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Max the Brave

max_the_braveEd Vere
Puffin Books
Age 0-5

Max is a lovable kitten who does not like been dressed up in ribbons. He wants to show he is fearless and to spend his time chasing mice. The only trouble is he doesn’t know what a mouse looks like… The story follows Max’s adventures as he meets a range of creatures and tries to find a mouse to chase. This is an amusing story and Max is a very appealing character. Children will enjoy his encounters with a number of animals and the fact that they know what Max doesn’t – the difference between a monster and a mouse!

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Share the story

Read aloud
Read the story to your child allowing time to talk about what is happening as you do. The font size helps to indicate when bits should be read loudly eg when Max is waking the monster.

Join in
As children become more familiar with the story they may like to join in by answering Max’s questions as if they are the different animals and shouting to wake the monster.

Talk about the story
Children may want to pause or return to certain pages to talk about what is happening in the story and pictures. You could talk about how the different animals react to Max eg Why the birds fly down from the tree and how the mouse tricks Max.

Watch the author, Ed Vere read the story aloud

From Booktrust


Things to make and do

 

Make a Max sock puppet
Use an old black sock to make a Max sock puppet. Stick on felt or paper circles for eyes and nose.

Re tell the story
Help your child to retell the story using the illustrations in the book and their Max puppet.

Play the story
Using toy animals as some of the different creatures in the book children could use their sock puppet to play the story. This is more fun if you join in too perhaps by being the monster – trapping rather than eating Max!!

Find out more

Read more stories by Ed Vere here

Titles include:

Max at Night

Mr Big

Bedtime for Monsters

Banana

 

Buy online

Our top 10 new picture books 2016

A large number of children’s books are published every year. Here is our selection of some of the best newly published picture books to look out for.

A Brave Bear Sean Taylor, Emily Hughes (illus)brave bear
Walker
Age 3-5 years

What is the hottest thing in the world? Well a pair of hot bears of course! Bear cub and his father set off on a journey together to reach the river and cool off. Despite warnings to stick to ‘small jumps’ the young cub wants to impress his father and slips over. Luckily dad is there to provide comfort and praise for being brave.

A Brave Bear is a lovely simple story beautifully illustrated about the father/son relationship. The repetition in the text make this an enjoyable story to read aloud to young children.

Watch the author, Sean Taylor read the story here 

Buy online

goodnight everyoneGoodnight Everyone Chris Haughton
Walker
Age 0-5

Visually stunning with vibrant use of colour, this is a delightful picture book likely to become a favourite, particularly at bedtime.

It is night time in the forest. All the animals are sleepy, stretching and yawning with heavy eyes, ready for bed. All that is except Little Bear who just wants to play. The build-up of the sleepy animals’ yawns make this story fun to share and join in with.

Older children (5+) and adults will enjoy talking about the end papers which show the constellations of the night sky and the planets in our solar system.

See our top ten books for bedtime

Buy online

little homebirdLittle Homebird Jo Empson
Child’s play
Age 3-7

Little bird loves his home, he can sit on his favourite branch, listen to his favourite music and eat his favourite food. When his family start to get ready to fly south for the winter he is worried about leaving his home and decides to take all his favourite things with him. The journey is long and his things don’t all reach his destination, instead finding new homes along the way. However in the end little bird finds lots of new favourite things and soon starts to feel happy in his winter home.

A beautifully illustrated book about feeling at home and coping with change, with an insight into bird migration as well.

Buy online

lottie potterLottie Potter wants an OtterJeanne Willis, Leonie Lord (illus)
Harper Collins
Age 3-7

Lottie Potter is very keen to have a pet, and only an otter will do! She finds Mr Trotter’s shop which is full of otters and Lottie makes her choice. But this otter turns out to be an absolute rotter! So Lottie’s search for the perfect pet continues.

This is a rhyming picture book with a very satisfying rhythm which skips along delightfully making it a great read aloud and easy for children to join in with too. The story is very silly but great fun and the illustrations add to the humour.

Buy online

 

max and birdMax and Bird Ed Vere
Puffin
Age 3-5

Max the kitten meets a bird. He want to make friends with him and then chase and eat him as he is such a tasty looking snack. Unsurprisingly bird is not too happy about this!

This is a delightful and strikingly illustrated story in which Max learns that friends should help each other and not eat each other. Max decides to help his new friend learn to fly and he tries to learn too. Unsurprisingly, bird is the most successful at this.

This is the third book in the series about Max, a very appealing kitten. See our activity ideas for Max the Brave.

See author/illustrator Ed Vere on BBC Authors Live sharing Max and Bird and other books in the Max series with an audience of children here.

Buy online

 

rainRain Sam Usher
Templar
Age 3-5

It is raining and a little boy is very keen to go outside and catch raindrops, splash in puddles and maybe meet a sea monster! Unfortunately his grandad wants to wait until it stops raining which takes a very long time. Eventually the rain stops and they go out to post a letter. It is worth the wait as the pair have a wonderful, watery adventure together.

