Category: Animals

Animals

Owl Stories

Jennifer
owl stories

Owls are one of my favorite animals! I always enjoy the owl week at storytime because I get to share some of my favorite owl stories and crafts with the library’s storytime children. The children love making owl hoots throughout the books 🙂

10 Owl Stories:

Little Owl's Snow

1. Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan–

Little Owl is so cute! In this Little Owl story, the forest animals are preparing for winter. Some gather and store food, some hibernate, and some stay awake to play in the snow. Soon winter arrives and leaves a blanket of snow in Little Owl’s forest home. Even though Little Owl misses his hibernating friend, hedgehog, he enjoys the snow with his other friends. Preschoolers will love this bold, bright pictures and gentle story.

Little Owl's Colors

2. Little Owl’s Colors by Divya Srinivasan —

We love all of the Little Owl stories! The stories are always cute and the we really like the bright, bold pictures. In this book, Little Owl explores the world around it, find all sorts of beautiful colors. Each color is just the right hue to be easily identified. The colors are given several examples. At the end of the story is a beautiful rainbow and Little Owl asks what colors you can name. Be sure to check out Little Owl’s Night and Little Owl’s Day too!

Bear's New Friend

3. Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson–

Bear heads out to enjoy the day and hears a sound. Is it his friend mouse? Nope, not mouse. One by one, Bear and his friends end up in a guessing game trying to figure out who this new creature is. They keep asking “Who?” Turns out to be a shy owl. Will owl want to be friends too? Read this one and find out!

I'm Not Scared

4. I’m Not Scared by Jonathan Allen–

Baby Owl explains to the other forest creatures why owls are perfectly designed to be in the forest at night. For one, owls are nocturnal so they are awake at night. And two, owls can see great in the dark. Thirdly, Baby Owl says being in the woods at night is what owls do! Read this one to find out who else is awake at night.

Good-Night Owl!

5. Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins–

Owl, who sleeps during the day and is awake at night, is trying to go to bed. Unfortunately for owl, it picked a very noisy tree. So many animals call this tree home and each one makes its own special sound. Preschoolers will enjoy making all of the different animals sounds and will laugh at the ending!

Owl Babies

6. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell–

This is one of my favorite books! It is about three young owls who try and be brave in the night while their mother is out hunting. Preschoolers can relate to the owls’ fear of the dark and the anxiety that comes when a parent is away. But not to worry, because mother owl returns to happy flaps and boasts of bravery from her little owls.

Good Night Owl

7. Good Night Owl by Gregg Pizzoli–

This is a funny story about owl who wants to go to sleep, but a noise keeps him up. What can be making the noise? Preschoolers will love spotting the culprit before owl does! Get ready for giggles as owl looks all over the place, trying to figure out the source of the noise while your child tells owl over and over again that there is a mouse!

I'm Not Sleepy!

8. I’m Not Sleepy by Jane Chapman–

In this story, a young owl named Mo is not sleepy. His grandma flies up and down tree, getting snacks, water, and trying to satisfy other bedtime demands. Still Mo is not sleepy. Since it is bedtime, grandma decides that she will go to bed and Mo can stay up late. Now grandma has a list of bedtime needs and Mo leaps into action. After flying up and down so many times to get grandma everything she needs, little Mo is finally sleepy!

Owl Sees Owl

9. Owl Sees Owl by Laura Godwin–

This book is so innovative! It chronicles baby owl’s first adventure into the forest. Written with just a few words per page, the words reverse in the middle when the baby owl is sees its reflection in the water. My son was amazed when I showed him that the its the same words as the first half of the story just in reverse order!

Don't Blink

10. Don’t Blink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal–

This is a cute, interactive bedtime book for preschoolers. Here’s the deal, if you can keep from getting to the end of this book, then you don’t have to go to bed. But, if you blink, then you have to turn a page. The little owl in the book offers lots of ideas on how to keep from blinking for preschoolers to try. This book does bring on the giggles, but its continuous sleep suggestions do in fact sink in. By the end, your child should be ready to go to bed.

Thank you for checking out my list of owl stories for preschoolers! I hope you enjoy these books! I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program to try and help cover the costs of this site. If you buy something through one of my links on Amazon, then I may get a small percentage of the sale (no extra cost to you). Thank you for your support! Happy reading 🙂

More Owl Fun!

-Make a cute pompom owl craft!

–Owl You Need is Love — an adorable owl made with cupcake wrappers!

–Spot the Differences between these two owl pictures.

