Wild About Us!

Wild About Us! written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by Janet Stevens (2015)

Warthog takes a minute to remind us that we are unique. “We all are the way we are all meant to be!” Wise words from a warthog. You wouldn’t tease a rhino for having wrinkly skin, or an elephant for having a long nose, or a flamingo for being pink would you? Just imagine if you went to the zoo and all the animals looked the same. No, thank you!

What a terrific opportunity to talk about what makes us unique as people too. Just imagine if we all looked the same.

Now, back to the animals… Of course a trip to the zoo is in order, but even if you can’t get to one quickly you can still have some zoo fun at home. Depending on your child’s age and maturity, you can use toys, pictures, or words.

Play an identification game with your child. Take turns giving each other 3 characteristics of an animal and see if the other person can guess which one it is just from the clues.  I’m thinking of an animal with stripes, hooves, and lives in Africa. Your turn!

Group zoo animals by characteristics. Talk about how animals are alike and different. How many animals can you think of that have horns? What do penguins, flamingos, and ostriches have in common? How are monkey’s tails different from alligator’s tails?