The illustrations are beautiful, with raindrops on the cover, magical watery reflections and exciting floating cities. A mini love story plays out too as grandad receives a very special letter, who from I wonder?

A story to inspire lots of fun on rainy days, wellies at the ready!

See our activity page

Buy online

 

steven seagullSteven Seagull Action hero Elys Dolan
Oxford University Press
Age 5-7

Steven Seagull is a retired cop.  When mysterious holes appear on the beach he is asked to help out by his ex-partner, Mac. Who could be responsible for stealing the sand? Steven sets out to identify the criminal and eliminate the suspects.

An amusing story with jokes to appeal to adults as well as children (A gull’s gotta do what a gull’s gotta do…!). It would be fun to talk about the clues in the detailed illustrations and try to solve the crime together as you share the story.

See our activity page

Buy online

there's a tigerThere’s a Tiger in the Garden Lizzy Stewart
Frances Lincoln
Age 5 -7

Nora is bored. Grandma suggests she should go into the garden, she might see dragonflies, carnivorous plants, a grumpy polar bear and even a tiger! Nora is very sceptical about this idea but goes into the garden anyway. In no time at all she finds Grandma is right, even about the tiger! But is it a real tiger?

This is an enjoyable story about imagination and what is real which could spark more storytelling; perhaps about the tiger and polar bear and where they came from, or perhaps imagining what might be in your own garden or nearby park.

Children familiar with Judith Kerr’s The Tiger who came to Tea may make links with Nora’s tiger both in appearance and friendliness.

See here for a peek into the book

Buy online

tidyTidy Emily Gravett

Two Hoots
Age 5-7

Pete is a badger who likes things to be tidy. Not content with tidying away the Autumn leaves he decides to get rid of the trees as well and even goes as far as concreting over the forest. Now the forest is really tidy but Pete soon discovers he has no food and no way to get into his home either. Has he done the right thing?

A clever story about the natural environment and what happens when it is destroyed. Are there possible perils in being just too tidy?! Lots to talk about here in this stunning picturebook. The cut outs in the cover and end papers make a lovely woodland scene.

See here for how to finger print leaves and some activity sheets designed by author/illustrator Emily Gravett

Buy online

where my feet goWhere my feet go Birgitta Sif Andersen
Andersen Press
Age 0-5

A little panda gets up one morning and wonders where his feet might take him today. As he steps outside, his feet have all sorts of imaginary adventures; he is not jumping in a puddle he is splashing in the sea, when he is on a swing his feet are being tickled by the clouds and in a sandpit his feet just disappear!

A simple but charming story which shows how the everyday can become an adventure with just a little imagination. The delightful illustrations and repetition make this book fun to share again and again and there is lots of scope for playing the story as well.

 See our activity page

Buy online

See also our top ten prize winners 2016

and our top ten prize winners for older children 2016

Where the Wild Things Are

where the wild things areMaurice Sendak
Red Fox                                      
Age 3-5


Dressed in a wolf suit, Max gets up to mischief and is sent to bed without any supper. In his imagination or dreams his bedroom becomes a forest. He  finds himself on a journey to the land of the Wild Things. After a strange adventure Max realises he is lonely and wants to be ‘where someone loves him best of all’. This is an award winning picture book which taps into children’s sense of mischief, magic, adventure and ultimately, need for the security of a safe and loving home.

 

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Share the Story

Read  aloud
As you read the story aloud pause occasionally to allow children time to talk about the pictures and think about what might happen next.

Join in
When you read the book again encourage children to join in with the parts they remember – they might like to read the words in capital letters eg ‘WILD THING!’ And ‘WE’LL EAT YOU UP!’ Encourage them to roar ‘terrible roars’, roll their ‘terrible teeth’ and show ‘terrible claws’ as if they are ‘wild things’ too.

Talk about the story
Children may have thoughts and questions about the story they want to share with you. Allow time to discuss them.

You could ask children how they think Max felt when he was sent to bed without any supper or if they think the wild things are scary. It doesn’t matter that there isn’t a ‘right’ answer to questions like these. Talking about their ideas and feelings will help children deepen their responses and develop their understanding of the story.

Tell the story
Encourage children to tell the story in their own words as you show the pictures. Listen to the way they tell it, they may begin to use some of the words or phrases from the story in their own re tellings

Watch the story read aloud here 

from Happy Cultivated

Things to make and do

Make a map
Using a large sheet of paper pens and pencils children could draw an imaginary map of Max’s journey to the land of the wild things.  Encourage children to talk to you about their map and show you Max’s route.

Story play
Fill a baby bath, tub or paddling pool with water. Place a small figure to represent Max in a toy boat so he can go on a journey to the land of the wild things.

