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Oodles of Animals
In this exuberant collection, Lois Ehlert celebrates the animal kingdom with quirky, playful rhymes and bold collage illustrations that perfectly capture the spirit of each creature. Sixty-four of her favorite animal friends are here, from hamsters to monkeys, geckos to mountain goats--and with its clever combination of fact and wordplay, this stunning volume is as fun to read as it is to look at.
Includes an author's note.
Visit for activity sheets and more!
Includes an author's note.
Visit for activity sheets and more!
56 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
About the author
Lois Ehlert
95 books203 followersLois Ehlert has created numerous inventive, celebrated, and bestselling picture books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Holey Moley, The Scraps Book, Mice, Ten Little Caterpillars, RRRalph, Lots of Spots, Boo to You!, Leaf Man, Waiting for Wings, Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup, and Color Zoo, which received a Caldecott Honor. She lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 26, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book. The rhymes that were included were catchy and funny. Though some of them were a little corny. The age level intended is PreK-K. I would use this book to help students with shape recognition. This would coincide with a math lesson. The students would be given pattern blocks and they can make animals that they saw within the story. The pictures were creative and funny.
April 4, 2021
One of the books I picked up at #nErDcampNNE!
I love this--lovely little quatrains and couplets accompany Ehert's collage animals.
I love this--lovely little quatrains and couplets accompany Ehert's collage animals.
November 30, 2020
Super cut book about shapes and animals. It's filled with short poems about animals. The only one I didn't appreciate was "Ugly bugs don't get hugs." As a parent I'd skip reading that poem. I don't know that we need to perpetuate the destructive p0hilosophy that only the beautiful are worthy of affection. But other than that it was a cute book.
June 23, 2023
Cool concept of introducing animals through snippets and representational art. Some of the poems felt lazy or off-beat, in an awkward way. I’ve never been a huge fan of how Ehlert’s color palettes and chosen shapes correlate; they seem like a lot visually, but I also recognize that’s a “me” thing and dependent on my personal taste. Still, mildly fun.
September 19, 2017
Unique & funny poems pair with inspiring & craftily created animals for an interesting & enjoyable book 😊
September 25, 2017
Cute poetry but the art is a little strange in this one
April 25, 2018
I super enjoyed the clever ways this author used words!
"A fly can flee.
A flea can't fly.
But a flea can flee
and a fly can fly."
"A fly can flee.
A flea can't fly.
But a flea can flee
and a fly can fly."
November 5, 2018
No clear story line. Okay to read to one kid sitting nearby but not a good fit for storytime.
April 3, 2019
Love this author and the collection created
Very unique style to the illustrations
Loved it
Very unique style to the illustrations
Loved it
February 21, 2013
BOOK: In the Tall, Tall Grass by Fleming
(also shared some of Elhert's lovely poetry book, Oodles of Animals)
CLASS:
Toddler Storybook Art Class
LINKS:
BOOK SHARING:
I read this book to the children and included a lot of dialogic discussion about the animals and their characteristics and asked if children had observed the creatures from the book themselves. I also shared a few poems from OODLES OF ANIMALS by Elhert and talked about how she created the animals from shapes. I showed the children a few signs for different animals like; bird, bug, bear, butterfly, etc. After the story I asked the children to think of a real or made up animals that they would like to create from a modeling material. I also told caregivers how they could help by discussing the chosen creature with their child and talking about the shapes or features that made that animal. I asked them to let the children shape the dough and to decide what to do but to assist by discussing their progress and offering various materials from the trays of embellishments. I reminded adults that every child will be focused on a different aspect of this project and to let them lead. Some will be interested in shaping and smashing the dough, others will want to press lots of objects in, and others will be more interested in adding marks to the dough and even to the cardboard base. This is a great project for fine motor skills, cause and effect, thinking about the process of creating a 3D object as well as working with a new material and talking about their process and learning new descriptive words.
