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Stomp, Chomp, Big Roars! Here Come the Dinosaurs!

stomp stomp big roarsKaye Umansky, Nick Sharratt (illus)
Puffin
Age 0-5

This boldly illustrated picture book has a different dinosaur poem on each page. Some of the poems are loud and noisy with lots of stomping and roaring and some are quiet and peaceful. Your child will love joining in with the strong rhymes and making up actions, the striking pictures give lots to talk about as well.

 

 

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the book

green dinosaur pair

Read aloud As you read the book aloud roar noisily with the dinosaurs and whisper for the mouse. Allow time to talk about some of the pages, for example you could look for the dinosaur that is hiding together.

Join in As you re read the book encourage your child to join in with actions, stamping their feet, chomping, and pretending to swish a tail or dive into a swamp.

If you leave gaps when you are re reading the book children can complete the rhymes eg:

Roar, roar, roar, roar! I’m a roaring …………..!

Talk about the book The pictures are so striking it is worth spending time talking about some of them. For example, you could ask your child which page is their favourite, what is happening in the picture and why they chose it.

The picture of the two dinosaurs who are ‘just sitting’ is an interesting one to discuss, look at this together and talk about what you see and think.

Do Some Counting
Count the baby dinosaurs and the eggs and the dinosaurs diving into the swamp

 

Things to make and do

Play the story

Stomp like a dinosaur – as you walk around the house or garden stomp like dinosaurs saying the rhymes as you go. Wearing big boots for this would be fun!

Sand play – if you have access to a sand pit at home or at the local park your child could re create pages from the book with their toy dinosaurs (or other small toys pretending to be dinosaurs).

Water play – the toy dinosaurs can join your child in the bath and dive in as if diving into a swamp while you repeat some of the rhymes again.

More outdoor play ideas – find a space, or even better somewhere with a gentle slope, so that your child can roll like a dinosaur. Play dinosaur hide and seek.

Make a dinosaur puppet
You can make a simple dinosaur puppet with your child from a fairly long sock. Felt would be ideal for eyes, teeth and spines but you could use other materials such as buttons for eyes and coloured cellophane for spines. Watch the video for more ideas.
If you make a pair of dinosaur sock puppets they could be the ‘best of friends!’


Find out more

Read more books by Kaye Umansky here

This is Jane, Jim

Yo,Ho, Ho A- Pirating We’ll Go!

Read more books by Nick Sharratt here

Titles include:

Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly

Ketchup on your Cornflakes

See more about dinosaur themed activities here.

 

 

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If you meet a dinosaur

if you meet a dinosaurPaul Bright, Hannah George (illus)
Little Tiger Press
Age 0-5

This is a story about Meg Mummisaurus who is looking for a good place for her egg to hatch safely. Her search takes some time as she meets lots of noisy, clumsy dinosaurs on the way. The story rhymes and has a strong rhythm that reads a bit like a rap poem, making it ideal for joining in. The illustrations are bold and funny too.

 

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

 

Share the storydinosaur2

Read aloud
Before starting to read the book talk about the cover picture and the title which poses an interesting question ‘if you meet a dinosaur what would you do?’ Have fun reading the story aloud to your child enjoying the rhythm and rhyme together.

Join in
Children will enjoy joining in with the exclamations perhaps wagging a finger as they say lines such as ‘Watch where you’re wagging your tail!’ You could point to these words as children join in. Children can also swagger, shake, stamp and stomp along with all the dinosaurs. You could leave gaps as you read for children to  supply the missing rhymes.

Talk about the story
You could talk about the different places Meg Mummisaurus puts her egg, why she decides to keep moving it, and what’s happening at the end of the story.

Watch the story read aloud 

Things to make and do

3-5 year olds will also enjoy some of these activities:

Make a dinosaur egg
You need a balloon, white and blue tissue paper and glue (wallpaper paste glue or PVA).  Cover a balloon with glue. Stick on torn pieces of white tissue paper. Cover with several layers of glue and tissue (between 4 and 6) leave the tissue covered balloon to dry. This may take a day or two. Pop the balloon .You will have an egg shape made of tissue.

