"Where The Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak is perhaps among the most popular children's story books. It chronicles the journey of Max, who was sent to bed without his dinner after a rough day and dreams of a land where he is king of all Wild Things. After reading this story, put on some jazzy music and have the children choreograph their own "wild rumpus" as Max does in the book. Or give children cardboard figures to decorate and create their own wild things. Use fabric scraps, markers, crayons and any other craft materials you have on hand.
This tale by Janell Cannon tells the story of a baby fruit bat that becomes separated from her mother and is temporarily adopted by a bird. After reading the book, talk about the differences and similarities between birds and bats, then create a poster that lists all these characteristics. You also can play a matching game using pictures of baby animals and their mothers.
"Quick as a Cricket" by Don and Audrey Wood features a young child acting like all of his favorite animals. Each animal in the book depicts a different emotion. While reading the book with the class, see if the children can guess which animal each page depicts. For example, read the page by saying "I'm as loud as a..." and see if the children can guess "lion" by using picture and context clues. When you have finished reading the book, have a large group movement activity by placing the names of all of the animals in the book in a hat. Have the children take turns selecting a name from the hat and acting it out for the class to guess the animal.
This book by Denise Fleming explores the outdoor world. Children will relate to the colorful illustrations as well as the simple, rhyming text. After reading the book, discuss with children the kinds of things they can find in their own backyards or on the school playground. After listening to the children's ideas, take a nature hunt. Give each child a paper bag to collect natural materials, such as leaves, grass, pine cones and twigs, in the schoolyard. Bring the bags indoors and create window collages using the collected materials. Place a small, sheet of clear contact paper on a table, sticky side up. Have children place their leaves and other flat items on the contact paper and place the natural artwork on the window.