ART ACTIVITY:
I provided each child with a small cardboard square or rectangle for a base to create their animal on and to transport it home. I already had several embellishments on a few trays in the middle of the tables (like; google eyes, feathers, craft sticks, small wood pieces, pipe cleaner pieces, etc.) as well as several markers. I gave each child about a 2 inch wad of modeling clay (I used a store bought air dry clay but most any would do, even homemade). I started with this smallish size to get them started and to help them focus more on what they wanted to make then I gave them more if they needed it or asked. If you give too much at first, I find that they simply stick it on the base and don’t spend much time shaping and thinking about the end result. I reminded adults to prompt the kids about what creature they wanted to make and to discuss what that might include-a round head…a tail….some wings…etc. and to show the kids the different materials they could use from the trays to enhance their creations but to let the child do the project. I tried to go around and talk about what the kids were doing and the shapes or objects I saw in their pieces as they worked.
OBSERVATIONS:
This project is not very messy at all and works well for a wide range of ages and a small space as long as you realize there will be very different results depending on the age and interest in 3D art. Often younger children prefer to use the markers to simply add color or to poke into the modeling material or to just stick objects into it randomly- this is fine of course. Adults can still talk about the actions and objects the child is doing/using and encourage exploration of the materials. Older children will likely be more interested in shaping the clay and adding features to make it look like the animal they are trying to create. This may sometimes cause them to become frustrated though if things don’t go as they intend so be sure to assist if they need it but try to let them work out most issues on their own. They may also not be familiar with working in 3D so keep in mind this may be a new experience for many of them. You may want to mention to adults that if some objects come loose or fall out after the clay dries they can usually glue them back on.
NOTES:
For older children you could suggest they write the name of their creature on the board and maybe even ask them to think of a few things the creature does or how it looks or even ask them directly if they wish to make up a poem about their animal and write these on the board as well (inspired from the poetry book I shared during storytime). Even if children can’t write on their own, they can dictate these things to you.
(also shared some of Elhert's lovely poetry book, Oodles of Animals)
CLASS:
Toddler Storybook Art Class
LINKS:
BOOK SHARING:
I read this book to the children and included a lot of dialogic discussion about the animals and their characteristics and asked if children had observed the creatures from the book themselves. I also shared a few poems from OODLES OF ANIMALS by Elhert and talked about how she created the animals from shapes. I showed the children a few signs for different animals like; bird, bug, bear, butterfly, etc. After the story I asked the children to think of a real or made up animals that they would like to create from a modeling material. I also told caregivers how they could help by discussing the chosen creature with their child and talking about the shapes or features that made that animal. I asked them to let the children shape the dough and to decide what to do but to assist by discussing their progress and offering various materials from the trays of embellishments. I reminded adults that every child will be focused on a different aspect of this project and to let them lead. Some will be interested in shaping and smashing the dough, others will want to press lots of objects in, and others will be more interested in adding marks to the dough and even to the cardboard base. This is a great project for fine motor skills, cause and effect, thinking about the process of creating a 3D object as well as working with a new material and talking about their process and learning new descriptive words.
ART ACTIVITY:
I provided each child with a small cardboard square or rectangle for a base to create their animal on and to transport it home. I already had several embellishments on a few trays in the middle of the tables (like; google eyes, feathers, craft sticks, small wood pieces, pipe cleaner pieces, etc.) as well as several markers. I gave each child about a 2 inch wad of modeling clay (I used a store bought air dry clay but most any would do, even homemade). I started with this smallish size to get them started and to help them focus more on what they wanted to make then I gave them more if they needed it or asked. If you give too much at first, I find that they simply stick it on the base and don’t spend much time shaping and thinking about the end result. I reminded adults to prompt the kids about what creature they wanted to make and to discuss what that might include-a round head…a tail….some wings…etc. and to show the kids the different materials they could use from the trays to enhance their creations but to let the child do the project. I tried to go around and talk about what the kids were doing and the shapes or objects I saw in their pieces as they worked.