If you don’t have a boat you could make one from a plastic container, with a stick for a mast and paper or fabric sails. Don’t forget to put Max’s name on the boat – or perhaps your child’s own name!

Make a crown
Using card make a crown for your child to wear to be Max king of the wild things. Children could gather toys together to be the wild things and act out the story.

Have a wild rumpus!
Play some favourite party music and dance together just like Max and the wild things.

Write a postcard
Give children a postcard shaped piece of card or download this postcard template and suggest they pretend they are Max writing a postcard home to tell his Mum what he has been doing in the land of the wild things.


Find out more

Read another story by Maurice Sendak
In the Night Kitchen

 

 

Our top 10 new picture books 2015

Many new picture books are published for children every year. It is often hard to know how to choose. Here is a selection of some of our current favourites. You and your child will meet a range of appealing characters in these beautifully illustrated picture books and discover amusing, intriguing and thought provoking stories. We hope you enjoy them.

See our Top 10 new picture books for 2014 here

goodnight already_thumbGoodnight Already! Jory John, Benji Davies (illus)
Harper Collins, 2015
Age 0-5

Bear desperately wants to go to sleep, but Duck (his neighbour) desperately wants company. Goodnight Already is an amusing story with two appealing characters, poor sleep deprived Bear and irrepressible attention seeking Duck.

This book would be great fun to read together when children are familiar with the story taking turns being Duck or Bear.

Watch a trailer here

Buy Goodnight Already!

grandad's islandGrandad’s Island Benji Davies
Simon and Schuster, 2015
Age 3-7

Syd spends a lot of time with Grandpa but doesn’t know about the magic door in his attic. One day Grandpa takes him through the door on an amazing adventure, across the ocean to a beautiful tropical island. Unfortunately Grandpa decides to stay leaving Syd to return alone realising he will no longer have Grandpa’s company. A card delivered by toucan post reveals Grandpa is still thinking about Syd even though he is far away.

This is a stunning, magical picturebook with wonderfully detailed illustrations and a poignant yet uplifting story. It suggests the close relationships young children may have with grandparents and the importance of shared memories. The story can be seen as an allegory for loss but also demonstrates how we can be in each other’s thought even when far apart.

Buy Grandad’s Island

honk honkHonk Honk Hold Tight! Jessica Souhami
Frances Lincoln, 2015
Age 0-5

“Honk Honk! Hold Tight!” calls the boy with a golden goose to the growing line of characters, each one stuck fast to the last, after attempting to steal a golden feather. He’s off on a quest to make an unsmiling Princess laugh, in response to the King’s offer to share his kingdom with the first person to succeed. This is a wonderfully lively and humorous retelling of an enduring folktale with its roots in Europe and the Middle East. In this version, the Princess decides who she will marry! A great book to read aloud, children will enjoy joining in with the reading, acting it out with toys and friends, and retelling the story in their own words. The crisp, bright collage illustrations will inspire children to make their own, too.

See lovemybooks activities for No Dinner.
Buy Honk Honk Hold Tight!

imaginary-fred-thumbImaginary Fred Eoin Colfer, Oliver Jeffers (illus)

Harper Collins, 2015
Age 5-7

Fred is an imaginary friend, summoned, when the conditions are just right, by lonely children. (You need a little electricity, luck or even magic). Unfortunately when children find a real friend they don’t need him anymore and he fades and is forgotten. Fred dreams of finding a friend who would need him forever. One day a boy called Sam summons him and Fred finds the perfect companion until one day Sam meets Sammy. Is this the end of their relationship? Happily when Sammi arrives with an imaginary friend of her own Fred finds a perfect companion.

This is a story about loneliness and the importance of friendship, with lots to talk about whether or not your child has had an imaginary friend. Imaginary Fred is a great collaboration between Eoin Colfer the Irish children’s laureate and amazing picturebook maker Oliver Jeffers. The delicate illustrations perfectly evoke the feelings of the characters and the idea of an imaginary friend who fades when no longer needed.

Buy Imaginary Fred

max at nightMax at Night Ed Vere
Puffin, 2015
Age 0-3

Max is a sleepy kitten getting ready for bed. After cleaning his teeth he wants to say Goodnight….to the moon, but Moon is nowhere to be seen. So Max goes in search, climbing higher and higher. Eventually, with some help from Wind blowing Cloud away, Max sees Moon and they can say goodnight to each other. Reassuringly Moon tells Max he can hear him say goodnight from his room and a satisfied and even sleepier Max goes back home and is soon curled up fast asleep.

This is a delightful picturebook with an appealing character, stunningly beautiful colour pages and a satisfying story, a perfect bedtime read for under threes.

See also Max the Brave.

