Marley at the Zoo
Book Spotlight: Marley at the Zoo
Welcome to the STEMHAX Book Spotlight. Marley at the Zoo by Barnaby Stew, is one the cutest books of the year. It will soon be a favorite among children who enjoy animals. Marley at the Zoo is a great introduction and a fun lesson when teaching kids about shadows.
I discovered this cute story while I was researching for a lesson plan resources post about shadows.
Overview
Marley, a young boy, and his parents have arrived at the zoo on a sunny afternoon. Marley observes a dark shadow being cast with a familiar shape. As children read along, the author asks, “Which animal is it?” Turn the page and join the excitement as the animal is revealed in color. This happens with joyful repetition. The clever twist at the end of the book had my laughing out loud!
YouTube
Marley at the Zoo is also a song video. The music is catchy and fun for children of all ages to enjoy.
This is a fun and easy way for kids to read along.
Book Companion
A collaboration between STEMHAX and Barnaby Stew offers a FREE downloadable book companion. Use this fun resource to reinforce math, science, and language arts concepts, in addition to helping children engage critical thinking skills.
How to use the Book Companion
First, start with a book cover inspection. Show children the cover of the book, and ask, “what do you think this book is about?” Follow this up with open ended questions to get their minds warmed up.
- Have you ever been to the zoo?
- What kinds of animals did you see at the zoo?
- Which animals were big? Which were small?
- What did the zoo smell like?
- Did you go on a hot day? Was the sun shining?
After reading the book ask more open ended questions. Remember there are no wrong answers. Some questions may include:
- What kinds of animals did Marley see at the zoo?
- What was the dark thing Marley saw?
- What is a shadow?
- Did you notice any patterns?
- What time of day did Marley go to the zoo? Why?
All these questions are in the free download. Wait – there’s more!
Included are 18 flashcards to use for centers, one on one, differentiation, and just for entertainment! There are three different kinds of cards for many uses: shadow cards, color cards, and word cards.
Simply print two copies of each page on cardstock (I recommend laminating for extended use). Cut out the pieces and play.
There are so many uses for these cards. The free download includes suggestions for:
- Sorting Activities
- Charades
- Matching
- I Have, Who Has?
Free Easy Book Report for Read Alouds
Q&A with Barnaby Stew
During the collaboration process, I was able to interview Barnaby Stew.
STEMHAX: How did you come up with the Marley at the Zoo idea?
BARNABY STEW: “I came up with the Marley at the Zoo concept after my young daughter exhibited a fascination with shadows. It occurred to me that familiar animals could be used to explain the connection between objects and their shadows, while also serving as a fun identification game. Like most of my songs, the words popped into my head almost fully formed, and a book was born!”
STEMHAX: Creating successful picture books for children is not an easy task. What inspired you to become a children’s author?
BARNABY STEW: “I began creating picture books as a way to help spark imagination in my own kids, and I hope that children from all walks of life will enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them. I believe there’s no greater superpower than the ability to dream big and think outside the box. If my work does one thing, I hope it shows kids that with practice we can all find magic in ordinary places!”
STEMHAX: Will there be more Marley books in the future?
BARNABY STEW: “The Marley characters have since appeared in two additional song books, and based on the other tunes swirling around my head, I think it’s very likely there will be more!”
More Marley Song Videos
Trivia
Did you know a copy of Marley at the Zoo was featured in the season four finale of the TV show The Resident? A young patient is abandoned by her adoptive parents, who decided that she is too sick for them to manage. Dr. Jake Wong decides to adopt her himself, and then uses Marley at the Zoo as a way to begin teaching her English in the hospital. Pretty cool!
More Shadow Resources
Thank you
We appreciate you taking the time to learn about this fun children’s book. You can check out other books in the Marley series www.freemarleybook.com
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