Animals

Narwhal Stick Puppet Craft

Jennifer

Puppet crafts are so much fun for preschoolers to make and to play with! Here is a super cute narwhal stick puppet craft that you can make with your little one. Watch as they make their narwhal swim through the sea on the paper plate! This interactive craft is tons of fun and lends itself well to imaginative play.

Supplies Needed:

Narwhal Stick Puppet Craft

How To:

Preschoolers can start this project by painting the paper plate blue using water color paints. Let the plate dry.

Print off the narwhal craft template (free PDF download). Color the narwhal, kelp, starfish, and clam. After coloring, cut along the dotted lines.

Once the plate is dry, an adult can use a box cutter to cut a slit along the smooth center of the plate. The slit in the example is a little less than halfway up the plate. Before slicing, make sure that the craft stick will be able to stick up through the proposed slit and move around. The slit should go all the way along the smooth part of the plate, stopping before both ridged outer edges.

Now that you have colored all of your pictures, glue them onto your plate. Make a nice ocean scene for your narwhal to visit! Check to make sure that all of the pictures are glued down tight so that your narwhal stick puppet doesn’t get stuck under any edges that may be sticking up.

Glue your narwhal to end of a craft stick and let’s play! Slip your puppet through the slit and move your puppet around so that your narwhal can swim in the sea. Read some narwhal stories to go along with your craft!

Animals

Stories about Whales for Preschoolers

Jennifer
Stories about Whales for Preschoolers

Life under the sea never fails to fascinate preschoolers. From mythical mermaids to real life narwhals, and all of the ocean creatures in between, there are so many amazing things to learn about the oceans. Among the largest ocean animals are whales. In fact, the blue whale is the largest mammal in the world! Here is a list of 10 awesome stories about whales to read with your preschooler to learn more about these amazing creatures.

Whale Books:

Little Whale

1. Little Whale by Jo Weaver–

You will love this sweet story about a mother and child gray whale who lovingly migrate to northern waters. Preschoolers will appreciate the way the mother whale keeps her baby safe. While enjoying this story and its beautiful pictures, you’ll learn more about the lives of gray whales, what they eat, dangers they face in ocean, the long journey they must make.

I'm a Narwhal

2. I’m a Narwhal (Little Golden Books) by Mallory Loehr–

Little Golden Books keeps coming out with super cute book! Your preschooler will love this narwhal book. It has adorable illustrations and is packed with interesting information about these mysterious whales. Read this one together and learn all about the narwhal’s tusk, its habitat, and its family.

Oona in the Arctic

3. Oona in the Arctic by Kelly DiPucchio —

Oona, a mermaid, finds a lost baby beluga whale and sets out to help reunite the baby with its family. Heading north to the icy waters of the Arctic, Oona, her best pal, Otto, and the baby whale brave storms and other dangers. Illustrator Raissa Figueroa does a fantastic job of showing the underwater plants, and real life animals who inhabit the artic. Seals, orcas, and narwhals can be seen in the cold northern waters, as well as on the floating ice. The land pictures are just as stunning as the underwater portrayals, showing the beautiful northern lights and the snowy landscape.

The Snail and the Whale

4. The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson–

 In this rhyming book, snail yearns to explore, but is hindered by its size. When a whale offers to help snail take a journey, it is a dream come true. But whale gets stuck and it is up to the small snail to help its new friend. It goes to show that no matter who small you are, you can still help others.

Baby Beluga

5. Baby Beluga by Raffi–

Raffi turned some of his best-loved songs into books, including Baby Beluga! This book, illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Ashley Wolff, features a busy little beluga whale and many other animals that live in the Arctic Ocean. Read this book and find out what the little whale and its friends do all day! The picture of the baby beluga back with its pod for nighttime snuggles is especially sweet.

Amos and Boris

6. Amos & Boris by William Steig–

A mouse named Amos and a whale named Boris become the best of friends after Boris saves Amos who is stuck at sea. This story is really funny and your preschooler will love that Amos returns the favor and figures out a way to rescue his giant friend!

Little Narwhal, Not Along

7. Little Narwhal, Not Alone by Tiffany Stone —

A young narwhal goes off adventuring in the ocean and ends up lost. Where is it’s pod? There are no narwhals to be seen, but the little narwhal does find a pod of beluga whales. This book does a great job at explaining the differences between the whales, as well as their similarities. In a lovely, rhyming take about acceptance and overcoming differences, the little narwhal makes new friends and sets a good example for young children. I love that the book introduces the readers to other animals that live in the northern, icy waters. The book , based on a true story, includes facts at the end.

