Themes
- Australian wildlife
- Celebrations
- Teamwork
Exploring the Story
Writing a rhyming text can be very challenging. As a group, try to workshop the next verse or two of the story. What happens next? Where do the animals go and what do they do? Suggest to the group that they might like to brainstorm some rhyming words first and encourage the children to search for a rhyming dictionary in the library resources or online to help with this process.
You may also want to explore the rhythm of the text with the group before getting down to writing to allow the children to try to match the pace of the story. Once the extra verse(s) has been written, read the entire story with your additions back to the group. What do they think of their team effort? Was it easier or more difficult than they thought it would be?
To extend this activity, encourage the kids to use their new skills and understanding of the rhythm and rhyme to write their own rhyming story. Remind them to allow themselves plenty of time as it can be a very difficult task to achieve.
There are a lot of native Australian bird and animal characters in this book, all beautifully illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom. Ask each child if they recognise each of the animals or birds. Have they seen them in the wild or at a zoo/wildlife park?
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