Buy Max at Night   

pliease mr pandaPlease Mr Panda Steve Antony
Hodder Children’s Books, 2015
Age 0-3

Mr Panda has some doughnuts to share and offers them to a series of ungrateful and greedy animals. Eventually a racoon sets herself above the rest by being much more polite and is duly rewarded.A simple story about sharing and politeness. Watch a trailer here
Buy Please Mr Panda

robin[s winter songRobin’s Winter Song Suzanne Barton
Bloomsbury, 2015
Age 3-5

Robin wakes one Autumn Day to find a flurry of activity as the finches get ready to fly south and Squirrel buries his nuts. Winter is coming and everyone is preparing. Robin thinks Winter must be very scary. After snuggling up to Bear in his cave Robin wakes to find a magical transformation, snow has fallen, winter has arrived and it isn’t scary at all. He has lots of fun with the other creatures until signs of Spring arrive and he realises there are more exciting changes in store.

This is an appealing and beautifully illustrated picturebook which explores the magic of the seasons through the eyes of a young robin experiencing his first winter. There is plenty to talk about in the illustrations and lots to learn about animals too. Bear’s ‘one sleep’ till winter is over for example, is an interesting introduction to hibernation. Sharing this story as the seasons change will give lots of opportunity for children and parents to observe changes together and talk about what they see in the natural world.

Buy Robin’s Winter Song

space dogSpace Dog Mini Grey
Jonathan Cape, 2015
Age 5-7

At a time far in the future Space Dog is lonely and looking forward to going home after a long mission sorting out inter planetary problems. Unexpectedly, he receives a distress call from Astrocat, his sworn enemy. When Space Dog rescues Astrocat he finds they get on really well, Astrocat can play Dogopoly and he is an amazing cook. In no time they are working as a team to sort out an explosive ketchup situation on planet FryUp42 and to save Moustronaut (another sworn enemy) who has been captured by the Cheese ants. When it is time to go back to Home Planet the three decide to head for the Unknown Zone so that they can stay together as friends rather than return home where they must be sworn enemies.

This is an imaginative and witty space story with fascinating detail in the wonderful illustrations.  This is a universe in which ketchup bottles are volcanoes, whole planets can be made of cheese and Space Dogs and Astrocats can sort out interplanetary problems. A story about resolving differences friendship and working as a team.

See lovemybooks Space Dog activities here
Buy Space Dog here

what the jackdaw sawWhat the Jackdaw Saw Julia Donaldson, Nick Sharratt (illus)
Macmillan, 2015
Age 3-7

What the Jackdaw Saw was written by Julia Donaldson with a group of deaf children during her term as children’s laureate.

Jackdaw wants to invite friends to his party. He flies over land and sea but wherever he goes he is confused to see a creature touching its head and no one seems interested in his invitation.  After getting caught in a storm he crashes into a tree and asks a wise owl why no one warned him. The owl tells Jackdaw everyone was warning him; by touching their heads they were signing danger. Jackdaw quickly learns the sign for party and invites everyone to come. Soon he has lots of guests and the party is in full swing.

Nick Sharratt’s bold and colourful illustrations bring the text to life and extra detail, for example hinting at the approaching storm. The repetitive story pattern and rhythm make the book fun to read aloud and join in.

This is an enjoyable story with lots to talk about for both deaf and hearing children. The end papers, with illustrations showing how to sign more of the words from the story, invite all readers to have a go.

Buy What the Jackdaw Saw

wheres the elephant_thumbWhere’s the Elephant? Barroux
Egmont, 2015
Age 5-7

Children will enjoy searching for the elephant, parrot and snake in the rainforest illustrations.

A story told almost entirely through pictures, as the pages turn the forest gradually disappears and the animals lose their homes. In a twist at the end the animals escape captivity and head off to find a new home.

There is a lot to talk about here, in particular about endangered animals and the world’s rainforests. When children know the book well they might enjoy imagining they are one of the animals and telling the story of their escape from the zoo and what might happen after the story ends.

Buy Where’s the Elephant?

 

Be Brave Little Penguin

 

Giles Andrae, illus. Guy Parker Rees
Orchard Books
Age 0-5 years

Little Penguin Pip Pip lives with his family and friends. His friends all love swimming in the sea but Pip Pip is too scared to try and feels very sad. His mum is understanding and helps little Pip Pip take his first tentative steps into the sea. In no time at all he is having an amazing time.

A delightful rhyming, rhythmic picturebook with very appealing illustrations and a strong message about being brave enough to try things that are new to you. Children will enjoy returning to this picturebook and sharing Little Pip Pip’s excitement at the end of the story.

Some of the activity ideas here are likely to be more suitable to over threes so choose what seems most appropriate for your child.

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Share the story
Read aloud
Read the story aloud to your child talking about what is happening in the story and pictures as you do.