The Fisherman & the Whale

8. The Fisherman and the Whale by Jessica Lanan–

In this beautifully illustrated, wordless picture book, a fisherman and his son find a whale trapped in fishing line. Even though the father wants to just return home after a long day fishing, he stops to help the whale. The book switches between the humans and the whale and lovingly illustrates the interconnectedness of the world. This is a great starting point for a conversation about ways we can all help care for the environment.

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale

9. Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale by Marcus Pfister–

When a huge blue whale moves into the reef where Rainbow Fish and his friends live, a misunderstanding standing leads to big trouble. Th whale loves watching the glittering scales on the fish as they play, but the whale’s size proves to be very intimidating and the fish get worried that the whale is going to cause trouble. This makes the whale angry. It is up to Rainbow Fish to make peace with the whale so that both Rainbow Fish’s friends and the whale can enjoy the reef together.

Rory: An Orca's Quest For The Northern Lights

10. Rory: An Orca’s Quest For The Northern Lights by Sarah Cullen and Carmen Ellis–

Follow along with this cute little orca named Rory as he goes on an adventure in search of the beautiful northern lights. The rhyming text and lovely illustrations will get your preschooler interested in this book about the power of friendship and following your dreams. I really like that this story shows other animals that live in the snowy, icy northern waters.

More Whale Fun!

Spouting Whale Craft

–Make a cute Spouting Whale Craft out of construction paper and tissue paper!

—W is for Whale letter tracing and coloring worksheet.

—Ocean Graphing: record how many times an ocean animal picture shows up each time you the roll the di on the bar graph included in this free, downloadable activity set. Once you have completed your graph, count how many times you rolled each animal.

Disclaimer:

Thank you for reading stories about whales with us! I hope you enjoy these books as much as we do. Check your local library for these and other great whale books to read together. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program and I provided affiliate links to the books I listed. If you buy an item through one of my links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for support. Happy reading!

Animals

Dory and Nemo Stick Puppets

Jennifer
Dory and Nemo Stick Puppets

Dory and Nemo are so cute and fun. Preschoolers and grownups both love these two fish! I created free stick puppet templates of them for children to make. I love stick puppets because they are so easy for preschoolers to make and hold, and are lend themselves well to creative play. Print off my free Dory and Nemo stick puppets  craft template and make your own stick puppets and create lots of fun adventures for Dory and Nemo.

Dory-Nemo-Stick-Puppets-1Download

Supplies Needed:

  • template
  • crayons
  • scissors
  • glue or tape
  • craft stick (I used the jumbo sized craft, but the skinnier one should work just fine)

How To:

This Dory and Nemo stick puppet craft is pretty quick and easy. Print the template — it is a free, downloadable PDF. Color your fish and then cut them out following the dotted circle outlines. Next glue or tape a craft stick to the back of each picture. Once they are dry, let the puppet play begin!

More Crafts

Do you like puppets? My son and I think puppets are a lot of fun! We’ve made quite a few together. Check out some more of our puppet ideas:

Animals

Paper Plate Flounder Craft

Jennifer
paper plate flounder craft
Paper Plate Flounder Craft

Flounders are kind of funny looking fish because you can see both of their eyes at the same time while they are sideways; it makes them look smushed. My son saw a flounder at the aquarium and was intrigued by this weird looking fish. So when I suggested we do a fish art project, he wanted to make a paper plate flounder craft.

Supplies Needed:

– 1 paper plate

-scissors

-stapler (optional)

-glue stick

-tissue paper squares (about 1 inch x 1 inch)

– large googly eyes

-(optional glitter glue)

How To:

-To make your fish, have your child cut out a triangle from the paper plate. This makes it look like the fish’s mouth is open. My son loves being able to use scissors, so he liked this craft.

-Staple the triangle to the back of fish to make a tail. You can always glue the tail on, but then you have to wait for it to dry.

-Now it’s time to decorate the fish! Using the glue stick, glue tissue squares all over the plate to make the fish’s scales.

-Finish your fish by adding googly eyes.

My son thought it needed some sparkle, so he added blue glitter-glue polka dots to his fish.

More Ocean Creatures:

My son and I also made a Toilet Paper Roll Octopus craft and a Spouting Whale craft.