A nest can be made from twigs or screwed up newspaper.

Play the story
Children could retell the story using their toys as dinosaurs and moving their nest and egg to different places as Meg does in the story. This kind of play will help them understand story structure and enable them to try out some of the language.

Make a label
Children could make a ‘do not disturb’ sign to go with their dinosaur nest, once they have found somewhere safe
to put it.

      

Find out more

Read more books by Paul Bright, titles include:

Under the Bed

Quiet!

Crunch, Munch Dinosaur Lunch!

I’m Not Going Out There!

Nobody Laughs at a Lion

 

 

 

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Our top 10 new picture books 2018

As usual it is hard to choose our top 10 new favourite picture books from the thousands published this year.
Here is a selection of some of our current favourites for 2018.

We hope that you and your child will find appealing characters and stories in these beautifully illustrated picture books be amused, intrigued and challenged. We hope you enjoy them.

Almost Anything
Sophy Henn
Puffin
Age 3-5

George is a young rabbit who watches his friends enjoying painting, skating, reading and dancing but doesn’t want to join in: he just doesn’t think he can. Wise Bear is watching and decides to do something about this. He makes George a ‘magic’ hat out of folded paper. George feels confident to have a go with his magic hat on and with a bit of practice finds he can try all the things his friends are doing and have fun too. When the hat disappears George is worried but Bear tells him that really the magic is inside him, not the hat at all.

This is a delightful picture book about not being afraid to have a go at something new, persevering if new things are a bit difficult at first and having fun too. It might prompt nervous children to try new things and you could have fun making your own ‘magic’ hats too. It has recently won best picturebook in the North Somerset teacher book award for 2018

Visit our activity page

Buy here

The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle
David Litchfield
Frances Lincoln 
Age 5-9

In this beautiful follow up to the award winning The Bear and the Piano we meet two new characters, Hector and his dog Hugo. Hector is a fiddle player nearing the end of his career. Facing competition from the now famous piano playing bear he decides to hang up his bow. While Hector rests his devoted pet Hugo practises, becoming a fiddle player himself. When Bear hears Hugo play he invites him to join his animal band. Hector is upset but Hugo decides to follow his dreams. The two friends are eventually reconciled when Bear’s Big Band comes back to town.

A warm and enjoyable story about jealousy and friendship. The illustrations are magical with lots to spot such as the posters indicating Bear’s success in the earlier spreads.

See below for a preview of the book from Coombe Mill.

Buy here


Cinderella of the Nile
Beverley Naidoo. Illus. Marjan Vafaeian

Tiny Owl

Age 7-9

In this interesting retelling of one of the earliest versions of Cinderella a young girl from Ancient Greece, Rhodopis, is kidnapped and taken as a slave to Egypt. She makes friends with the famous storyteller Aesop and his stories help her remain strong when she is sold on to another owner where she is treated kindly by her master but not by three jealous sisters who are mean to her. Echoes of the European version of Cinderella continue with invitations to a feast from the Pharaoh, a missing slipper, a search for its owner and a poor girl becoming Queen.

Children will enjoy looking closely at the intricate and detailed illustrations which complement the setting and characters beautifully and making comparisons with the more familiar European version of the tale.

Visit our activity page

Buy here

Grandma Bird
Benji Davies
Simon & Schuster
Age 3-7

Noi is off to stay with Grandma in her isolated home on a rock. He is not sure about Grandma, she is too busy to play and cooks seaweed soup for supper. Noi decides to have fun exploring on his own, but when a storm threatens danger it is Grandma who rescues him and a number of windswept birds besides. Caring for the birds Noi and his Grandma grow closer and have lots of fun together throughout the summer.

Featuring Noi and his seaside world first introduced in the wonderful picturebook The Storm Whale this is another appealing and warmly written story. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed with lots to spot, including Noi’s six cats in the first spread. There is plenty to talk about too, such as how Noi feels about staying with Grandma at the beginning and end of the story, where he will go when he creeps away and how will he get home when the storm comes.