Join in
As they become more familiar with the story you can encourage children to join in with some of the words eg Little Pip calling out ‘I am swimming, I am swimming’ and SPLASH

Talk about the story
Read the story aloud, taking time to talk together about the pictures as you do. Encourage children to imagine what might happen next and turn the page to see if their predictions were right. Talking about the book deepens children’s enjoyment and understanding of the story.

Talk about the different sizes of penguin in the first picture.
Talk about the bits you both liked best?}
Talk about how Little Pip Pip feels at different points in the story?
Talk about things that are big or small, biggest and smallest.
Talk about when you have needed to be brave like Little Penguin. Share ideas you’re your own memories.

Watch the story read aloud

https://youtu.be/-UQ-vvC6psE



Watch a musical version of the story

https://youtu.be/Zn7bYgo7Sgk


Things to make and do

Role play

Act out the conversation between Pip Pip and his Mummy ‘What if….’ This would be fun with you (the adult) playing Little Pip Pip with all his anxieties and your child playing his mother, reassuring him.
Act out the story in the bath or paddling pool with a toy to represent Little Penguin.
Go swimming – have fun in the water like Little Penguin, putting a toe in first 

Make a picture
Give your child a large piece of paper some paints or crayons to make a big picture of Little Penguin with lots of other penguins of different shapes and sizes.

 Find out more

Read more books by Giles Andrae. Titles include
Giraffes Can’t Dance
Rumble in the Jungle
Commotion in the Ocean.

Find out about illustrator Guy Parker Rees Guy Parker-Rees – Illustrator (guyparkerrees.com)
Find out more about penguins

Share another story about penguins Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

 

 

 

 

Find out more

More books by Chris Haughton
Oh No George! Click to see our activities

Shh! We have a plan! Click to see our activities

Find out more about the author

Our top 10 bedtime reads

There are so many books which would make fantastic bedtime reads. We hope you will discover lots of stories to enjoy on Lovemybooks and develop your own favourites with your children for bedtime or anytime!

Here we’ve chosen a selection of books specifically about bedtime. There are stories to reassure: about fears of the dark or being alone. There are stories about being reluctant to go to bed, and stories about being desperate to go to sleep. There are night time adventures and stories about loving relationships. In addition we have included a collection of rhymes for the very young. Some of the books here are linked to our activity pages with ideas for daytime story fun too. We hope you enjoy them.

cant-you-sleepCan’t you sleep little bear?
Martin Waddell, Barbara Firth (illus)
Walker Books
Age 3-7

It is night time but Little Bear cannot sleep because he is scared of the dark. Big Bear understands his worries and tries to help with a tiny lantern, but it is too small to take away the ‘dark all around’ so Big Bear brings bigger and bigger lanterns. Nothing makes a difference, until that is, he carries Little Bear outside to show him that the dark isn’t really that scary with the bright yellow moon and twinkly stars there to light it up. Reassured Little Bear settles happily to sleep and Big Bear is left in peace to read his book.


The Dream Train – Poems for bedtime
Sean Taylor  illus. Anuska Allepuz
Walker Books

The Dream Train is an absolutely beautiful collection of poems for bedtime. It contains thirty original poems organised into three sections, night arriving, time to close your eyes and dreams.

A wide range of poetry styles and moods from humorous to lyrical, with poems to reassure that everyone goes to sleep, that you are surrounded by those that love you, poems to evoke the magic of twilight, nighttime and dreaming. Each poem is given a double page spread with beautifully soft and magical illustrations. A book to treasure and dip into families are likely to develop their own favourites as they share them at nighttime.

goodnight-already-copyGoodnight Already!
Jory John, Benji Davies (illus)
Harper Collins
Age 3-5

Bear desperately wants to go to sleep, but Duck (his neighbour) desperately wants company. Goodnight Already is very amusing story with two appealing characters, poor sleep deprived Bear and irrepressibly attention seeking Duck.

When children are familiar with the story they can join in; each of you could take turns being Duck or Bear and have fun repeating some of their conversations.

Watch a trailer here

goodnight-everyoneGoodnight Everyone
Chris Haughton
Walker
Age 0-5

Visually stunning with a vibrant palette, this is a delightful picture book likely to become a favourite at bedtime. It is night time in the forest. All the animals are sleepy, stretching and yawning with heavy eyes, ready for bed. All that is except Little Bear who just wants to play. The build-up of the sleepy animals’ yawns make this story fun to share and join in with.  Older children (5+) and adults will also enjoy the end papers which show the constellations of the night sky and planets in our solar system.

goodnight_spaceman-copyGoodnight Spaceman
Michelle Robinson, Nick East (illus)
Puffin
Age 3-7

As two young boys get ready for bed they look out of the window at the starry night and think about their daddy, an astronaut, in his rocket ship and imagine what they would see and do if they were in space as well. In no time at all they find themselves having an adventure of their own as they blast off from earth and meet their dad in space.