Animals

Narwhal Stories

Jennifer
Narwhal Stories

Ready to learn about narwhals? These whales are fascinating! While often nicknamed the unicorn of the sea, narwhals don’t actually have a horn. They have a long tooth that sticks out, which looks like unicorn’s horn. Narwhals live in the icy northern waters with many other interesting, snow-loving animals. Here are 6 fantastic narwhal stories to share with your preschooler to learn more about these whales.

Narwhal Stories:

Wendell the Narwhal

1. Wendell the Narwhal by Emily Dove–

The ocean is full of musical sea creatures! Wendell the narwhal wants to make music too, but he can’t clap, pop, go tweedly dee, or whoosh like the  other creatures. While they are making music together, Wendell is feeling sad and like he doesn’t belong. One of the jellyfish comes up with a great way to include Wendell in the musical fun — Wendell can be the conductor! His tusk is perfect for leading the undersea musicians. Now everyone is in harmony and Wendell is happily taking part in the lovely symphony. 

Not Quite Narwhal

2. Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima —

Is it a unicorn or a narwhal? A young unicorn named Kelp lives under the sea with a group of narwhals. Kelp feels like he doesn’t quite belong under the sea. One day, he meets a bunch of unicorns on land and they are just like him! These unicorns teach him all kinds of cool unicorn stuff. So while being with unicorns is awesome, Kelp misses his narwhal family. He returns home to tell them that he is actually a unicorn, not a narwhal. His family knew that the whole time, but it didn’t stop them from loving him! In a beautiful display of love, family, and friendship the narwhals and the unicorns all get together at beach where Kelp can be with everyone at the same time. Preschoolers will love the beautiful illustrations throughout this book.

I'm a Narwhal

3. I’m a Narwhal (Little Golden Books) by Mallory Loehr–

Little Golden Books keeps coming out with super cute book! Your preschooler will love this narwhal book. It has adorable illustrations and is packed with interesting information about these mysterious whales. Read this one together and learn all about the narwhal’s tusk, its habitat, and its family.

Baby Narwhal

4. Baby Narwhal: finger puppet book by Yu-Hsuan Huang–

This series of finger puppet board books is so much fun to read with your preschooler! My family has several and they keep coming out with more. The baby narwhal puppet is adorable and the short story will keep your child engaged. Explore the icy ocean with baby narwhal and learn what activities narwhals like, the sounds this whale makes, and who is in this baby’s family.

Little Narwhal, Not Alone

5. Little Narwhal, Not Alone by Tiffany Stone —

A young narwhal goes off adventuring in the ocean and ends up lost. Where is it’s pod? There are no narwhals to be seen, but the little narwhal does find a pod of beluga whales. This book does a great job at explaining the differences between the whales, as well as their similarities. In a lovely, rhyming take about acceptance and overcoming differences, the little narwhal makes new friends and sets a good example for young children. I love that the book introduces the readers to other animals that live in the northern, icy waters. The book , based on a true story, includes facts at the end.

6. Probably a Narwhal by Shelley Moore Thomas–

Get ready for some giggles when you read this silly book! A girl blames her messy room on a narwhal, and then a real narwhal shows up to defend itself. In this hilarious back-and-forth between the girl and the narwhal, an unlikely friendship forms between the two. Your child will want to read this one over and over again.

Disclaimer:

Thank you for reading narwhal stories with us! Check your local library for these and great books to read together. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program and I provided affiliate links to the books I listed. If you buy an item through one of my links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for support. Happy reading!

Animals

Ocean Animal Stories

Jennifer
Ocean Animal Stories

There are so many amazing ocean animals that we usually don’t get to see unless we go to an aquarium. Some of these animals live in the icy, cold waters at the North and South Poles, while others live in the warm ocean waters. Visit your library and check out these ocean animal stories to discover who lives in the ocean and whether they like warm or cold habitats.

10 Books about Ocean Animals:

The Pout-Pout Fish

1. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen–

My family loves this is fun rhyming story (with great pictures) about a grumpy fish who realizes that friendship can really brighten our day. It’s written sing-songy and in our house, we really get into this story, with the whole family singing the refrain and acting out the “blubs.” The Pout Pout Fish has many sequels so you can continue to read about Mr. Fish and his underwater friends. The original is my favorite, and I love reading this one out loud at storytime 🙂

