Spread the dough out with a rolling pin until it's about 1/4 inch thick. (Add more flour if it's too sticky.)
Cut out heart shapes with your cookie cutters and arrange the hearts into cookie animals. You can copy the designs seen here or use your imagination to create any animal you like.
Place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. (Ask an adult for help.) Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let them cool completely.
Add frosting and decorations to make your cookies look like animals.
Enjoy the oohs and aahs when you serve up a plateful of creatures!
By Michele Reyzer; photos by Mark Godfrey