Goodnight Spaceman is a rhyming bedtime story with striking illustrations inspired by British astronaut Tim Peake and his young sons who watched him take off for the international space station. Produced in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and with a foreword by Tim Peake, this is a story to inspire lots of space themed fun.

See our ideas for daytime story fun here

guess_how_much_coverGuess how much I love you
Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram (illus)
Walker Books
Age 0-5

It is bedtime and Little Brown Hare desperately wants to get Big Brown Hare’s attention and impress him ‘Guess how much I love you?…..as high as I can reach!’ but no matter what he says and does Big Brown Hare can stretch further and jump higher.  It becomes a game with ever more amazing claims, will Little Brown Hare ever win? Eventually, as he dozes off to sleep he seems to, but who will have the last word? A warm and appealing story, perfect for saying goodnight.

max-at-nightMax at Night
Ed Vere
Puffin
Age 0-5

Sleepily getting ready for bed, a tiny kitten called Max drinks his milk and brushes his teeth. Then he starts to say goodnight to everything around him, and wants to say goodnight to Moon, but cannot find him so decides to go looking. But no matter how high he climbs he still cannot see Moon and gets very frustrated until Wind blows the clouds away. Moon reassures Max he can hear him from his bedroom so there is no need to go out searching (parents will be pleased to hear!) The story ends with a contented Max curled up fast asleep.

This is a delightful bedtime adventure story perfect for repeated readings and a great way for young children to start to think about the wonder of the moon and the night sky depicted beautifully in the gorgeous illustrations.

See our activity page for Max the Brave in our heroes and villains section.

owl-babies-2Owl Babies Martin Waddell, Patrick Benson (illus)
Walker
Age 3-5

This gently humorous picturebook deals sensitively with childhood fears. Three baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill, awake one night to find themselves alone in the dark forest. Their owl mother has flown off in search of food but they worry she may not return. Each has a different way of coping with their fears. All is well when the family is reunited at the end of the story, to the visible delight of little Bill. Black backgrounds beautifully evoke the night time setting.

See our ideas for daytime fun with Owl Babies and animation here.

peace at lastPeace at Last                                               Jill Murphy
Macmillan
Age 3-7

It’s late and everyone is tired and wants to get some sleep. But Mr Bear can’t sleep. Every noise keeps him awake and, whatever he tries, he still can’t sleep. This classic picturebook follows him through the night, telling his story with gentle humour. The repetition encourages children to join in with Mr. Bear’s, “Oh NO! I can’t stand THIS!” with great relish.

Here’s a book that’s great for chiming in with sound effects and talking about family experiences.

See our ideas for daytime fun with Peace at Last here.

time-for-bed-fredTime for Bed Fred
Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury
Age 3-5

It’s late, and definitely time for Fred, a lovable dog, to settle down and go to bed. But Fred is not being at all cooperative, he disappears into the garden, up a tree, in a muddy puddle and anywhere he can to avoid going to bed.  Children will enjoy joining in with the repeated phrases – ‘That’s not your bed Fred!’ Parents and children will recognise Fred’s determined bedtime avoidance tactics in this amusing and delightfully illustrated picturebook!

Watch the story read aloud here.

You’re safe with me
Chitra Soundar and Poonam Mistry
Lantana Publishing
Age 3-7

It is bedtime but the night is stormy and the baby animals can’t sleep with all the strange noises of the wind, thunder and river and the strange lights in the sky. Luckily Mama Elephant is nearby to reassure the babies and cradle them in her trunk. She explains the wind brings seeds from faraway lands and the storm clouds water to help the seeds grow. She reassures the frightened babies that soon the wind’s huffing and puffing will change to a gentle breeze and the storm clouds will become white and fluffy again.

This gentle and soothing story is beautifully told and great to share again and again. The sounds of the storm and the repeated refrain ‘You’re safe with me’ make it perfect for joining in. The stunning and intricate illustrations are fascinating and may inspire children to make their own pictures of patterned animals and forest scenes. 

 

 

Dear Dinosaur

 

Chae Strathie, Nicola O’Byrne (illus)
Scholastic
Age 3-7

Max loves dinosaurs and is delighted to visit the dinosaur museum. One of the staff, Dinosaur Dora tells him that he can send questions to Tyrannosaurus Rex who might even answer them. Amazingly, this is what happens and in no time a correspondence develops, with letters, postcards, a birthday card and even an email. Max and the T-Rex become ‘dinopals’.

Dear Dinosaur is great fun and very interactive with lots of letters and cards to open. Real dinosaur facts are cleverly incorporated in this highly imaginative and amusing story.

 

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Read aloud
Read the story aloud to your child, reading the words in bold louder and pointing one or two of these out as you do. Children can help by opening the letters and cards. Pause to talk about the story or illustrations if your child wants to.

Join in
As children become more familiar with the book, encourage children to join in with the words in bold and also what the characters say to each other.