Over in the Ocean

2. Over in the Ocean: in a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes–

My son got this book for his birthday and it is AWESOME! It has fantastic pictures that were formed from clay by artist Jeanette Canyon that perfectly compliment Marianne Berkes’ sing-songy text. You and your little one will want to study these pictures over-and-over again to get all of the details incorporated onto each page. This book introduces a variety of cool sea creatures. It also lends itself well to movement activities that preschoolers will love to do. At the end, there is a seek-and-find activity to search for all of the sea creatures

Nugget and Fang

3. Nugget and Fang by Tammi Sauer —

This is great story about best friends who just happen to be a shark and a minnow. The minnow, Nugget, starts school with the other little minnows and learns that sharks are big, scary predators out to eat minnows and they most definitely cannot be friends. Fang is devastated by the news, and tries his hardest to keep their friendship in tact. It doesn’t look good for their friendship, until Fang saves the little minnows and teaches them that sharks and minnows can be friends. What is 10 minnows plus 1 shark = 11 awesome friends!

The Rainbow Fish

4. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister–

In this beloved children’s story, the Rainbow Fish learns what it means to be a good friend. The Rainbow Fish has the most beautiful sparkly scales and it was so very proud of its shimmery scales. Other fish want a sparkly scale too, but Rainbow Fish doesn’t want to part with them because they make it such a pretty fish. Hesitantly, the Rainbow Fish shares just one sparkly scale with a little fish. Soon everyone wants a pretty scale. Turns out Rainbow Fish likes sharing. Now the ocean is full of fish with glimmering scales! Even though the Rainbow Fish has only one sparkly scale left, it feels happy having shared and being a good friend.

I'm Getting a Shark

5.  I’m Getting a Shark by Brady Smith —

We discovered this book at our library and it is perfect for young shark fans. It is a cute story about a girl who is obsessed with sharks and she is convinced that she is getting a real one for her birthday! She shares all of her favorite shark facts with her dog as she weighs the pros and cons of which shark species would make the best pet.

Oona in the Arctic

6. Oona in the Arctic by Kelly DiPucchio —

Oona, a mermaid, finds a lost baby beluga whale and sets out to help reunite the baby with its family. Heading north to the icy waters of the Arctic, Oona, her best pal, Otto, and the baby whale brave storms and other dangers. Illustrator Raissa Figueroa does a fantastic job of showing the underwater plants, and real life animals who inhabit the artic. Seals, orcas, and narwhals can be seen in the cold northern waters, as well as on the floating ice. The land pictures are just as stunning as the underwater portrayals, showing the beautiful northern lights and the snowy landscape.

Shark Kiss, Octopus Hug

7. Shark Kiss, Octopus Hug by Lynn Rowe Reed —

This is a super cute picture book about a shark and an octopus looking for some love. You will giggle your way through the story reading the silly ideas these two friends come up with to get the beachgoers to give them hugs and kisses. In the end, the two friends realize that they don’t need hugs and kisses from the beachgoers because they have each other to exchange hugs and kisses with — awww!

Baby Beluga

8. Baby Beluga by Raffi–

Raffi turned some of his best-loved songs into books, including Baby Beluga! This book, illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators, Ashley Wolff, features a busy little beluga whale and many other animals that live in the Arctic Ocean. Read this book and find out what the little whale and its friends do all day! The picture of the baby beluga back with its pod for nighttime snuggles is especially sweet.

Commotion in the Ocean

9. Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae–

I love this rhyming story about ocean animals! Each animal gets its own little poem that tells something interesting about them. This book covers so many different types of sea creatures, from huge blue whales to small barnacles! Which one is your favorite?

Inky's Amazing Escape

10. Inky’s Amazing Escape by Sy Montgomery —

My son loves this book! It is a true story about an octopus named Inky, who escapes from an aquarium in Australia and makes its way back to the Pacific Ocean. We learned a lot about octopuses from this non-fiction picture book, and we were fascinated by Inky’s journey. My son was so excited when he learned that Inky liked playing Legos just like he does! Out of all of the books written about Inky, this one is our favorite. Sy Montgomery is a gifted storyteller and we were absolutely fascinated by this amazing octopus. I check out lots of library books for my son and I to read together, but this is one book that we felt that we needed to own. We truly love this story and read it over-and-over again.

Disclaimer:

Thank you for reading ocean animal stories with us! Check your local library for these and great books to read together. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program and I provided affiliate links to the books I listed. If you buy an item through one of my links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for support. Happy reading!

