Today we celebrate Cheetah Dreams!!
Linda Stanek is a cat lover (follow her on twitter @LindaStanek to see her adorable kittens). So, when she began working on an academic book about cheetahs, her next children’s book was forming in the back of her mind. That book just came out last week and is a poetic love story to the majestic cats, but also has valuable facts. Readers are sure to show empathy with the cats as their habitat and numbers continue to decline. With equal passion, illustrator Shennen Bersani traveled to zoos and learned from keepers and the animals themselves. Her realistic illustrations show the fast cats in motion and at rest with adorable furry cubs.
In the spirit of October, we have a fun craft to help you celebrate the release of Cheetah Dreams! You can illustrate this simple cheetah mask of your own. We used a paper plate, a combination of markers and paint, along with a folded pipe cleaner. You can be creative with the decoration and if you have a string or elastic to secure the mask that can simply be attached to the sides for a more secure fit.
Download the pattern and print it out.
Cut around the lines and then trace it onto a paper plate.
Cut the mask out of the paper plate along with the two ears.
Attach the ears either with staples or glue. And then color your cheetah face! Shennen’s beautiful illustrations are a great guide having been vetted for accuracy by some of the top Cheetah experts.
After painting your cheetah’s spots, attach the holding stick or elastic and be a cheetah for a day!
**This crafter is not as skilled as Shennen, so this cheetah mask has not been vetted by experts
Get you copy of Cheetah Dreams in English or Spanish from Arbordale or just learn more about the book on the book page!
Arbordale Publishing's Blog 