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Look, little child, as the night is unfurled, animals are going to bed round the world. As the sun slowly fades and the soft, silver moon rises, the baby animals are snuggling down to sleep while their mummies watch over them. This collection of enchanting lullabies, with its breathtaking illustrations, makes the perfect bedtime book for all sleepyheads.
Teaching Ideas and Resources:
English
- ‘Look little child, as the night is unfurled. Animals going to bed around the world.’ What does ‘unfurled’ mean? Can you think of words with similar meanings?
- Can you describe the rhyming pattern in the text?
- Can you make a rhyming dictionary using the rhyming words in this book?
- Could you make up a rhyme about an animal of your choice?
- Make a list of verbs that show what each type of animal is doing (e.g. wadding, quack, romp, nestled).
- Make a list of adjectives that describe the animals. Which adjectives could be used to describe more than one animal?
- Think of some speech / thought bubbles to add to the illustrations. What might the animals be thinking / feeling?
- Write a story about a dream that one of the animals have while they are sleeping.
- Make a verse for a new page for the book, based on another sleeping animal (see Resources below).
Maths
Science
- The deer and her fawn nestle in the grass together. Can you find out the names of other types of young animals (e.g. calf, foal).
- Find out about the habitats of the different animals shown in the story. Can you explain how the animals are adapted to living there?
- Choose two (or more) different animals in the book. Can you make a table to show how they are similar / different?
- The sun goes down as the story progresses. Why do we have day and night time?
- Which animals are camouflaged in the illustrations? Why is this? Can you think of other animals that use camouflage to their advantage?
- Imagine that you were running a zoo that includes some of the animals in the story. What things would you need to think about to ensure that the animals are well looked after?
- Can you find out why animals need to sleep?
Computing
- Use drawing tools to make your own pictures of the animals in the text.
Design Technology
- Make a pop-up page with a moving animal on it.
Art
- Can you draw your own illustrations of the animals featured in the book? Try using different types of media. Which ones look the most realistic?
Music
- Think of sounds that the animals in each illustration might here. Could you record a soundtrack to each illustration so that people can see and hear what is happening?
Geography
- Use a map to plot different places where each animal might be in the illustrations.
Languages
- Can you find out the names of some of these animals in different languages?
PSHE
- The animals all feel safe and secure. What things make you feel safe and secure?
- Make a list of ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments for keeping animals in zoos.
