StoryWalks® for Pennsylvania Libraries

StoryWalk® Prompts for Little Owl’s Day by Divya Srinivasan

Intro Sign (displaying book cover and the following information)

StoryWalk®

Have fun enjoying nature and talking with your child as you read this story together! There are discussion prompts and activity ideas on each post. Feel free to do one, a few, or all as you proceed through the StoryWalk®. Talking about stories together is a wonderful way to help your child become a reader!

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.

This project is funded through the Family Engagement Grant, a federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries.

 

Sign 1

Display cover again

Welcome to this StoryWalk® of Little Owl’s Day by Divya Srinivasan!

Prompt: Owls are supposed to sleep during the day, aren’t they? When are they usually awake? What do you think will happen when Little Owl wakes up early one morning and sets out to explore the forest during the day?  Travel on this StoryWalk® adventure to find out!

 

Sign 2

Pages 1-2

Text: Chikit-chikit-chik! A squirrel was chittering loudly. Little Owl could sleep no more. He blinked open his eyes.

Prompt: Can you make chittering sounds like the squirrel? Try it now: chikit-chickit-chik! Chitter your way to the next sign!

 

Sign 3

Pages 3-4

Text: Too bright to be moon, this must be… “Sun!” he whispered.

“Little Owl,” yawned Mama, “go back to sleep.”

But Little Owl was wide awake!

Prompt: Have you ever woken up very early and then couldn’t go back to sleep? Tell the grown-up you’re with about this. Travel to the next sign to find out what Little Owl does now that he’s wide awake!

 

Sign 4

Pages 5-6

Text: Wrens were trilling sweetly. The ground was covered in flowers Little Owl had never see. Their petals were open for the sun and the bees.

Prompt: What a pretty morning for Little Owl to explore! Stretch your arms out wide like the flowers opening for the sun!

 

Sign 5

Pages 7-8

Text: “Moths!” Little Owl called. But no, these were butterflies. Little Owl thought he knew the forest well, but it seemed so different now.

Prompt: Why does the forest seem so different to Little Owl? Travel to the next sign to see what else he discovers on his daytime adventure!

 

Sign 6

Pages 9-10

Text: Dragonflies were skimming the pond. They even flew backwards!

Little Owl couldn’t wait to tell the bats.

Prompt: To skim something means to pass quickly just above or just lightly touching it, so the dragonflies were flying quickly just over the pond. Run your fingers lightly up and down your arm just barely touching it– you are skimming your arm, just like the dragonflies are skimming the pond!

 

Sign 7

Pages 11-12

Text: Snakes slid into the water, gliding among lilies and reeds. Turtle was sunning herself on the rocks.

Prompt: See if you can find everything in the pictures. Can you point to the snakes, the water lilies, the reeds, and the turtle sunning herself on the rocks? Now, glide on over to the next sign!

 

Sign 8

Pages 13-14

Text: The meadow erupted with barks and yips. Wolf pups were at play! Their mother howled and the pups dashed off to meet her.

Prompt: The wolf cubs were having fun playing! Why do you think they dashed off to meet their mom when she howled?

 

Sign 9

Pages 15-16

Text: Near Grumbly Cave, there was Bear, splashing after fish! “You’re always asleep,” Little Owl said, “when I want to show you the moon!”

“You’re always asleep, Bear said, “when I want to show you a rainbow. Come.”

Prompt: When does Bear usually sleep? When does Owl usually sleep? Keep going to find out what happens now that they’re both awake at the same time!

 

Sign 10

Pages 17-18

Text: Little Owl had never been to the waterfall.

Prompt: Bear finally got to show Little Owl a rainbow! How do you think Little Owl feels seeing a rainbow for the first time?

 

Sign 11

Pages 19-20

Text: At sunset, Little Owl started home.

Prompt: Can you name the animals Little Owl sees as the sun is starting to set? How many did you find?

 

Sign 12

Pages 21-22

Text:  Deer bit blackberries from thorny branches. Boars were rooting around the brambles.

A piglet squealed, “Little Owl is awake!”

“Hello, Little Owl!” squealed another.

Prompt: What does it say the deer is eating? Why do you think the boars are rooting around in the brambles?

 

Sign 13

Pages 23-24

Text:  The possums were only just stirring. Hedgehog was still sleeping, so mice feasted on mushrooms.

Prompt: Why do you think the mice feel safe to feast on mushrooms while Hedgehog is sleeping?

 

Sign 14

Pages 25-26

Text: Stars began to glitter as the sky went dark. The moon was rising.

