Story Time: A is for Armadillo

by | Sep 9, 2025 | Blog, Kid's Corner, Story Time | 0 comments

Sometimes, both children and adults may hesitate to engage with non-fiction books, finding them too challenging, boring, or uninteresting. However, non-fiction books play a crucial role in helping children connect with and understand the world around them, expand their vocabulary, and encourage critical thinking. The next time your child asks for a storybook, consider pairing it with a non-fiction book to build a strong foundation for learning.

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Ages 2-5

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Tip

Rhymes and songs that incorporate sequencing and memory can help children prepare for school. In the following activity, children listen for a specific phrase and respond with a large physical movement. While having fun, they also develop their gross motor skills.

Activity

Pretend to be a three-banded Brazilian armadillo with your child and curl up into a tight ball. Imagine it’s very dark and safe! Then recite the rhyme, “Armadillo in a ball,” and on the final line, pop open and jump high into the air!

Books Presented

Book cover for Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett

Alligator Rode by Jan Brett

Bo, an adventurous, near-sighted armadillo, leaves his mother and brothers to follow a girl heading to a rodeo wearing new red boots which Bo mistakes for another armadillo.
Book cover for Armadillos by Jill Sherman

Armadillos by Jill Sherman

This photo illustrated book will introduce young readers to Armadillos that live in North America. Explains their history, life cycle, habitat, and feeding habits. Includes a photo diagram, glossary, further resources, and index.

Book cover for The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen

The Rock From the Sky by Jon Klassen

Turtle really likes standing in his favorite spot. He likes it so much that he asks his friend Armadillo to come over and stand in it, too. But now that Armadillo is standing in that spot, he has a bad feeling about it . . . This book is a meditation on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions, and that funny feeling you get that there’s something off somewhere, but you just can’t put your finger on it.
Book cover for Armadillo Antics by Bill Martin

Armadillo Antics by Bill Martin

Follow an adventurous armadillo through nighttime fun as dawn approaches.

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Armadillo, Armadillo

Armadillo, armadillo turn around
Armadillo, armadillo touch the ground
Armadillo, armadillo dance on your toes
Armadillo, armadillo touch your nose
Armadillo, armadillo jump up now
Armadillo, armadillo take a bow
Armadillo, armadillo stomp your feet
Armadillo, armadillo take a seat

Adapted from Jbrary

Looking for an Armadillo

(tune: Do you see the muffin man?)
We’re looking for an armadillo, an armadillo, and armadillo.
We’re looking for an armadillo under number ______!

Armadillo in a Ball

Armadillo in a ball
Sitting so still…
Won’t you come out?
Yes, I will!

Adapted from Jbrary

Armadillo Roly Poly

(tune: Are you sleeping?)
Armadillo roly, armadillo poly
Up, up, up
up, up, up
Armadillo roly, armadillo poly
down, down, down
down, down, down

Armadillo roly, armadillo poly
out, out, out
out, out, out
Armadillo roly, armadillo poly
in, in, in
in, in, in

Armadillo roly, armadillo poly
fast, fast, fast
fast, fast, fast
Armadillo roly, armadillo poly
slow, slow, slow
slow, slow, slow

Adapted from Jbrary

Crafts and Activities

Coloring page featuring a smiling armadillo.

Armadillo Coloring Page

 

 

An armadillo made from cardstock and the rim of a paper plate.

Armadillo Craft

To make our armadillo craft you will need an armadillo outline printed on cardstock and the rim of a paper plate. Cut out your armadillo and then cut the plate rim into sections. Color the armor bands and glue them to the armadillo. Our three-banded armadillo used half of a paper plate, if you want more bands use more of the paper plate rim.

Additional Books

Book cover for Nine-banded Armadillos by Megan Borgert-Spaniol

Nine-banded Armadillos by Megan Borgert-Spaniol

Simple text and full-color photography introduce beginning readers to nine-banded armadillos. Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through third grade.

Book cover for Smile, Breath, and Go Slowly: Slumby the Sloth Goes to School by Chiara Carminati

Smile, Breathe, and Go Slowly: Slumby the Sloth Goes to School by Chiara Carminati

Slumby is well-liked at school, but being too slow to play with his classmates at recess makes him sad until Armadillo gets in trouble and only Slumby can save him.

Book cover for Playing Possum by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

Playing Possum by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

 
Possums play dead when threatened so Alfred, an unusually nervous possum, avoids attention and even friendship until he meets Sofia, an armadillo who curls into a ball when nervous. Includes facts about the unusual defense mechanisms of animals pictured in the book.
Book cover of One by Vladimir Radunsky

One by Vladimir Radunsky

When Six, a pink armadillo with nine green siblings, brags that he is “#1” in everything, his family expresses a different opinion.

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