Illustrated by Melissa Sweet,
winner of a 2009 Caldecott Honor Medal
and the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal
Paula Wiseman Books /
Simon & Schuster, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0601-8
For kids, there are masks to make, a Spike song to sing, coloring pages, holiday cards, scavenger hunt bookmarks, a maze, a mapping activity, plus Melissa Sweet's easy instructions showing how to draw Spike!
For teachers, reading specialist Tracie Vaughn Zimmer provides book-related questions that align with the Common Core Curriculum Standards for K-3.
Video For those who want to know more about the critically endangered axolotl's plight, click here for an excellent (46-minute) documentary that shows Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City and the scientists who are trying to save this very special salamander.
See the pictures on the bookmark? Can your kids find the exact match in the book? Join the scavenger hunt and check off the pictures as you find them. (There are three bookmarks per sheet so several kids can play.) This activity helps kids practice careful looking and builds visual discrimination skills.
“If you’re a monster and you know it, shake your spikes!”
Sung to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands,” Spike’s "Monster Moves" song will get kids up and moving as they shake their spikes, swoosh their tails and bare their teeth. Additional verses encourage kids to act out all the animals in the book!