Book to Play This Week: Whose Prints?

Written By Dee Dee Swann

This week’s Book to Play title is Whose Prints? by Kari Allen, illustrated by Kim Smith, a cozy board book that follows a child noticing mysterious animal tracks in the snow. Each page invites kids to look closely, wonder who might have walked by, and guess which animal left the prints behind.

The language is simple enough for toddlers and engaging for preschoolers, and the clear illustrations make it easy to talk about patterns, shapes, and movement. It is a perfect launchpad for curious questions, pretend play, and sensory experiences that explore how animals move through their world.

Below you will find three play invitations inspired by Whose Prints? that you can use before, during, or after reading together. All three are designed to be simple to set up, easy to explain, and open ended so children can lead the way.

Book To Play This Week: Whose Prints? Supply Links

These are helpful, not mandatory. Use what you have first, then fill in with anything that makes life easier. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting WonderPlay.

Book(s)

Process Art: “Make Your Own Animal Tracks”

Movement Play: “Move Like The Tracks”

Outdoor / Nature Walk: “Winter Animal Walk”

Play Invite 1: Make Your Own Animal Tracks

Theme: process art, sensory exploration, mark making
Best for: toddlers and preschoolers

This invitation turns the idea of animal tracks into a process art experience. The focus is on exploring paint, tools, and patterns, not on making perfect pictures.

You will need

  • Thick paper, cardstock, or pieces of cardboard

  • Washable paint in a tray or shallow dishes

  • A tray or baking sheet (helps contain the mess)

  • A set of “printing tools,” for example:

    • Toy animal figures with feet you can stamp

    • Duplo or wooden blocks

    • Forks or small kitchen tools

    • Pinecones, sticks, corks, or sponge pieces

  • Optional: the book open to a page that shows tracks

Set up

  1. Tape a piece of paper or cardboard to the table or tray so it does not slide.

  2. Pour a small amount of washable paint into a tray or shallow dish. A little goes a long way.

  3. Place a few different printing tools next to the paint. You can mix “real” animals with everyday objects so kids see that anything can make a pattern.

  4. Open Whose Prints? to a page that shows clear tracks and place it nearby for inspiration.

Invitation language

Keep your invitation simple, something like:

  • “Can you make your own animal footprints on this paper?”

  • “Which tools make big prints and which make tiny ones?”

  • “Do any of these prints look like the ones in the story?”

Let children stamp, drag, stomp, and layer prints however they like. You can model a few prints to get them started, then step back and observe.

Ways to extend

  • Draw a simple line or “path” on the paper and invite children to fill it with prints.

  • Name the prints together: “These look like hops. These look like slow, heavy steps.”

  • For very young toddlers, offer just one or two tools at a time to keep the choices manageable.

Tiny reminder: this is process art. The goal is exploration, not a finished product that matches the book.

Play Invite 2: Move Like The Tracks

Theme: gross motor play, pretend, body awareness
Best for: indoors, brain breaks, transitions, small groups

This invitation connects what children see on the page to how their bodies move. You are helping kids imagine the animal that made each track and then bringing that animal to life through movement.

You will need

  • Open floor space indoors

  • Whose Prints? within reach

  • Optional: painter’s tape to mark “tracks” on the floor

Set up

  1. Choose three or four pages from the book that show clear tracks or footprints.

  2. If you have painter’s tape, create simple patterns on the floor:

    • Straight lines for walking

    • Zigzags for sneaky steps

    • Short spaced lines for hopping

    • Tiny close lines for quick little feet

Invitation language

Show a page with tracks and invite:

  • “Look at these prints. How do you think this animal moves?”

  • “Can your body move like this animal across the room?”

  • “Show me tiny tiptoe tracks. Now show me big stompy tracks.”

Ideas you can prompt:

  • Long, slow steps like a deer

  • Quick, tiny steps like a mouse

  • Hopping like a rabbit

  • Crawling low like a fox sneaking through the snow

You can also turn it into a guessing game, where one person chooses an animal from the book, moves like it, and everyone else guesses.

For a group, call out:

  • “Mouse tracks!” and everyone makes quick tiny steps

  • “Bear tracks!” and everyone moves with slow, heavy stomps

  • “Bird tracks!” and children try tiptoe steps or flapping arms

This kind of play supports coordination, self regulation, and imagination, all while staying playful and light.

Play Invite 3: Winter Animal Walk

Theme: nature connection, observation, imagination
Best for: backyard, sidewalk, playground, or school yard
Snow not required.

This invitation takes the story out into the real world. The goal is not to find perfect National Geographic style tracks, but to help children notice signs of animals and imagine where they might have gone.

You will need

  • A simple route outdoors (yard, sidewalk, playground, local trail)

  • Optional:

    • Clipboard or piece of cardboard

    • Paper and a crayon for “maps” or mark making

Before you go

Look at a page or two from Whose Prints? together and talk about where animals might leave prints: mud, sand, soft dirt, frost, puddles, even dust.

You might say:

  • “In the story, the child sees prints in the snow. Where could we find prints where we live?”

On the walk

Invite children to:

  • Look for real prints in:

    • Mud, sand, patches of dirt, or frost

    • Dusty steps or the edge of a puddle

  • Notice clues that animals have been nearby, such as:

    • Chewed leaves or pinecones

    • Feathers

    • Small holes in the ground

    • Nests or burrows

  • Imagine invisible tracks:

    • “If a rabbit hopped across this grass last night, what path do you think it took?”

    • “If a bird landed here, where did it go next?”

Keep your questions open and curious:

  • “What do you think walked here?”

  • “If a fox lived near us, where would it hide?”

  • “Can you walk the way you think that animal walks?”

Optional follow up

Back inside (or sitting on a step outside), you can:

  • Invite children to draw simple lines or “paths” to show where they think an animal traveled

  • Look back at Whose Prints? and compare the story tracks with what you noticed on your walk

  • Tell your own version of the story using the clues you found

Remember, the drawing does not need to look like a map to be meaningful. It is simply a way for children to document their thinking and storytelling.

Bringing Book to Play To Life

You do not need to try all three invitations this week. Choose one that feels doable with your time, energy, and materials, then let that be enough. Even a five minute play moment can help children connect deeply with the story and the world around them.

For extra support, you can explore:

  • Resource links that help you gather materials and set up book inspired invitations with less guesswork

  • WonderPlay “ready to use” StoryKits that include curated sensory and process art materials so you can skip the prep and move straight into play COMING SOON

Read Whose Prints?, pick one invitation that fits your day, and let your child lead the way with curiosity, movement, and messy, meaningful play.

Dee Dee Swann
Next

Introducing “Book to Play This Week” - a WonderPlay book invitation series