Visit our activity page for The Storm Whale

Buy here

Hansel and Gretel
Bethan Woollvin
Two Hoots
Age 3-7

This is an amusing and brilliantly subversive version of Hansel and Gretel in which the abandoned children are shown to be lazy, greedy and very naughty. Willow a (generally!) good and very hospitable witch invites them into her home, eventually the children go too far and Willow’s temper snaps.  She turns her ungrateful guests into gingerbread biscuits. With bold illustrations and lots of humour this is an attractive book which children will enjoy reading, sharing and talking about. What do children think of Hansel and Gretel’s behaviour? What would you do if you were the witch? Third in a series of anarchic versions of fairy tales from this picture book creator.

Visit our activity page

Buy here

How to be a Lion
Ed Vere
Puffin
Age 3-7

Unlike most lions Leonard does not like scaring or chomping smaller creatures he likes sitting on his thinking hill and creating poems. The other lions tell Leonard there is only one way to be a lion – he has to be fierce. Leonard wonders if he should conform but is reassured by his friend Marianne. Together they find their own way to confront their critics.

This is a beautifully illustrated picturebook with warm colours evoking Africa. It has a very appealing main character and a strong message about the possibility of different ways of being, acceptance of individuality and challenges an overly aggressive view of what it means to be a boy or man. The questions raised within the text in particular about the central idea whether there is only one way to be a lion are likely to prompt some interesting discussions.

Buy here

If all the world were..
Joseph Coelho, illus Allison Colpoys
Frances Lincoln
Age 5-7

A little girl remembers the special times shared with her grandad. Long walks in the spring time, telling stories in the winter. Each memory is followed with the refrain ‘if all the world were ……’ wishes to capture treasured moments. But grandad’s chair is empty, they will not be sharing another year together as he has died. Helping to sort out his belongings, she finds a notebook made by her grandad and decides to fill it with her memories of the special times they spent together.

A sensitively written poetic story complemented perfectly by the delicate yet colourful illustrations which create ‘a kaleidoscope of memories.’ This is a book which addresses the difficult issue of loss gently and with understanding. It may encourage all children, including those who have lost a loved one, to collect and express treasured memories in words and pictures.

See our activity page forLuna Loves Library Day another wonderful picture book by the same author.

Buy here

If I had a Dinosaur
Alex Barrow, illus. Gabby Dawnay
Thames and Hudson
Age 0-3

This is a story about a little girl who wants a pet as big as a house! Clearly a dinosaur would be perfect. The story explores what she would do if she had a pet dinosaur, where she would take it and how her friends would react when they see it.  She considers the amount of food it would eat and the inevitable big problem its bodily functions would create!

This is a story that invites participation, with a rhyming text, pictures sometimes used to complete phrases instead of words and the concept of having a pet dinosaur to discuss. The book design and illustrations are excellent with extra detail which adds to the story telling. This is a book which children will want to revisit again and again noticing more each time and imagining what they would do with a dinosaur as a pet.

Visit our activity page
Buy here

The Last Wolf
Mini Grey
Jonathan Cape
Age 5-7

In a clever twist on the well-known fairy story Little Red sets off to catch a wolf. Her mum isn’t too worried about this plan as wolves disappeared long ago. Little Red finds hunting quite difficult but eventually meets a wolf and also a bear and a lynx. They are friendly but rather hungry with only acorns to eat because their habitat is disappearing. Little Red is determined to help them and decides more trees are what they need.

There is lots to talk about in this ecological story, both about the impact of the loss of woodland habitats on wildlife and in the detailed, often amusing and sometimes quite moving illustrations.

Visit our activity page

Buy here

You’re snug with me
Chitra Soundar, illus. Poonam Mistry
Lantana
Age 3-5

In her den in a snow drift Mama Bear gives birth to two tiny cubs. Curious about their surroundings and a little nervous the two bears ask their mother questions about the wider world. She tells them about the landscape, the ice, sea and its creatures and what will happen when they leave their cosy den.

