Storytime Theme: Animals Down Under
G’day! Today I’m sharing a storytime theme that will take me all the way around the globe to a place on my travel bucket list – Australia! With how popular Bluey is on TV, I thought it would be fun to create an animal-themed Australian storytime. These books include the typical koala and kangaroo but also include animals like kookaburras and wombats too. Again, teaching kids vocabulary words increases their early literacy skills and gets them ready to read. And I know, how often are you going to be reading a book about kookaburras, but it’s still really fun to learn and to say! As often as I’m able, this storytime includes both stories and nonfiction titles to expand a child’s background knowledge and equate books to spending time with loved ones. Celebrate Australia with this awesome Animals Down Under lesson plan.
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Storytime Theme: Animals Down Under
Books
- A Is for Australian Animals by Frané Lessac
- Emu by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Graham Byrne
- The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright, illustrated by Jim Field
- Kookaburra Kookaburra by Bridget Farmer
- Marsupial Sue by John Lithgow, illustrated by Jack E. Davis
- Over in Australia: Amazing Animals Down Under by Marianne Berkes, illustrated by Jill Dubin
- Pouch! by David Ezra Stein
- Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill, illustrated by Charles Fuge
- Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Songs & Rhymes
- Kookaburra Sits In the Old Gum Tree – The Mudcakes
- Bluey Theme Song – Bluey
- Waltzing Matilda – Slim Dusty
Crafts & Activities
- Paper Plate Australian Animals – The Craft Train
- Paper Bag Koala Craft – Simple Everyday Mom
- Aboriginal Dot Art – Little Hiccups