Animals, STEM

Ocean Graphing STEM Activity

Jennifer
Ocean Graphing

Add some ocean-themed math fun into your preschooler’s learning with this ocean graphing STEM activity! What is ocean graphing? Ocean graphing is recording how many times an ocean animal picture shows up each time you the roll the di on the bar graph included in this set. The purpose of this activity is to introduce young learners to the concepts of probability, recording answers, and counting. Once you have completed your graph, count how many times you rolled each animal.

Ocean Graphing STEM Activity:

Start by printing this free template. The ocean graphing template includes the di, colored tiles, and graphing chart. I used regular printer paper; however, if you use cardstock, then your di will be much sturdier.

Ocean graphing di

Begin by cutting out the dice. Once fully cut out, gently fold the gray tabs inward. Then begin to fold your squares into a cube shape. Add some glue to the tabs and glue them onto the underside of the squares as you form your cube. The very last tab is hard to glue and might require tape. Once your cube is formed, set it aside to dry.

Cut out all of the colored tiles. You will have 4 of each color–red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Each color corresponds with one of the ocean animals. Here’s the color scheme: crab=red, clown fish=orange, clam=yellow, sea turtle=green, whale=blue, and octopus=purple.

Let’s Graph!

Now it is time to begin ocean graphing. Ask you child to gently roll the di. Which ocean animals picture is on top? Is it a red crab? Take a tile of the same color and set it on the graph above the corresponding-colored ocean animal picture. Keep rolling the di and setting tiles in the correct columns until you reach the top of the column.

The best part is you can use this activity over and over again since there is no glue involved. Try this ocean graphing STEM activity again and see which ocean animal makes it to the top this time!

Why STEM?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. It is important to introduce these concepts to preschoolers in a fun way so that as they get older, they are excited about STEM subjects. What are preschoolers learning in this activity? Preschoolers are learning their colors (science)! They have to identify the color on the di, find the same color on the chart, and then correctly add the same color tile to the graph. Preschoolers are learning how to graph, an important math concept! Add some extra math into this activity by counting how many of each color tile is on your graph and how many tiles your have altogether. Preschoolers are also learning about engineering as they help build the di!

More STEM Activities

If your child enjoyed this graphing activity, I made a free blank di template so you can customize it with your own pictures. You can add computer images, stickers, or draw whatever you want on the dice and graph for your child to practice more graphing skills.

Check out my STEM activities: https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/stem/

Ocean Graphing STEM Activity Download:

Ocean-GraphingDownload
Animals

Flamingo Books

Jennifer

Flamingo Books

Flamingos are amazing birds! My son loves them so much and always wants to read about these beautiful pink birds. We had a great time learning about flamingos in these 8 great flamingo books!

Flamingo Books:

Fussy Flamingo

1. The Fussy Flamingo by Shelly Vaughn James —

In this cute story, Lola, a young gray flamingo refuses to try shrimp. But shrimp are good for you, and delicious, and will turn your feathers pink, and that’s what flamingos eat, her parents say. Nonetheless, Lola believes that she won’t like the shrimp, so when her parents are distracted, Lola sneaks away and eats an assortment of fruits. Lola changes colors with each new food she tries turning a whole bunch of different colors! Finally, Lola agrees to try a shrimp and it turns out that shrimp are super yummy! Now Lola eats all of her shrimp and her feathers are a lovely pink color. 

Mingo the Flamingo

2. Mingo the Flamingo by Pete Oswald–

A young flamingo named Mingo, gets separated from his parents and crash lands into a farm. Oh no, Mingo has forgotten who he is! The farm animals take Mingo in and promise to let him stay as long as needs. when Mingo suddenly remembers that he is a flamingo and needs to fly and rejoin his flock, his new friends come up with a clever idea to get the injured flamingo home!

Flora and the Flamingo


3. Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Schaar Idle —

In this wordless picture book, Flora, a young girl, puts on her pink swim suit, her flippers, and a diving cap. She silently tries to copy the flamingo’s graceful movements. After a few struggles with the movements, the flamingo takes Flora by the hand and leads her through a beautiful dance that ends with great leap into the water. Preschoolers will enjoy lifting the flaps scattered throughout the book and looking at the lovely illustrations.

Pinky Got Out

4. Pinky Got Out by Michael Portis– 

Pinky, a flamingo at the zoo, sees a girl dressed in pink touring the zoo with her class, and he decides to join in the fun. The girl and her classmates spot Pinky trying to blend in with the other animals. Readers will have fun spotting Pinky too! This books is tons of fun to read; both children and adults will enjoy the humor.

