The Magic Hat by Mem Fox
Description:
When a magic hat blows into town, it lands on residents one by one. As it lands on each person, the person turns into a different animal, much to the delight of a crowd of children who are watching. When a giant wizard arrives, he takes the hat and distracts everybody with his magical wand and a large spotted egg. Each animal turns back into a person. Then, while everyone is distracted by the enormous chicken hatching from the egg, the wizard leaves town wearing the magic hat and turns himself into a little boy.
Activity:
Revisit the story with children, inviting them to find the words in bold type that name animals: toad, baboon, bear, kangaroo and giraffe. Write these words on chart paper and invite children to add more animal names to the list. For a challenge, help children come up with rhymes for their animal words and create a new verse for the story, for example, "It spun through the air for over a mile, and sat on the head of a big crocodile!"
When a magic hat blows into town, it lands on residents one by one. As it lands on each person, the person turns into a different animal, much to the delight of a crowd of children who are watching. When a giant wizard arrives, he takes the hat and distracts everybody with his magical wand and a large spotted egg. Each animal turns back into a person. Then, while everyone is distracted by the enormous chicken hatching from the egg, the wizard leaves town wearing the magic hat and turns himself into a little boy.
Activity:
Revisit the story with children, inviting them to find the words in bold type that name animals: toad, baboon, bear, kangaroo and giraffe. Write these words on chart paper and invite children to add more animal names to the list. For a challenge, help children come up with rhymes for their animal words and create a new verse for the story, for example, "It spun through the air for over a mile, and sat on the head of a big crocodile!"