When looking through books to add to the Aussie Animals Smarty Arty experience I found a lot of indigenous books. These books engage children in aspects of Aboriginal culture, beautiful art work and stories of Australian Animals. The library I borrowed them from had such a good variety of indigenous themed books that I found it hard to chose, but these are some which I thought would be fun to pair with the art experience.
I have chosen to share this book with you because I think it is one of those little gems that people may dismiss as just being a sticker book when it is actually so much more. This book not only supports literacy development but also fine motor skills, colour recognition and the ability to pattern and number match.
What I find incredible and something that is easily overlooked because my own childhood was filled with books and reading, is that for some children who are part of this program may have never owned their own book before.
The art activity is such a big part of the literacy experience. It shouldn't be just an add on at the end of a story time. I find it most successful when there is lots of discussion while creating and then the stories the children share with me about their creation.
Little Big Reads 