Pinky Crashes the Party

5. Pinky Crashes the Party by Michael Portis—

Pinky the zoo flamingo is back in another story. This time he is helping Penny celebrate her birthday! Penny has a tropical themed birthday and Pinky fits right in with the décor. Young readers will love spotting Pinky trying to blend in with the stuff at the party supply stores, at the miniature golf course, and at home with the birthday decorations.

The Foodie Flamingo

6. The Foodie Flamingo by Vanessa Howl–​

Frankie the flamingo enjoys shrimp, but wants to try some new foods too. She becomes a “foodie.” Her eating adventures turns her feathers into different colors! Soon her friends want to join in on the fun and they make different tomato dishes to eat. The friends strut into the Pink Flamingo restaurant with their redish-magenta feathers and create quite the stir. Now all of the flamingos want to try new foods! My son loved the list at the end on how to be a “foodie” and he was inspired to try foods 🙂

Sylvie

7. Sylvie by Jennifer Sattler —

Sylvie is a great story about being yourself! After looking at the colors all around her, young Sylvie asks why flamingos are pink. Her mother tells her that flamingos’ feathers are pink because of their diet. Sylvie decides to eat different foods and she turns different colors. At first it is pretty fun to change colors, but Sylvie learns that it is best to be herself. In addition to the book’s positive message, adults and children will enjoy the cute illustrations and humor. 

My Pet Flamingo

8. My Pet Flamingo by Mariana Galvez–

This is a cute rhyming story about all of the things you need to know if you want a pet flamingo. For example, did you know that pet flamingo’s favorite meal is breakfast or that they love to bake? Also, they love to visit the library and check out lots of books! Pet flamingos seem like a lot of work. They want to dance ballet and need you to make them a tutu and they hate to clean up after themselves. And just like children, they want a kiss good night! We checked this out from our library and found out that this book is bilingual and has the text printed in both English and Spanish.

Disclaimer:

Thank you for reading flamingo books with us! Check your local library for these and great flamingo books to read together. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program and I provided affiliate links to the books I listed. If you buy an item through one of my links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for support. Happy reading!

Animals

Zoo Books for Little Readers

Jennifer

Preschoolers love animals and learning all about them! Here are 12 great zoo books to read together to learn about the animals at the zoo. I’ve also included some zoo actvities at the end too. Be sure to watch John Lithgow read his book, Never Play Music Next to the Zoo — this read-aloud is fantastic!

Zoo Boks collage
Zoo Books for Preschoolers

12 Zoo Books:

Good Night, Gorilla

1. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann–

It is bedtime at the zoo and the night watchman walks around the zoo, checking on each animal and wishing them a good night. But the watchman is so tired that he doesn’t realize the gorilla has stolen his keys and is letting out all of the animals! One by one, the animals follow the night watchman through the zoo and all they way to his home. Then they creep undetected into the bedroom and settle down for the night. It looks like everyone is going to sleep indoors tonight, until the gorilla wants a bedtime cuddle. Hey, gorillas don’t sleep in beds! Now its back to the zoo for everyone. This sparsely worded book lets preschoolers tell what is happening in the story and is sure to bring on a case of the giggles!

What the Ladybug Heard at the Zoo

2. What the Ladybug Heard at the Zoo by Julia Donaldson–

In this sequel to the What the Ladybug Heard, the ladybug is visiting the zoo when it overhears two robbers’ plan to kidnap Monkey Joe, They want to use him to steal the Queen’s jewels! Yikes! Ladybug comes up with a plan to foil the bad guys. All of the zoo animals and the Queen’s pups help out and stop the robbers.

Ellie

3. Ellie by Mike Wu–

 We read Ellie by Mike Wu, a story about a sweet elephant who shows that it doesn’t matter what old or how big you are, everyone can help in their own way. All of the animals are worried about losing their home as word spreads that the zoo is closing. Ellie, a baby elephant is worried too, but what can she do? Ellie puts her painting talents to use to help the zoo. Soon people are buying her paintings and the money made goes to keeping the zoo open!

Fiona's Train Ride

4. Fiona’s Train Ride by Richard Cowdrey–

The animals at the zoo are so excited about the new baby red panda! Fiona and her friends (a sloth, tortoise, cardinal, and skunk) want to visit the baby, but the zoo is a big place and its too far for the tortoise and the sloth to walk. The zoo train passes by giving Fiona a great idea! That night after the zoo closes, Fiona and her friends decide to take the train to see the new baby. Who is going to drive the train? Fiona will! Uh-oh, Fiona is a little too wide to fit though train door (cue the giggles from my son!) and gets stuck. With a little help from her friends, she gets free and is able to take her place as the engineer. All aboard! The animals gather into the train and off they go to see the baby. The cute little baby is sleeping next to its mother, so Fiona and her friends whisper, “hello,” before leaving, careful not to wake the baby.

