Do your students struggle with asking for and accepting help? Read on to find The Koala Who Could activities and read-aloud questions to promote overcoming fears, courage and risk-taking.

A koala finds change a challenge until change comes without warning, and he finds it much better than he thought. The themes of The Koala Who Could include it can be difficult to admit your fears and anxieties and that change can bring new and wonderful experiences.
Reading The Koala Who Could helps you promote discussions on:
The Koala Who Could Summary
Anxious Kevin the Koala is faced with change despite doing everything he can to avoid it. He hates change as the consequences scare him. The koala spends time clinging to his gum tree in the Australian Outback. He watches the other animals play on the ground and secretly wishes he could join in.
Kevin is scared because he sees danger in everything and can’t bring himself to climb down from the safety of his tree. Kevin has no choice but to make a big change when a woodpecker disturbs his steady way of life. With the help of his friends, Kevin builds his courage to explore the ground and finds himself having fun.
The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright
Illustrator: Jim Field
Publisher: Hachette Children Group (2017)
ISBN: 9781408331644
Take a look inside
Rachel Bright Official Website
Jim Field Official Website



Book Series
- The Lion Inside
- The Koala Who Could
- The Squirrels Who Squabbled
- The Whale Who Wanted More
Related Books
- After the Fall by Dan Santat
- Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
- Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna
- Parachute by Danny Parker
- The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason
The Koala Who Could Story Activities and Resources
I have created literacy graphic organizers for The Koala Who Could. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for:
- Cause & Effect
- Character Traits and Analysis
- Making Connections
- Point of View
- Problem and Solution
- Retelling, Sequencing and Summarizing
- Inference and Prediction
*Click on these links to discover book recommendations on these topics.
The Koala Who Could Activities and Links
- Teaching Ideas: The Koala Who Could Activities and Resources
- TES: The Koala Who Could – Book Talk Mat
FREE The Koala Who Could Activities
Would you like free graphic organisers for The Koala Who Could?
I have a freebie that is part of a larger resource so that you can try it out in your classroom today!
Click on the form below to get access to the FREE activities.
Click on the image to the left to see the full resource on Teachers Pay Teachers.
The Koala Who Could Read-Aloud Questions
Read-aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits, strategies, fluency, tone, and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.
- Describe the problem faced by Kevin the Koala and how it was solved.
- How would you describe Kevin the Koala? What are his character traits?
- Why do you think Kevin is afraid of change?
- Think of a time when you were afraid of something new. What did you do? How did you feel?
- What would you have said to Kevin to help him get down from the tree?
- What does ‘change' mean to you? Is it something positive or negative? Or can it be both?
- Think of a time you had a can-do attitude.
- What new things have you tried that turned out to be great?
- Think of a time you tried something new. What did you learn from the experience?
- In what ways are you like Kevin?
You can find a full set of discussion cards in The Koala Who Could Activity Bundle or as a separate pack.
The Koala Who Could Video
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