OBSERVATIONS:
This project is not very messy at all and works well for a wide range of ages and a small space as long as you realize there will be very different results depending on the age and interest in 3D art. Often younger children prefer to use the markers to simply add color or to poke into the modeling material or to just stick objects into it randomly- this is fine of course. Adults can still talk about the actions and objects the child is doing/using and encourage exploration of the materials. Older children will likely be more interested in shaping the clay and adding features to make it look like the animal they are trying to create. This may sometimes cause them to become frustrated though if things don’t go as they intend so be sure to assist if they need it but try to let them work out most issues on their own. They may also not be familiar with working in 3D so keep in mind this may be a new experience for many of them. You may want to mention to adults that if some objects come loose or fall out after the clay dries they can usually glue them back on.
NOTES:
For older children you could suggest they write the name of their creature on the board and maybe even ask them to think of a few things the creature does or how it looks or even ask them directly if they wish to make up a poem about their animal and write these on the board as well (inspired from the poetry book I shared during storytime). Even if children can’t write on their own, they can dictate these things to you.
January 27, 2011
Last month I had no idea there were so many childrens books of this sort out there. If my memory were better I could give a few examples because this has to be the fourth or fifth we've read in the last month.
Julia, at five years old, loves this sort of book. She likes just about any good story but the shapes being turned into animals just really interests her. Enough that she actually pulled out construction paper, her scissors and glue, and started creating her own animals after reading this. (It should probably be noted that we liked the other similiar books also but she did not do that with them.)
The animals are clear enough which is good because of how the text is set. There are, on most pages, blocks of writing scattered on the pages. The same goes for the animals. Being that the animals are so clear the child can see which animal goes with what passage.
And their interesting also, a lot of the animals aren't constructed in an "easy" way - they have a unique feature to them I think.
This is perfect for a creative kid to get ideas from, or to try to go along and make what they see in this book, even adding some changes of their own. Perfect for a playdate activity or just between a mom (or dad, grandparent, etc.) and child.
The only downsides for me were that some of the writing was in rhyme, some wasn't, and I like my childrens books to stick to a pattern. If you're going to write in rhyme stay with it. Another problem, again for me, was that some of the writings about the animals just was very forced. It didn't flow, it didn't capture attention in any way. I wanted to get past that one and on to the next.
If it weren't for the animal pics and the fact that it really got Julia's creative juices flowing I'd have to give it a two, possibly a one star. But, a three it gets from us.
Julia, at five years old, loves this sort of book. She likes just about any good story but the shapes being turned into animals just really interests her. Enough that she actually pulled out construction paper, her scissors and glue, and started creating her own animals after reading this. (It should probably be noted that we liked the other similiar books also but she did not do that with them.)
The animals are clear enough which is good because of how the text is set. There are, on most pages, blocks of writing scattered on the pages. The same goes for the animals. Being that the animals are so clear the child can see which animal goes with what passage.
And their interesting also, a lot of the animals aren't constructed in an "easy" way - they have a unique feature to them I think.
This is perfect for a creative kid to get ideas from, or to try to go along and make what they see in this book, even adding some changes of their own. Perfect for a playdate activity or just between a mom (or dad, grandparent, etc.) and child.
The only downsides for me were that some of the writing was in rhyme, some wasn't, and I like my childrens books to stick to a pattern. If you're going to write in rhyme stay with it. Another problem, again for me, was that some of the writings about the animals just was very forced. It didn't flow, it didn't capture attention in any way. I wanted to get past that one and on to the next.
If it weren't for the animal pics and the fact that it really got Julia's creative juices flowing I'd have to give it a two, possibly a one star. But, a three it gets from us.
May 9, 2012
Lois Ehlert uses nine basic shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, circle, diamond, half circle, oval, heart, and teardrop) to form a book full of animals. Each animal is accompanied by a short rhyme. Some of the rhymes are good, but some are just terrible. (Ugly bugs get no hugs)
This is definitely not one of my favorite Ehlert books. It might even be a bit overwhelming for young children. The rhymes are so short that they don't have any time to even think about the different animals.
