A plethora of ideas for different classroom uses came to mind when I read this book, What Animals Really Like. There is a multiple part song involved, different groups of animals, and irregular physical actions for each animal. All of this to help the audience understand stereotypes, judgment, etc., through somewhat of a song. What really liked about each animal is that they liked something totally random (except for the mice). There are lions liking flower arranging, shrimp liking skiing, and warthogs liking to blow enormous bubbles. One of my many ideas to incorporate this book in a classroom would be with the different sections of animals. The class could split into animals and go through the song, or make up their own by agreeing on what they all like to do. This setup could also be used in many cultural aspects of world studies that the students could research and explain. I believe this book can very useful to teachers and educators for a means of getting kids actively involved in class. So darn cute and FUNNY! I really enjoyed the humor of this little book. Our poor conductor is all ready to lead a performance in which various animals sing about their favorite activities. Such as, "We are lions, and we like to prowl/We are wolves, and we like to howl." The rhyme scheme and our own expectations about animals sets readers up for a very obvious pairing of the animal and its interests. But, there are some surprises! "We are pigeons, and we like to coo/We are cows, and we like to . . . dig." Dig!? What!? How is that? Why? Soon, much to the consternation of our conductor, many animals are rebelling from the standard song and stating their real likes. Fun and mayhem ensues. And also a good lesson that we do not have to like what is expected of us! ;-) The illustrations are also a hoot and the fold-out pages are a lot of fun.
What do You think about What Animals Really Like (2011)?
Great bedtime read. Teaches kids that you can't always judge a book by its cover.
—ashley
