My Heart Is Like A Zoo: Lion Puppet

 

Have you all already known about this book and I’m just now finding out? 

This is a great (mostly) picture book and is our 2 year old’s absolute FAVORITE from our latest big library haul. 

All of the animals in this book are made up of hearts. There are all kinds of animals and the author even tells you how to make this little lion face. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, click on “Read More” to get a view of some cuties you could whip up for those special someones in your life. 

Elise really loves our trips to the library and now even knows the exit to take to get there. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let her drive me around town, just yet… 

When she walks in to our local branch, she turns automatically to the book drop and waits for me to haul the big bag-o-books there so she can help push them down the book return chute. She then heads to the kid’s section and stands in awe of the big kids (4-5 year olds) on the computers – she cannot wait until she gets to bang on those keys! 

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Her favorite book this week is hands down Michael Hall’s, My Heart Is Like a Zoo (partner link). This book is amazing in that the twenty animals he showcases are made up entirely of hearts! There is a simple little rhyme that weaves its way through the pages and if you have a child who can read, it would be a quick self-read for them.

Being so close to Valentine’s Day, this was a lucky score for us. We have read this book – this is NOT an exaggeration – about 30 times. Seriously. We’ve had it just over a week and we read it at least 5 times a day. 

Then Dad gets home and she asks him to read it at least once more before bed. 

I whipped up this little guy while she was having her morning snack, and here’s a simple tutorial of how you can make one too. 

Supplies: pretty simple, really. 

  • brown orange, yellow, and red construction paper
  • a craft stick 
  • a black marker – Hmmm… Speaking from experience, you should not use a Sharpie around a 2 year old. You could leave it on the table, 2 year old hands could get to it, and they could use it to mark up their shirt. Just sayin’ it could happen. 
  • glue / glue stick / double-sided tape – Just something sticky. 
Instructions: if you go online to Amazon and look through the “Look Inside” feature, it shows you on the last page how to make it. There’s not a tutorial, but it’s pretty easy to figure out. I added the backing (brown) and the stick, but everything else is the same.

I cut a large brown heart, a medium orange, and a small yellow. I then cut a smaller yellow and a tiny red heart. 

Cut notches into the orange (mane) and the face (larger of the yellow) hearts. Hint: just fold it back in half and they will be symmetrical.  

Think of building from the bottom up and assemble this fella. Set aside the brown heart for now. Layer all of the following on the orange heart. First, put the smaller of the two yellow hearts sideways so that it forms the lion’s chin. Layer the remaining yellow heart (face) on top of the chin heart, lining it up as in the photo. Glue on the red heart for a nose and draw on the eyes.  

Almost done! Then, grab your craft stick, slather some glue on it and stick it into the center of the brown heart. Put some glue on the top part of the stick. Slather some glue on the back of the lion you made and stick that in the center. 

Ta da! You now have an adorable lion puppet. And if you don’t have a desire for a puppet, the lion is very cute glued onto some construction paper and hung up. Elise loves to glue, so I made two. :)

 

At this very moment, Elise is sitting in front of her library book basket with her new lion friend “reading” this book. “Look! This looks like you!” just made me erupt into a fit of laughter.  

Her favorite pages are the lion, the walrus, and the last page of the child in bed with all of the animals on the wall or tucked in a hiding place somewhere. 
My favorite pages are the moose and the hippos. I’m such a sucker for a cute hippopotamus.

If you click on the title here, My Heart Is Like a Zoo partner link), you can see all of the animals Michael Hall presents in the book. They are just too cute!!!!

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