Wolves are my favorite non-domesticated animal (bet you can guess my favorite domestic animal)! They’re a weird mix of mysterious, playful, and powerful that I just find fascinating. I visited a wonderful animal sanctuary in Northern Indiana semi-recently that had a pack of wolves and they were just beautiful and playful! I spent almost an hour watching them!
Introduction: I start out this storytime by asking if any of the kids have a dog. Then I talk about how wolves are relatives of dogs but are also very different creatures. Then we sing our ECRR opening song.
Sign of the Day: “Wolf,” of course! This sign can be confused with the word “Sleep.” The difference is that the sign for sleep moves downward while closing the fingers and the sign for wolf moves out.
Book: Baby Wolves by K.C. Kelley
I start with this book because I like comparing the wolf traits to dogs so the kids can see the similarities and it expands on the idea of the wolf’s evolution. Even though this is an early-reader nonfiction title, it’s an engaging seek and find that details wolves habitats, food, play, and more!
Song: This is the Way Wolves (Tune: Mulberry Bush)
This is the way wolves leap and play
leap and play, leap and play
This is the way wolves leap and play
So early in the morning!
Repeat with “Scratch their fleas,” “Run with their pack,” and “Howl at the moon”
Book: Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas
This is possibly my favorite Jan Thomas book! It’s hilarious, repetitious, you can sing parts of it, and it’s just plain fun! It’s a storytime hit as cowboy is trying to sing a lullaby for his cows, but keeps getting scared of shadows, thinking it’s a wolf.
Rhyme: Five Little Wolf Pups
Five little wolf pups were playing in the sun. (Hold up hand, fingers extended.)
This one saw a rabbit, and he began to run. (Bend first finger.)
This one saw a butterfly, and he began to race. (Bend second finger.)
This one saw a cat, and he began to chase. (Bend third finger.)
This one tried to catch his tail, and he went round & round. (Bend fourth finger.)
This one was so quiet, he never made a sound. (Bend thumb.)
Oral Tale with Puppet: The Gunni Wolf. This is one of my favorite stories to tell. You can make it humorous, suspenseful, and just scary enough that the kids will be giggling with excitement! A little girl goes into the woods to pick flowers, forgetting everything her mama has told her about the forest and the big, dangerous Gunni Wolf that lives there. As she goes deeper and deeper into the forest, she forgets the danger more and more. Until the Gunni Wolf appears.
Closing: We sing our closing song, Tickle the Clouds, after reviewing our ASL word of the day.
More Books to Check Out:
- The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
- The Girl and the Wolf by Katherena Vermette
- Bear and Wolf by Daniel Salmieri
- Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen
- Little Wolf’s First Howling by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
- The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague
- What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf? by Debi Gliori
- Wolf in the Snow by Mathew Cordell
- Huff and Puff by Claudia Rueda
- Wolf Pack by Julie Murray
- From Wolf to Woof! by Hudson Talbott
- Wolfie the Bunny by Amy Dyckman
- Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
Librarian Ginny 
Thank you for this! I am using so much of what you did here – the fingerplay and the book suggestions!
I’m so glad it’s been useful for you! I hope your storytime is tons of fun 😀