Fun at Home with Llama Llama and His Famous Red Pajamas

As families are staying home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, many celebrities, authors and illustrators have started creating videos of popular children’s books being read aloud.  This movement has been labeled “Operation Storytime” and has a counterpart, “Operation ASL Storytime” that features books signed by Deaf authors and artists.  Celebrity interpretations of children’s books is not new, and over the years there have been many memorable performances of some well-loved classics.
The book Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdeny is a great example of a book that has been reimagined by many.  Published in 2005, the simple but percussive text lends itself to reading, singing and rapping.  It also launched a series of other llama books by the author (who died in 2016 from cancer) and a Netflix show.
So as we spend our days at home with our little ones eagerly awaiting the day we can once again go to library story times and Baby Express Signing with Baby classes, enjoy these iterations of Llama Llama Red Pajama and a variety of fun activities to go along with them.

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“When we read books with children, we share other worlds, and even more importantly, we share ourselves.” — Anna Dewdeny
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To begin with, let's start with a reading by the author and illustrator herself, the late Anna Dewdeny.  

And then we can move onto the catchy, freestyle rap version from Ludacris. 

Next we can relax with Llama Llama Red Pajama read from a cozy Dolly Parton all tucked into bed.

Time to liven things up again with Camila Cabello singing the book!

If that made you want to sing, you're in luck because Penguin Books has a sing-a-long version!

And last but definitely not least, to wrap up our Llama Llama video playlist, here is the ASL interpreted version from the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf Accessible Materials Project.

Whew!  Do you have the book memorized yet?  If so, you are probably ready for some expansion activities.  Enjoy!

• Official posters, stickers, coloring pages and activity pages from Penguin Books.
• Coloring page and activity sheets for older kids from Cheeky Cherubs for free on Teachers Pay Teachers.
• Links to a wide variety of Llama Llama activities from Inspiration Laboratories.

(And if you want to create your own interpretation of the book, you can purchase it here and read it a hundred different ways.)

(Llama photos by Dušan Smetana and  Jp Valery on Unsplash.)