Talk about the story

Max’s favourite dinosaur is a T-Rex. Which is your child’s favourite, and why?

Find the dinosaur facts in the story eg the size of a T-Rex or its teeth. What else do you both know? What would your child like ask a dinosaur?

See links below to help find answers to children’s questions.

If you have been to a dinosaur museum or display talk about what your child remembers about the visit.

If Max is a ‘Maxosaurus’ what would your child or other members of your family be called if they were dinosaurs? Have fun talking about this.

Does your child think Dinosaur Dora is writing the letters or is it really the T-Rex?


Things to make and do

Did you Know?
Children could make a set of dinosaur ‘did you know?’ cards. Using facts from the story and from more things you find out about, T-Rex, Compsognathus or any other dinosaur (see links below). They could try out their cards on members of the family or friends.

Make a dinosaur museum
Arrange toy dinosaurs if you have them as if they are on show in a museum. Alternatively children could make some from modelling material.  Add labels for each ‘exhibit’.

See Natural History Museum Dinosaur section and the New York Natural History Museum Dinotour

Design a funny dinosaur
Max drew a picture of a sausageosaurus. Children could draw their own funny dinosaur, and think up a name for it.

 

Find out more

Find out more about the Compsognathus

Find out more about the Tyrranosaurus Rex

For more information on dinosaurs see here

Read Gorilla Loves Vanilla, another story by this picturebook duo

Find out more about author Chae Strathie here 

Find out more about illustrator Nicola O’Byrne

Titles include Open Very Carefully, a book with bite

 

Buy here

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Explorer

 

 

The Explorer
Katherine Rundell, Hannah Horn (illus.)
Bloomsbury
Age 8-11

Fred, Con, Lila and Max find themselves alone in the rainforest after their plane crashes. Facing incredible danger they gradually learn to trust each other and find ways to survive including eating grubs and even tarantulas. After finding a map they set off for the city of Manaus on a homemade raft and find a mysterious man living in a hidden city. Is this one of the lost explorers Fred is fascinated with? Will he help them find their way back to civilisation? In time the children discover a little about this enigmatic man, his sad past and the reason he wants to keep the hidden city secret.

The Explorer is an exciting and beautifully written adventure story which describes the wonder, beauty and danger of the rainforest. This is a story about being brave despite your fears, paying attention to the world just as explorers do and why it might sometimes be ok to keep a secret.

The book itself is really beautiful with many wonderful pen and ink line drawings of the setting and wild life framing the text.

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Share the story

Talk about the story

  • Which character do children find most interesting and why?

  • Did the children do the right thing in keeping the explorer’s secret? Is it sometimes ok to keep secrets?

  • Which is your favourite scene in the story?

  • Could you survive in the rainforest – what would be the hardest part?

Sharing books with older children, reading them aloud or discussing what children are reading really helps them become thoughtful and enthusiastic readers. Frances told us about the experience of sharing books with her ten year old daughter Zoe, including our book of the month, The Explorer.

 My mum has always shared her favourite books with me and similarly Zoe and I enjoy sharing books; this now includes discussing books we’ve both read rather than me reading whole books aloud to her. Sometimes the sharing is as simple as me ‘clocking’ where she’s got to in the book and making some sort of evaluative or predictive comment about that part; at other times she asks me to read the first few chapters of a book aloud which seems to help her become quickly immersed in it. At other times she’ll share puzzles with me:- in The Explorer she asked why Con lived with her aunt which led us to look back through the book together because it was clear that she missed the part where Con confided to the other children that she was an orphan. Because we’ve built up quite a ‘bank’ of shared reads over the years, Zoe will also volunteer connections between books or characters. For example, she drew parallels between ‘The Explorer’ and ‘The Wolf -Wilder’ (by the same author) because in both books children had to set out on expeditions without adults.
I tend to let her lead book discussions because I want her to view them as enjoyable and interesting rather than ‘chore-like’. Generally she initiates conversations about why characters are behaving in particular ways and makes connections to our own life experiences.
 
Zoe’s favourite part of The Explorer was where ‘the children made their own food out of natural sources’ because she loves cooking and liked imagining how to cook in the jungle. She made her own version of the ‘chocolate pancakes’. She also said that the loved the part about the children swimming with dolphins because, like the children, she had a  pleasant surprise to discover the dolphins were not sharks after all.
Lila is her favourite character because she likes animals and is funny. Zoe said she dislikes Con but then immediately corrected herself by saying that she’d liked all the characters but hadn’t liked Con when she was grumpy or Max when he was annoying. She reflected that Con became nicer over the course of the book; she’d made friends with the other children and Max sometimes wanted Con to look after him. It did seem that talking about the book encouraged a more nuanced response.’

Things to make and do

  • Make a setting from the story in a shoe box opened down two sides using paint, collage twigs and foliage to decorate it.

