Oral Language

How do you know if someone is your friend? Ask your child to tell you how you know someone is your friend and how you are a good friend to other people. If your child has trouble with the explanations, give examples of times you’ve seen someone being a friend to your child, and other times when you’ve seen your child being a good friend to others.

Then talk about the title of the book and the pictures on the cover. Tell your child that this book will tell her about some unlikely friends who happen to be animals!

Phonological Awareness

Listen for beginning sounds of words. As you read the story, pause before turning each page. Say the name of each animal in the photograph. Ask your child to tell you the sound the animal name starts with. You might say: 

“This picture has a fox in it. What sound does /f/ /f/ fox start with? That’s right. Fox starts with the /f/ sound.”

Beginning Writing and Letter Knowledge

Draw a favorite animal from the story. Ask your child to identify one or two favorite animals from the book. Give her unlined paper and crayons or colored pencils to draw a picture of the animals. Open the book to the page so she can look at the photo while drawing. After she has finished the drawing, you can print the name of the animal next to the drawing.  

Learn more about the importance of beginning reading skills for 3-year-olds and take the Reading BrightStart! Preschool Reading Screener, which can help you determine if your 3-year-old is on the path to reading success.