end
-    load_dir(reader)
+    load_dir(reader; predicate)
 end
 
 """
@@ -18,13 +18,13 @@ end
 
 Load data in a file `filename` or a `data` vector in ZipStore format.
 """
-function load_zip(filename::AbstractString)::ZGroup
+function load_zip(filename::AbstractString; predicate=Returns(true))::ZGroup
     reader = ZarrZipReader(read(filename))
-    load_dir(reader)
+    load_dir(reader; predicate)
 end
-function load_zip(data::Vector{UInt8})::ZGroup
+function load_zip(data::Vector{UInt8}; predicate=Returns(true))::ZGroup
     reader = ZarrZipReader(data)
-    load_dir(reader)
+    load_dir(reader; predicate)
 end
 
 
@@ -38,11 +38,17 @@ function try_add_attrs!(zthing::Union{ZGroup, ZArray}, reader::AbstractReader, k
     end
 end
 
-function load_dir(reader::AbstractReader)::ZGroup
+function load_dir(reader::AbstractReader; predicate=Returns(true))::ZGroup
     output = ZGroup()
     keynames = key_names(reader)
-    splitkeys = map(x->split(x,'/';keepempty=false), keynames)
-    keyname_dict::Dict{String, Int} = Dict{String, Int}(zip(keynames,eachindex(keynames)))
+    splitkeys = Vector{SubString{String}}[]
+    keyname_dict = Dict{String, Int}()
+    for (key_idx, keyname) in enumerate(keynames)
+        if predicate(keyname)
+            push!(splitkeys, split(keyname,'/';keepempty=false))
+            keyname_dict[keyname] = key_idx
+        end
+    end
     try_add_attrs!(output, reader, keyname_dict, "")
     for splitkey in sort(splitkeys)
         if length(splitkey) < 2
diff --git a/test/test_simple-usage.jl b/test/test_simple-usage.jl
index 0bc96f7..2ea673f 100644
--- a/test/test_simple-usage.jl
+++ b/test/test_simple-usage.jl
@@ -185,8 +185,7 @@ end
         """
 end
 
-
-@testset "saving and loading a directory" begin
+function example_group()::ZGroup
     g = ZGroup()
     data1 = rand(10,20)
     g["testarray1"] = data1
@@ -198,21 +197,26 @@ end
     g["testgroup1"] = ZGroup()
     g["testgroup1"]["testarray1"] = data3
     attrs(g["testgroup1/testarray1"])["foo"] = "bar3"
+    g
+end
+
+@testset "saving and loading a directory" begin
+    g = example_group()
     mktempdir() do path
         # Note this will delete pre existing data at dirpath
         # if path ends in ".zip" the data will be saved in a zip file instead.
         SmallZarrGroups.save_dir(path,g)
         gload = SmallZarrGroups.load_dir(path)
-        @test gload["testarray1"] == data1
+        @test gload["testarray1"] == g["testarray1"]
         @test attrs(gload["testarray1"]) == OrderedDict([
             "foo" => "bar1",
         ])
-        @test gload["testarray2"] == data2
+        @test gload["testarray2"] == g["testarray2"]
         @test attrs(gload["testarray2"]) == OrderedDict([])
         @test attrs(gload) == OrderedDict([
             "qaz" => "baz",
         ])
-        @test gload["testgroup1/testarray1"] == data3
+        @test gload["testgroup1/testarray1"] == g["testgroup1/testarray1"]
         @test attrs(gload["testgroup1/testarray1"]) == OrderedDict([
             "foo" => "bar3",
         ])
@@ -227,16 +231,7 @@ end
 end
 
 @testset "saving and loading a zip file" begin
-    g = ZGroup()
-    data1 = rand(10,20)
-    g["testarray1"] = data1
-    attrs(g["testarray1"])["foo"] = "bar1"
-    data2 = rand(Int,20)
-    g["testarray2"] = data2
-    data3 = rand(UInt8,20)
-    g["testgroup1"] = ZGroup()
-    g["testgroup1"]["testarray1"] = data3
-    attrs(g["testgroup1/testarray1"])["foo"] = "bar3"
+    g = example_group()
     mktempdir() do path
         # Note this will delete pre existing data at "path/test.zip".
         # This zip file can be read by zarr-python.
@@ -251,17 +246,40 @@ end
         #       `7z a -tzip archive.zarr.zip archive.zarr/.`
         # "
         gload = SmallZarrGroups.load_zip(joinpath(path,"test.zip"))
-        @test collect(gload["testarray1"]) == data1
+        @test gload["testarray1"] == g["testarray1"]
         @test attrs(gload["testarray1"]) == OrderedDict([
             "foo" => "bar1",
         ])
-        @test gload["testarray2"] == data2
+        @test gload["testarray2"] == g["testarray2"]
         @test attrs(gload["testarray2"]) == OrderedDict([])
+        @test attrs(gload) == OrderedDict([
+            "qaz" => "baz",
+        ])
+        @test gload["testgroup1/testarray1"] == g["testgroup1/testarray1"]
+        @test attrs(gload["testgroup1/testarray1"]) == OrderedDict([
+            "foo" => "bar3",
+        ])
+    end
+end
+
+@testset "loading with predicate" begin
+    g = example_group()
+    mktempdir() do path
+        SmallZarrGroups.save_zip(joinpath(path,"test.zip"), g)
+        # A predicate function can be used to load a specific array or group
+        # The predicate function filters keys in the underlying store.
+        gload = SmallZarrGroups.load_zip(
+            joinpath(path,"test.zip");
+            predicate = startswith("testgroup1/testarray1/"),
+        )
+        @test collect(keys(gload)) == ["testgroup1"]
+        # Higher level groups may have their attributes ignored.
         @test attrs(gload) == OrderedDict([])
-        @test gload["testgroup1/testarray1"] == data3
+        @test collect(keys(gload["testgroup1"])) == ["testarray1"]
         @test attrs(gload["testgroup1/testarray1"]) == OrderedDict([
             "foo" => "bar3",
         ])
+        @test gload["testgroup1/testarray1"] == collect(g["testgroup1/testarray1"])
     end
 end