Wolf Man ... He's on the Loose! - written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Chris Mould

                                                  

Horrible, hairy Wolfman is on a mission to create havoc it seems...until we find out that even this beastly creature has needs like the rest of us. A scary delight which builds up to a humorous ending - perfect for an end of the day story for a class or at home, perhaps not just before bedtime though. I'd love to see more Wolfman adventures but it seems there's only this one.

Alligator Baby - written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko

                                            

This story is absolutely hilarious! The repetition throughout the book makes it rhythmic and fun to read, and the story line is very original. Comical illustrations add to the humour and the text gives you the perfect opportunity to put on different voices for the characters to really bring it alive. Children have screamed with delight and classes have been in hysterics when I've read this. It's definitely amusing - guaranteed to get a hint of a smile from even the most serious person. The author is Canadian and I've read a few of his books, but this is by far, in my opinion, the best one! Perfect for ages 3 - 7 I would say.

How to Catch a Star - written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

                  

The pictures are enough by themselves to tell the story in this book. I read it to my year 3 class (7-8 year olds) and they were entranced for 10 minutes, eyes wide open, not a sound. A simple and yet curious world about a boy who loved stars very much, so much so that he tried various ways to catch a star but was unsuccessful. With my classes, I stop here and ask the children if they can invent ways in which we could catch a star. This leads to wickedly imaginative diagrams with surprisingly technical and intricate detail. Not all; some designs are simple yet creative. I then teach the technical language they need and causal conjunctions so that they can write an interesting explanation text to explain to others how their creation works. We leave the book behind and their ideas then motivate the writing but, each time I teach this, I am always inundated with requests to go back to the book and finish the story, which has a very sweet ending.

    I read the book from beginning to end with my youngest daughter when she was three and it prompted lots and lots of questions, which I decided to leave unanswered. This story paints a similar yet different world which everyone can enjoy. 

Moon Rabbit - written and illustrated by Natalie Russell

                                            

A short and sweet story that illustrates friendship and acceptance of differences - one rabbit prefers to live in the city and the other in the countryside. Unique illustrations capture the loneliness of the one rabbit as he sits and walks amongst the trees in the vast, open countryside, as the leaves and the flowers blow around him creating a bitter sweetness. Rabbit then meets someone just like him and their adventures begin. If, at the end of the story, you are left wondering what might happen next, there is a sequel -  "Brown Rabbit in the City".

Ideas for activities based on the book:

Compare and contrast urban and rural communities.

Discuss loneliness and the importance of making friends.

Discuss friendship - what makes a good friend? 

Write a letter to a friend in the city/country side. 

Discuss what might happen next.

Read the sequel - "Brown Rabbit in the City"- was it different from what you thought might happen?

Kitchen Disco - written by Clare Foges and illustrated by Al Murphy

                                       

What child wouldn't like to wake up to a kitchen disco! My daughter is not quite sure whether or not fruit really get up and dance in the middle of the night when she's sleeping. I can see that she's seriously considering the fact that they might after this story. I like the idea of fruit being cool - great when trying to get in those 5-a day. The rhythmic pattern with the second and the fourth line rhyming sounds like a rap. The illustrations are bright and modern and, although every page is busy, brimming with action, the text is simple and relevant.


Ideas for activities based on the book:

A perfect opportunity to get out some instruments and have a disco.

Read the story to lead into healthy eating - identify the different fruit.

Make some fruit faces.

Have a fruit disco - eat some fruit and play some music.

Get active - dance like a banana, dance like a lemon, dance like a grape.

Whatever Next - written and illustrated by Jill Murphy

Baby Bear looks up into the night sky and asks Mrs Bear if he can go to the moon. Mum unknowingly feeds into Baby Bear's imagination by saying that he cannot go as he would need to have a rocket first. It seems that nothing will stop Baby Bear as he finds the various things he needs and WHOOSH! Off he goes...
    A few weeks after reading this, I came into the room to find my oldest daughter, who was then 5, putting things into a box and placing a pan on her head ready to go off to the moon. Her school also commented on her play, saying she had been making rockets most days to prepare to go off to space. More recently, my 4 year old daughter went looking for her wellies after reading this, but that was as far as it got! A playful and imaginative story which is perfect for the early years.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea - written and illustrated by Judith Kerr

This book conforms to the common stereotype at the time (1968) of mum staying at home and dad going out to work but it is still a lovely story and could be a good starting point for discussion on different types of families. 

     The tiger comes from nowhere and disappears after he's filled his stomach. A simple and original story that ends with a happy ending when dad comes home and whisks them off to a cafe. I am pretty sure that every child would love this story to happen to them - it's enchanting, funny and cosy. My daughters loved this between the ages of 3 and 6. I am sure my youngest daughter has read it over 100 times!

Ideas for activities based on the book:

Discussing different types of families - this family has a mum, dad and one child; what other types of families are there? In this family, the dad goes out to work and the mum stays at home. How could this be different? Do we know any families that are different?

Make a tiger mask and have a tea party for tigers.

Raid your own cupboards and prepare a basket of goodies in case the tiger ever comes to tea at your house.

Write a postcard/letter from the tiger to Sophie and her mummy to say thank you for the tea.

Write an invitation to the tiger to come to tea again.

Drama activities - act out the tiger knocking on the door. What might he say?

Discuss what might happen next/write a sequel - Where does the tiger go afterwards? Does he ever come back? Could another animal come for tea? What do Sophie and her mummy do next? 

    

About Me

I have been a teacher for 16 years and a mum for 9. I love books, my children love books and my classes have loved books. We usually enjoy something in everything that we read but here are some of our favourites. I'll try not to give too much away about the books; instead I'll share what I and the children liked about it.

Marcello Mouse and the Masked Ball - written and illustrated by Julie Monks

                                                      


Marcello is a lonely mouse and has a love for dancing. Bravely risking his life for his passion, he heads off to the cats' Masked Ball and eventually finds acceptance and admiration along with friendship. Exciting adventure, bravery and friendship make this such an interesting read, along with beautiful scenery on every page as Marcello passes ancient, picturesque buildings and cobbled streets in Venice. I would love to be Marcello Mouse! My daughter was very afraid for Marcello when we first read this and then very pleased by the ending. It was delightful to watch the tiny mouse get lost in his dancing and then shock and captivate his audience. I liked the fast pace of the story, the original story line and the magnificent backdrop. Beautiful!

Ideas for activities based on the book:

Make masks

Encourage empathy - put yourself in Marcello's shoes. How might he be feeling? What could he do next?


Write an alternative ending/continue the story/write the story from one of the cat's perspectives/write a letter from Marcello to the cats

Have a masquerade ball!

Explore Venice - where does Marcello live? What kind of place is this? Explore Italian culture/food/langauge