The Underpants Zoo

5. The Underpants Zoo by Brian Sendelbach–

The Underpants Zoo was always a hit with my library preschool storytime group! They would giggle the whole way through and we had to stop reading multiple times so the kids could talk about the pictures (an anteater with ants in its underpants — whaaaaat?!?!?). My son loves this book too and he really enjoys pouring over the silly pictures.

1 Zany Zoo

6. 1 Zany Zoo by Lori Degman–

This book is so much fun! Find out what happens at the zoo before all of the people arrive. The excitement and silliness from the rhyming text and the bold, emotive illustrations make this book lots of fun to read. Not only does the reader get to learn the names of animals at the zoo, but we get to count along too! Your preschooler is going to ask to read this one over and over again!

King of the Zoo

7. King of the Zoo by Erica S. Pearl–

Carlos, a chameleon, is the self proclaimed king of the zoo. Chameleon’s color changing ability is pretty amazing! However, Carlos’ friends point out that other animals at the zoo are amazing too. Just look at how big the elephants are and how well the kangaroos can jump! Everyone has something amazing about them. Carlos is starting to feel blue and wonders if maybe he isn’t so great after all. Just then, a little girl sees Carlos and is so excited because he is her favorite animal at the zoo. That’s right, Carlos is the favorite! He perks right back up and realizes that he doesn’t have to be everyone’s favorite animals to still be amazing.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

8. A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead —

I love, love, love this book! My son and I have read this several times together and I have shared it at library storytime because it is such a sweet story about the power of kindness. Amos McGee works as a zookeeper, where he befriends an owl, a turtle, an elephant, and a penguin. Each animal has its own special needs, which Amos beautifully takes into account as he interacts with them. When Amos gets sick, his friends return the kindness he gave them, and the animals travel to Amos’ house to take care of him. The soft illustrations are perfect for this gentle story.

Bizzy Bear Zookeeper

9. Bizzy Bear: Zookeeper by Benji Davies–

This interactive board book is so cute! My son has several of the Bizzy Bear books and he loves all of the things to touch and move on every page. These stories are great for young children to become interested in books. In this story, Bizzy Bear is helping out at the zoo. He gets to give the crocodile a bath, help the hippo brush its teeth, and feed the penguins! My son loves penguins and was so excited to see them in this book. He got to turn the wheel and make the penguins and fish swim around. The awesome pictures are accompanied by short rhyming text, making this books an ideal choice for children who can’t sit still too long.

Zoogie Boogie Fever!

10. Zoogie Boogie Fever!: An Animal Dance Book by Sujean Rim–

What animals do at night after all of the people have left? They have a dance party! Suddenly a disco ball appears and the giraffes spread the word that it is time to dance. Learn about different styles of dance with zoo animal friends. This book is funny, fast paced, rhyming and full of great illustrations. Little readers will love watching each type of animal show off their moves. The animals’ ability to avoid detection from the zookeeper will leave you laughing. The conga line with all of the animals brings the dance party to a fantastic conclusion.

Pinky Got Out

11. Pinky Got Out by Michael Portis– 

Pinky, a flamingo at the zoo, sees a girl dressed in pink touring the zoo with her class, and he decides to join in the fun. The girl and her classmates spot Pinky trying to blend in with the other animals. Readers will have fun spotting Pinky too! This books is tons of fun to read; both children and adults will enjoy the humor.

Feeding Time at the Zoo

12. Feeding Time at the Zoo by Sherry Shahan–

We borrowed this book from the library and were immediately captured by the great photographs of animals. While we enjoyed the illustrations of animals in our other stories, it was nice to see what they really look like! Read this zoo book together and learn what animals eat.

Thank you for reading zoo books with us! Check your local library for these and great zoo books to read together. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program and I provided affiliate links to the books I listed. If you buy an item through one of my links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for support. Happy reading!

More Zoo Fun!

Paper Bag Tiger Puppet: using puppets to act out stories is tons of fun! Here is a template to make a tiger puppet out of a paper bag that your preschooler can use to tell their own zoo stories 🙂

Zoo-themed I Spy: how many of each zoo animal can you spy?