I could see throwing out the nine shapes to the kids and letting them make their own animals and rhymes though. That would be fun. So, maybe I'd share a few of the animals and rhymes from the book instead of all of them before letting the kids loose on the activity.
This is definitely not one of my favorite Ehlert books. It might even be a bit overwhelming for young children. The rhymes are so short that they don't have any time to even think about the different animals.
I could see throwing out the nine shapes to the kids and letting them make their own animals and rhymes though. That would be fun. So, maybe I'd share a few of the animals and rhymes from the book instead of all of them before letting the kids loose on the activity.
November 2, 2008
While there are OODLES of animals in this book, there are too many for my son to keep his attention on. There are sometimes 4 or 5 per page spread with a little rhyme to go with each and neither the words or the paper cut outs are either very engaging. I thought this would be a neat way to see some different kinds of animals, but since they aren't very realistic looking, they didn't really work that way. I thought while reading through it that maybe if we had pieces of paper cut out that we could try to re-create some of the animals, it would be more fun, but that's a lot of prep work for an unknown amount of fun to be had.
September 12, 2012
The book has lot of creative animal craft ideas for older kids (6+) and the short lines describing the animals and insects are rather cute. I picked this up to read to my 3 year old and it was not her favorite. I will probably try it a few years down the lane when she can appreciate and understand more.
April 4, 2008
Another fun book by Ehlert. This time it's more of a poetry book then a picture book story. She has many short poems about a variety of animals. She uses squares, rectangles, triangles, circles,, diamonds, half circles, ovals, hearts, and teardrops to form the animals.
July 28, 2008
This book is great; solid Elhert. Each pages features 3-4 animals with short accompanying poems. My only complaint: some of the pages are a little too bright so it's hard for children to see the animals.
April 23, 2009
Not my favorite Ehlert book. I appreciate the time it must have taken to construct the animals, but they're not as good as some of her other works. Too much on each page for kids' listening and my reading attention span as well.
August 10, 2009
This book is rather interesting. Quite long and full of pictures of animals all made out of shapes put together. I was surprised at how my oldest - 6 - could figure out what they all were. Each animal has a short poem about it. Great for 5-6 year olds, possibly too long for the younger end.
Read
March 21, 2016Good simple book for 2-7 year olds to see animals made from different shapes (a little more intricate than simple two or three piece ones). And it is filled with tons of cute, simple themed poems for the animals!
December 10, 2008
Oodles...no kidding! Over 60 animals are featured, with a picture and a little rhyme.
December 11, 2008
This book presented a lot of animals in creative shapes. I thought it was a little long. There was a little rhyme about each animal. Caleb liked it a lot and it kept his interest.
June 19, 2009
I love Lois Ehlert. This one has a lot going on and is a little too abstract to hold his attention. Maybe not for a 20 month old but we have it in our library for him later.
May 2, 2009
Loved: the cut paper illustrations, the interesting facts on animals, the oversized kid-friendly format. The 2nd graders adored it.
May 9, 2009
Lucy loved this one. It is hard not to enjoy Ms. Ehlert -- catchy text and neat illustrations
May 5, 2010
this book is great because it gives short rhyming poems about animals. The pictures are animals and are very colorful in a collage style.
June 30, 2010
Pretty much covering many animals on the planet, I enjoyed the little poems for each animal with the psychodelic colors, especially when you're reading it by a little light before bedtime.
Read
September 16, 2013Program: Oodles of Animals
October 9, 2013
The title says it all- there are lots of animals in this book! However, I enjoyed the illustrations more than the text.
February 11, 2014
4-line poetry
March 31, 2014
Such a wonderful jump off story for a lesson on shapes. The rhymes may need some explaining to the younger kids, but a great K to Grade 1 book nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews