Amelia Cobb - The Cuddly Koala

When Great-Uncle Horace brings back lost and homeless animals from his travels around the globe, it falls to Zoe and her mum, the zoo vet, to settle them into their new home. Zoe’s good at this, because she can understand what they say and talk to them, too. But that’s a secret. A new baby koala has arrived at the zoo, and he’s very clumsy. Zoe is a bit worried he’s going to hurt himself. So she comes up with a very cuddly way to keep him safe – a koala sling!

Discover the importance of being kind and caring to others in this heartwarming story book for Key Stage 1.

Genre: animals, zoo, friendship

Themes: kindness, caring for others, nature

Age: 5 – 6

resources book covers (6)

Activities

  • In the book Zoe loves talking to animals and being able to understand them! Ask pupils to pick an animal they would love to be able to talk to. What would they say to the animal and what would it say back?
  • Animal research: Zoe loves the zoo because of all the animals she gets to talk to. Have pupils pick their favourite animal and create a fact file. They could include: a hand drawn picture of the animal, a list of facts about the animal and where the animal loves to live. You could even do this as a class project and vote on the animal you want to research together! (CC links: Art, Geography)
  • What makes us caring? Zoe is wonderful at caring for the new arrivals at the zoo; especially the cuddly koala Kipp! Have pupils create a mind map of what it means to care for an animal (or even each other). (CC links: PSHE)
  • What makes Zoe?: Create a gingerbread character for Zoe. On the inside describe her feelings, thoughts and emotions and on the outside describe her actions and behaviours.  (CC links: English, PSHE)
  • Put it on a postcard: Imagine Zoe helps Kipp write a postcard to his family back home. What would he want them to know about his new home and friends? 
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