Animal Motions

Animal Motions by Melissa Pilgrim

(This summary is taken from an email the author sent to me.) ""Animal Motions" is a fun, easy to follow, low-impact movement routine told as a story in a colorful picture book for ages 3-6.  Follow Eric as he stretches and moves his body at the start of his day by using his imagination to become some of his favorite animals.  Travel with him to the jungle, the desert, the forest, the ocean—-and don’t forget to keep your body moving!  It’s inspired by the theatre games I used to play with my young actors in Chicago at my theatre there, and I’m hoping it helps all children everywhere stay “creatively fit!” 

The beautiful, full-page watercolor illustrations are done by the very talented Ira V. Gates."

This is a fun new children's book! I read it to my kids this morning. My six-year-old laughed and loved it, my eight-year-old said it was ok, and my eleven-year-old just shrugged. So there you go. It says ages 3-6 and that's spot on. Eric wakes up in the morning and stretches his body. He moves like many different animals, and each animal is a different position or stretch. My kids were eating breakfast when I read it to them, but if we had all been sitting together I would have made them follow along. I think this is a fun concept. It gives kids a more exciting way to stretch and move. Not only is it great for families, it would also be great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade classrooms. (There are lesson plans to go along with the book on her website, which I will give below.) It would also be great for a younger dance or gymnastics class as well. The illustrations are so bright and colorful. They are captivating and really bring the story together.  

The website that coincides with this book is a great resource for parents and teachers. The website is: www.animalmotions.com . There are lesson plans and a mini poster that you can print for kids to color. Also, there is an app that goes along with the book! It goes through all the animal motions and the kids can follow along. So fun! (It's FREE on amazon.com for android today, Sept. 4th, so grab it while you can! It's also FREE on itunes today!!!)

Rating: G (Clean!)

Recommendation: It is recommended for ages 3-6. I think even toddlers could do it.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Here is the link to the app on amazon:

Here is the link to the book: