Picture Book: My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

I was immediately endeared to My Heart Is Like a Zoo (ages 3-10) by Michael Hall.  Each lovable animal in the "zoo" expresses a different aspect of the speaker’s love.  The book begins with the following poetic verse: 

My heart is like a zoo—

eager as a beaver,

steady as a yak

hopeful as a hungry heron

fishing for a snack…

The same framework is used until the end when the tired zookeeper (small boy) cuddles up in bed with all his animals surrounding him.  Using die cut shapes (primarily hearts), a menagerie of animals is created---from the sea, the land, and the air.  My Heart Is Like a Zoo is versatile enough that it can be used for teachable moments from early childhood to elementary school.  

Lesson Plan and Learning Extension Ideas

Younger children can…

• identify circles, rectangles, triangles, and squares  
• count the number of hearts (or other shapes) that make up each animal
• name colors
• identify animals
• connect to a zoo or animal unit

Older children can…

• recognize sound devices like rhyme and alliteration
• recognize similes (and practice creating their own)
• identify adjectives and nouns (parts of speech)
• classify animals into groups—sea, land, and air
• distinguish fantasy from fact
• create animals using various shapes similar to the illustrations