What does the sentence strip say?

'The ___ is here.' The page asks 'I spy the monkey', the child finds the monkey in the scene and places its card in the empty box, so the page reads 'The monkey is here'.

Which animals are in the scene?

Lion, elephant, giraffe, monkey, zebra, tiger, alligator, and parrot, and each one gets its own page. Every animal can be swapped in the maker; a bear, a frog, a seal, a shark, and a fish are ready in the picture library.

Is this an interactive book for preschool?

Yes. An interactive book, an adapted book, and a velcro book are the same printable: one picture, one predictable sentence, and a card the child moves. Preschool and kindergarten teachers use this one at the zoo-unit center; special education and speech therapy use the same pages for language goals.

Is there a farm version?

Yes. I Spy Farm Animals uses the same hunt over a cow, a pig, a sheep, a horse, a chicken, a duck, a goat, and a rabbit, and many classrooms run the two books back to back.

I Spy Zoo Animals Adapted Book

A printable zoo animals interactive book for preschool and kindergarten. Every page shows the same eight zoo animals; the child hunts for the one the page names and completes 'The lion is here' with a card.

8 pages
Picture cards included
Free printable PDF
Editable in browser

Customize This Book Download the PDF

A page of the I Spy Zoo Animals adapted book, laminated and spiral bound, with a child's hand holding a picture card beside it

The I Spy Zoo Animals adapted book with its picture cards stored on the choice column, the last two loose on the table

The last page of the I Spy Zoo Animals adapted book with its choice column, two picture cards resting beside it

The I Spy Zoo Animals adapted book closed on a table, its cover facing up, one picture card beside it

The zoo is the classic first I spy: big animals with big differences, so a child can find the elephant among seven others before knowing any of their names. This interactive book turns that into vocabulary: lion, elephant, giraffe, monkey, zebra, tiger, alligator, parrot. One question a page, the same scene every time, and a card that goes in one place.

Preschool and kindergarten classrooms use it as a center during a zoo or jungle unit; speech therapists use it as a receptive labeling probe; families print it the week before a zoo trip and hunt for each animal for real once they are there.

It prints in landscape with the answer cards on a longer last page, and the assembly page covers lamination, binder, and glue-once builds. A bear, a frog, a seal, a shark, and a fish are in the picture library for swaps.

When to use this book

Zoo and jungle units in preschool and kindergarten, receptive vocabulary goals, and the week before a zoo trip.

How to customize this book

Name all eight animals together before the first hunt.
Swap in the bear, the frog, or the seal from the picture library to match the animals your zoo actually has.
Use the cards on their own as a matching deck with a set of toy animals.
Bring the book to the zoo and check off each animal as you find it.

Frequently asked questions

What does the sentence strip say?: 'The ___ is here.' The page asks 'I spy the monkey', the child finds the monkey in the scene and places its card in the empty box, so the page reads 'The monkey is here'.
Which animals are in the scene?: Lion, elephant, giraffe, monkey, zebra, tiger, alligator, and parrot, and each one gets its own page. Every animal can be swapped in the maker; a bear, a frog, a seal, a shark, and a fish are ready in the picture library.
Is this an interactive book for preschool?: Yes. An interactive book, an adapted book, and a velcro book are the same printable: one picture, one predictable sentence, and a card the child moves. Preschool and kindergarten teachers use this one at the zoo-unit center; special education and speech therapy use the same pages for language goals.
Is there a farm version?: Yes. I Spy Farm Animals uses the same hunt over a cow, a pig, a sheep, a horse, a chicken, a duck, a goat, and a rabbit, and many classrooms run the two books back to back.

I Spy Zoo Animals Adapted Book

When to use this book

How to customize this book

Frequently asked questions

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