Prompt: See if you can name the creatures on these pages! How many did you find?

 

Sign 15

Pages 27-28

Text:  Little Owl reached his tree. A bunny nodded a sweet “good night” and ducked into her burrow. Little Owl was astonished. She lived just below!

Prompt: Astonished is another way of saying very surprised. Why was Little Owl astonished that the bunny lived below his tree?

 

Sign 16

Pages 29-30

Text: Little Owl was excited to tell Raccoon all about his day. Then he had one more place to go. Little Owl was sleepy, but…

           Prompt: Where do you think Little Owl is going now? Travel to the last sign to find out!

 

Sign 17

Pages 31-32

Text: he had promised Bear he would show him the moon.

Prompt: Hurray! Little Owl finally got to show Bear the moon, just like he promised. How do you think the two friends felt at the end of the story?

We hope you enjoyed this StoryWalk® of Little Owl’s Day!

Thank you for coming and sharing your day with Little Owl and his friends!

Five Extension Ideas for Additional Programming with StoryWalk® Selections

These ideas can apply to any of the books to engage families and extend the StoryWalk® experience for your community.

1. Consider having your StoryWalk® available for two to four weeks and then holding a special storytime centered around the book! Make it a celebration by including a special craft, a guest reader, a talk from a park ranger, a video clip of the real animals in their natural habitats, etc. This could be done in reverse order as a kick-off celebration for each new StoryWalk®.
2. Give families a Draw and Tell activity sheet for each book. Children can draw a picture of their favorite part of the story and tell parents about their picture. Parents may write down the child’s words, and they can read it together!
3. Create stick or paper bag puppets for the main characters in each book. Encourage parents to help their children retell the story with their puppets!
4. Create a Story Sack with objects or props for each of the stories. Children and parents can use the bags to talk about the characters and events together. For example, for Snail Crossing you could have a snail shell or a picture of a snail, a cabbage leaf, a toy truck, etc.
5. Create a STEAM display for each book. In addition to the StoryWalk® book, have related nonfiction books, facts about the animals, and nature materials connected to each story. Add a simple craft or sensory activity and a related poem or nursery rhyme to round out your display.

 

Resources for Little Owl's Day

Related Books Little Owl’s Night (Fiction) Owl Babies (Fiction) Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (Fiction) National Geographic Readers: Owls (Nonfiction) All Things Owls for Kids: Filled with Plenty of Facts, Photos, and Fun to Learn All About Owls (Nonfiction) Owls by Gail Gibbons (Nonfiction)

10 Fun Facts About Owls Baby owls are called owlets. Owls are mostly nocturnal, meaning they sleep in the day and wake up at night. Owls have feet with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward, and all their toes have sharp talons. An owl has three eyelids: one for blinking, one for sleeping, and one for keeping the eye clean and healthy. Owls are carnivorous, meaning they are meat eaters. Owls will eat rodents, small or medium-sized mammals, nocturnal insects, fish, and other birds. All owls have an upright posture and forward-facing eyes that give them binocular vision. Owls' eyes are not spheres but are tubes that provide better depth perception and allow them to see prey from great distances.  Bony eye sockets support an owl's eyes, and they cannot turn their eyes. Instead, owls rotate their heads up to 270 degrees (135 degrees to either side), but they cannot turn their heads all the way around. Owls have specialized feathers with fringes of varying softness that help muffle sound when they fly. Many owl species have asymmetrical ears with different sizes and different heights on their heads. This feature gives the birds superior hearing and the ability to pinpoint where the prey is, even if they can't see it.

Songs Owl Song (Sung To: I'm a little Teapot) I'm a great big owl, as you can see, I live high up in a tree. All the other birds wake me up when they play, Because I like to sleep all day.   Owl in the Tree (Sung to: Skip to My Lou) Owl in the tree says, who, who, who Owl in the tree says, who, who, who Owl in the tree says, who, who, who Who, who, who are you? (Have children say their names, one at a time.)

Poems Five Little Owls Nursery Rhyme (Performance by Topeka Library)   Two Little Owls Two little owls sitting in a tree One hoots at you, and one hoots at me. They sit and they watch us all night long. “Who? Who? Who?” is their favorite song.   Five Hoot Owls Five hoot owls when the moon was new, Along came another owl, and that made two. Two little owls perched high in the tree, Along came another owl, and that made three. Three little owls flew to the barn door, Along came another owl, and then there were four. Four little owls lined up side by side, Along came another owl, and that made five. Five little owls hooted, “whoo, whoo, whoo,” Then they all flapped their wings, and away they flew.