  • Make a zig zag book about the characters in the story with drawings and labels

  • Write a letter Fred, Con, Lila or Max would have liked to write to the Explorer after returning home

  • Using a scrap book make an information book about the Amazon. Research information using library books or the links below on the Amazon River, the rainforest, its wildlife, stories of lost cities or explorers who have disappeared.


    See our print-off activity book with some of these ideas and other activities

Find out more

Read more books by Katherine Rundell. Titles include Rooftoppers and The Wolf Wilder

Find out more about the inspiration for The Explorer here

And here

For another adventure story set in the Amazon see The Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson.

Find out more about the rainforest

For information on surviving in the rainforest see here

Find out more about Percy Fawcett and other explorers who disappeared in the Amazonian rainforest.

 

Buy here

 

Lizzie’s story

Jennie, a mother,  tells  the story of her daughter Lizzie and her development as a reader.

April 2018

Lizzie is two and a half and enjoys books but often finds listening to a whole story difficult unless it’s bed time and her focus is helped by cuddles and milk. She loves bedtime stories but often requests the same book night after night (her current record is the same book for three weeks and counting). We have tried reading more than one book at bed time; my choice and her choice, going to the library to choose books together and buying books in areas of her interest but she seems to like the predictability of a known story or information book.

We encourage her to choose books when we play and she has books in her room, the living room and our room so we can always access them easily and always try and have books and cuddles in the morning before we get up properly. She often asks for books during the day as she knows this is quality focus me and her time, unlike playing time where suddenly I may get up and go and empty the dishwasher!  She is also enjoying rediscovering some of her favourite early baby books with her nine month old brother and often shows him the feely parts or how to use the flaps.

When we read during the day she often gets distracted, turns the pages too quickly or goes off and does something else. When she was younger we often just looked at the books together as she couldn’t sit still long enough to focus on the actual story, she also preferred non fiction for a very long time although this has evened out now.

I knew Max the Brave would initially appeal as the illustrations and pages are eye catching and bright and the main character is a cat, which is a good start. The story also has similarities to The Gruffalo in the flow of the story, the range of animal characters and a good amount of sneakiness.

I began by reading Max the Brave to her a couple of times and she listened to the first half only. I then decided to do the puppet making activity with her and see if her engagement increased. She loved putting the eyes and nose on the sock and played with the puppet and the other toy animals.

We then watched the video from the Lovemybooks site and she played with the animal toys and the puppet as she watched. We then acted out the story and she demonstrated good knowledge of the story, finding the pages to match the animals and vice versa.

She is really enjoying the book and I am enjoying doing more than just reading, questioning and discussing the book but actually interacting with it through play.

Lizzie’s speech has developed more slowly than her peers. Since we started to focus on Max and look at it in a different way she has started to demand more stories. As an English literature and teaching graduate, the semi shouted ‘book, read’ command is almost as sweet as ‘Mummy’

 

Banana!

 

Ed Vere
Puffin
Age 0-3 years

One monkey has a banana, and he is very pleased. Another monkey arrives very excited to see the banana. He wants some too. But the first monkey doesn’t want to share. The second monkey is very disappointed he pleads, he has a tantrum but in the end he realises the other monkey is waiting for him to say please. The first monkey gives him the banana –just to have a bite but the second monkey looks all set to eat it all! Eventually they find a solution.

An absolutely brilliant study in jealousy, sharing and politeness told through humorous illustrations, an excellent design and just two words.  

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Share the story

Read aloud
Before reading the book to your child look through it yourself and think about how you will read it – the more dramatic the better to show the desperation of the second monkey to eat the banana – there are lots of clues in the illustration and text design!
Read the story aloud adding actions perhaps when the monkey is beating the floor in frustration.

Join in
You could encourage two- and three-year-olds to join in as you read, shouting ‘banana’ and saying ‘please.’

Talk about the story
Spot the banana on each page
Talk about how the monkeys are feeling, read the illustrations together – the monkeys’ expressions and body language.
Talk about sharing – what would your child tell the monkeys?

Watch the story read aloud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oEOrLXYdcs


Things to make and do

Role play
For babies beginning to explore different tastes you could show them a banana before mashing or cutting a piece for them to taste

Make a playdough banana
Children over two could make playdough bananas. This is more fun if you do it together by rolling and coiling the playdough.

Practise sharing and saying please
Find reasons to share perhaps with fruit or snacks eg banana, pieces of apple or raisins and to say please and thank you.

Have a toy tea party
Using soft toys and play or real food fruit or snacks set up a toy tea party. Your child could share the food between them, reminding them to say please and thank you!

Find out more

Watch the book’s creator, Ed Vere draw the characters Draw with Ed Vere: Banana! – YouTube

Read more books by Ed Vere. Titles include
Max the Brave activity page
Max at Night
Max and Bird
Grumpy Frog activity page
How to Be a Lion
Bedtime for Monsters
Mr Big