Can You Cuddle Like a Koala?

by John Butler

From leaping like a frog to winking like an owl, this book delights young children with a simple, interactive look at different animals and the way they move. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Nature, Love

12 pages, Board book

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

writer and illustrator - lives in Kent, South East England.

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was much fun in PreK story time.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations accompany this rhyming text.
Perfect for interactive bedtime storytimes.
Skip a few pages for a babytime storytime.

[Ms. Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read aloud and it’s a shame the picture book version is out of print. Each page has a large illustration of a single animal performing a task and implores the audience to do it too.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the animals and the participation. I hope to try it in my next bedtime storytime.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It is so cute! The illustrations are phenomenal. Such detail and beautiful colors. The texture is amazing and they look so adorable and cuddly. The book I had was a board book and I feel like children would enjoy this. Good to read as a bedtime story since the ending has to do with sleeping and getting ready for bed. The illustrations are spread over the two pages with one question that stretches over the two pages as well.

[Rebecca Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Can You Cuddle Like A Koala? was adorable. For little children who love animals, or for parents who are trying to introduce an appreciation for nature and animals, this rhyming book could be perfect. The illustrations are all lovely and appealing.

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? This question, and book, is a perfect addition to the bedtime rituals of younglings. The illustrations are cute, the rhyming text encourages younglings to act along with the animals leading to:

Now copy these creatures, all ready for bed.
Close your eyes tight and rest your sleepyhead.

[Morgan Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun and simple bedtime story for toddlers of all ages. Each page makes a request for the reader to move like an animal, which is great for getting wiggles out before bed. My kids love to stretch like the tiger and creep like a mouse. We all love the beautiful illustrations!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like a book that engages kids in some fashion. This one lets them stretch, hop, etc like the animals in the book.

[Frankie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun book to act out what the animals are doing throughout book

[Cecilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good interactive activity book (can you mimic these animals?!), but a terrible right before bed book. The kids will be all too wound up to sleep :|

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun play-along book. Can you [action] like [animal]? It invites kids to play along. And then, sleep like the animals-- awesome for a bedtime book!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of opportunities for movement and interaction with this great group read aloud. Can you imitate the animals, too?

[Deidra Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the animals are so fluffy, and we loved the rhyming rhythm.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for lapsits.

Simple text, beautiful pictures, and some action-oriented movement commands.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read at Tales for Twos and Threes on 7/15/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read during preschool class visit on 12/14/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at After School Story Time on 1/26/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read during a preschool class visit on 2/2/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at Toddler Lap Time on 7/19/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at preschool story time on 2/15/17: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

What really makes this book are the gorgeous animal illustrations. It's a lot like his book Can You Growl Like a Bear in that it's asking the child to pretend he/she is an animal. "Pretend you're an animal. What can you be? Can you copy these creatures? Are you ready? Let's see." Besides the title koala, the book features mouse, monkey, owl, frog, tiger, otter, hare, bear and squirrel. It invites children to cuddle, creep, swing, wink, leap, stretch, splash, jump, hug, curl up, and then copy the creatures getting ready for bed.

[Shala Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is as cute as the title suggests. Very fun to read to even the smallest of readers (my baby is 4 months old), although I recommend having a partner help you, so that you can have one person reading the book and the other helping the baby cuddle like the koala or swing like the monkey. You can do it yourself, but it means a lot of picking the book up and putting it back down again -- not that there's anything wrong with that....

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY REVIEW:

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? is an adorable bedtime story that will help get the wiggles out and encourage the cuddles before you tuck in your kids for the night. I enjoy the simple story with the simple interactions and the sweet ending. The parents will enjoy this fun book just as much as the children!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures in Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? are GORGEOUS!!! I recently used this story for an owl-themed program for bilingual story time, and the kids were mesmerized by the illustrations. I do have to admit that some of the actions were a bit weird to have the kids try to emulate (i.e., splash, cuddle, swing, etc.), so I just had them do some of the actions.

[Drew Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many animals model snuggly behavior for little lap-readers at bedtime.

I'm a little surprised it's taken me this long to sit down and read/review one of John Butler's books. They are short and sweet and feature unspeakably adorable animal illustrations. I really have nothing but good things to say about this snuggly bedtime book.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

We started reading this book to my daughter while she was still in the womb. She is ten months old and loves it still... The illustrations are wonderful and there are just enough words on the page so that she can turn them without getting bored. It's a great bedtime story!

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for preschoolers and younger. The illustrations are adorable and the simple language was easily repeatable my my 3 yr olds. No educational value except for reading and instilling the love of books in your child! Highly recommended for the smaller children.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler loves this book right now. He tries to copy each animal in the book. The illustrations are very sweet.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one from John Butler. This book shows all of the different favorite places for different baby creatures to nap, ending of course with the baby human napping in a lap.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story to read with the little ones at bedtime. Very soothing narrative and soft, but realistic, colorful and often luminous pictures.

[Kristin Fletcher-spear]

read before the baby steps program @ the library. Have already forgotten it though.

[Jessica Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great rhyming book for children who love animals! This book is also a good idea for beginning readers so that they can look at the pictures to help them read the book.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous soft illustrations and an eclectic assortment of animals to learn and imitate. Final page makes it a bedtime story too.

[Amanda]

Great bed time book! Gets all the wiggles out then gets them quieted down and ready for bed. We also enjoyed the rhyming.