As a child, I adored animal stories. Dick King-Smith was a favourite, and I scoured the British Library for his books. Another favourite was the Animal Ark series – completely different in the sense that the animals aren’t anthropomorphic, but fun, all the same.
That’s one of the reasons we’re reading The Lizard of Oz at my book club. Although I haven’t worked with short stories with my book club for ages seven and eight before, they work excellently with the older ones, so I’m excited to read this set next month. Humour, adventure and sparkling surprises come together in this collection that I’m sure we’ll have fun exploring!
Word Puzzle
Several years ago, the theme for the reading challenge at the British Library was ‘Animal Agents‘. I loved the books in the collection, as well as all the activities we did! One of those activities is a word puzzle that I’m sure my book clubbers will enjoy. Searching for words is always fun!
Favourite Animals
When we read A Very Naughty Dragon, the children at my book club made wonderful presentations on animals they find intriguing. I discovered animals I hadn’t heard of, and this was rewarding for all of us! This is an activity well worth repeating because children are treasure troves of trivia that they’re eager to share. Here’s our chance to learn about more animals from around the world, while also giving each child the chance to talk about something that excites them!
Creating an Animal Story
The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories features all kinds of unexpected animals – a mosquito, a bee, an ant, a mouse … What animals can we write about? What strange characteristics could they have? Together, as well as individually, we will create protagonists for animal stories of our own.
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