Is Your Mama A Llama?

Is Your Mama A Llama?

Author: Deborah Guarino

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Grade Level: 4 years and up

Theme:  Rhyming

Year of Publication: 2004

Summary:  In this rhyming tale a llama makes his way through the forest searching for his “mama.”  He encounters many animals along the way and asks them, “is your mama a llama?”  At the end, he finds his mama whom is a llama and she tells him “YES,” and let’s him know how silly he is.

Themes:  Rhyming, family, friendship

About the Author:

Deborah Guarino, author of the best-selling children's classic, "Is Your Mama a Llama?" (Scholastic, Inc.) is now celebrating her book's 21st year in print. With more than a million copies sold, her playful book's popularity now spans two generations. It's available in five different editions, including a Spanish translation, and has been animated on DVD. It's also been selected by Oprah's Book Club for Kids, included in an episode of the prime-time series "Medium" and endorsed by actress Jennifer Garner, who recently became a literacy advocate on behalf of the Save the Children organization,in PEOPLE Magazine (amazon.com)

Pre-Reading Activity:  Have the children draw a picture of their mother or another special loved one.  Provide the children with crayons, markers, and/or paint.  After the children are done have a couple share their picture while asking them... “What is similar between you and your loved one?  What is different about you and your loved one?”

Post-Reading Activity:  Have the children pick out the rhyming words in the book and write them down on a sentence strip.  Then have the children come up to the board and put the rhyming words in order.  This will allow the children to look back into the book and find the exact words.  This will also help with sequencing.  For younger grades, you can have picture cues of the animals to help the children remember the names of the animals.  

Reflection:  When I was a Preschool Teacher I would read this story daily to the children.  I love rhyming books and this one is one of my favorites.  The children get a kick out of it when he is asking animals that are so different from him if they are his “mama.”  I loved to hear their little giggles as I would read the story.