This story reads like a lullaby with the reassuring refrain ‘You’re snug with me.’ However it also has an important message, introducing the wildlife of the polar lands and suggesting their interdependency. It highlights our responsibility to look after our precious world only taking what we need, a message reiterated in the author’s letter to the reader at the end of the book.

The illustrations are stunning. Intricately woven in silver, grey and gold they dazzle the reader revealing the beauty of the Polar Regions and its wildlife. This is a book to return to and study closely spotting for example the two cubs curled inside their mother waiting to be born, and the diversity of life under the ocean.

Another successful collaboration from the creators of You’re Safe with Me.

Buy here

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NEW Complete list of books and activity pages

  • shark
  • bus2
  • alien5
  • dinosaur1

Here’s a complete list of all our book activity pages – click on the link and it will take you to the activity page

   

Aaaarrgghh Spider Lydia Monks  V

The Acorn Edward Gibbs                                                                                                                                  

Alfie Gets in first Shirley Hughes  V      

Almost Anything  Sophy Henn                

The Animal Boogie Debbie Harter  V        

The Astounding Broccoli Boy Frank Cottrell Boyce, illus. Steve Lenton  AB 

Avocado Baby John Burningham       

The Bad Bunnies Magic Show Mini Grey

Bear Shaped Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden   V

Beatle Boy  MG Leonard  V  AB             

Beegu  Alexis Deacon             

Betty goes Bananas  Steve Antony  V          

The BFG Roald Dahl                 

Billy and the Beast Nadia Shireen  V           

Billy’s Bucket  Kes Gray, llus Garry Parsons  V

Biscuit Bear Mini Grey  V                 

A Bit Lost Chris Haughton   V        

Black Cat White Cat Silvia Borando            

Blue Chameleon Emily Gravett             

Boot: Small Robot Big Adventure Shane Hegarty   AB         

The Boy who Climbed into the Moon David Almond             

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?   Bill Martin Jnr, illus Eric Carle

Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat Dragon Sarah Courtauld

Burglar Bill  Allan Ahlberg, illus  Janet Ahlberg  V

Charlotte’s Web EB White  AB                

The Chinese Emperor New Clothes  Ying Yang Competine, illus David Roberts  V

Chocolate cake Michael Rosen, illus Kevin Waldron  V

The Christmas Eve Tree Delia Huddy,  illus Emily Sutton  

Cinderella of the Nile Beverley Naidoo  V

Clean up!  Nathan Bryon, illus. Dapo Adeola

Clever Polly & the Stupid Wolf  Catherine Storr            

The Crocodile who didn’t like water Gemma Merino   V     

The Darkest Dark Chris Hadfield, illus The Fan Brothers  V

The Dawn Chorus Suzanne Barton

Dear Dinosaur Chae Strathie, Nicola O’Byrne

Dear Zoo Rod Campbell             

Dig dig digging Margaret Mayo, illus Alex Ayliffe  V

Diggersaurs Michael Whaite  V         

Dinosaur chase Benedict Blathwayt    

Dinosaur roar Paul Strickland, illus Henrietta Strickland

Dinosaurs and all that rubbish  Michael Foreman  V     

Do not enter the monster zoo Amy Sparkes, illus Sara Ogilvie

A Dog So Small Philippa Pearce   V        

Dogger Shirley Hughes           

Down by the station Jess Stockham

The Drum  Ken Wilson Max, illus Catell Ronca

Dylan’s amazing dinosaurs EJ Harper, illus Dan Taylor

Each Peach Pear Plum  Allan Ahlberg, illus Janet Ahlberg

The Elephants umbrella Laleh Jaffari,  illus Ali Khodai

Eliot Midnight Superhero Anne Cottringer, illus Alex T Smith

Elmer David McKee

Eloise Undercover Sarah Baker             

The Everywhere Bear Julia Donaldson, illus Rebecca Cobb

The Explorer  Katherine Rundell       

Everybody’s Welcome Patricia Hegarty, illus Greg Abbott

Farmer Duck Martin Waddell, illus Helen Oxenbury

Five little men in a flying saucer Dan Crisp                   

Five Minutes Peace Jill Murphy                 

Flora and Ulysses, the illuminated adventures Kate Camillo               

Fortunately the Milk Neil Gaiman, illus Chris Riddell

Gerald the lion Jessica Souhami          

The Ghost train Allan Ahlberg, illus Andre Amstutz

The Gigantic Turnip Alexsei Tolstoy, illus Naimh Sharkey

The Girl and the dinosaur Hollie Hughes, illus Sarah Massini

Goodbye Grandma Melanie Walsh           

Goodnight Spaceman Michelle Robinson, illus Nick East

Grace and Family  Mary Hoffman, illus Caroline Binch

Granpa John Burningham       

A Great Big Cuddle Michael Rosen, illus Chris Riddell

Grobblechops Elizabeth Laird, illlus Jenny Lucander

The Gruffalo  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Grumpy Frog  Ed Vere                      

The Hairy toe Daniel Postgate

Handas surprise Eileen Browne            

Harry and the bucket of dinosaurs Ian WhyBrow, illus Adrian Reynolds

Here come the aliens Colin McNaughton   

The Highwayman Alfred Noyes   

The Highway Rat  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Honey biscuits  Meredith Hooper, illus Alison Bartlett

Hooray for Fish Lucy Cousins

Hooray for Bread  Allan Ahlberg, illus  Brice Ingman

Hortense and the Shadows O’Hara Sisters             

How to hide a lion Helen Stephens          

I am Absolutely TOO Small for school Lauren Child               

I am Henry Finch Alexis Deacon             

I Love you Blue Kangaroo Emily Gravett             

I want to be in a scary story Sean Taylor                

I was made for you David Lucas                

If I had a dinosaur Gabby Dawnay, illus Alex Barrow

If you meet a dinosaur Paul Bright, illus Hannah George

In the dark dark wood Jessica Souhami          

The Iron Man Ted Hughes                

Jolly Christmas Postman Allan Ahlberg, illus Janet Ahlberg

The Journey Home Frann Preston Gannon

Julian is a mermaid Jessica Lowe

The Jumblies Edward Lear              

Katie & the dinosaurs James Mayhew           

The King who Banned the Dark Emily Haworth Booth

Kipper’s Birthday Mick Inkpen               

Knuffle Bunny Mo Willem                 

The Last Wolf Mini Grey  

The Lion Inside Rachel Bright   

Little Bad Man and the Killer Aunties Humza Arshad and Henry White,  Illus Aleksei Bitskoff

Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears Emily Gravett  

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion Alex T Smith   

LIttle Rabbit Foo Foo Michael Rosen, Arthur Robins (illus)               

Look Up! Nathan Bryon, illus Dapo Adeola

Lost and Found Oliver Jeffers              

Lullabyhullababboo Mick Inkpen               

Lulu gets a cat Anna McQuinn, illus Rosalind Beardshaw

The Lumberjack’s beard  Duncan Beedie           

Luna Loves library day Joseph Coelho, illus Fiona Lumbers

Lunchtime Rebecca Cobb  

Macavity T S Eliot           

Man on the Moon, a Day in the life of Bob  Simon Bartram           

Mango and Bambang, The Not-a-Pig  Polly Faber, illlus Clara Vulliamy

The Marvellous Moon Map Teresa Heapy, illus David Litchfield

Matisse’s Magical Trail Tim Hopgood, illus Sam Boughton

Max the Brave Ed Vere                      

Meet the Parents Peter Bently, illus Sara Ogilvie

Meg and Mog Helen Nicholl ,illus Jan Pienkwski

Mister Magnolia Quentin Blake            

Mog the Forgetful Cat Judith Kerr                 

Monkey and Me Emily Gravett             

Mr Bunny’s Chocolate Factory Elys Dolan                  

Mr Gumpy’s Outing John Burningham       

Mrs Noah’s pockets Jackie Morris, illus James Mayhew

My Brother is a Superhero David Solomons

My Dad Anthony Browne        

My Green Day Melanie Walsh           

My Sister is an alien Rachel Bright              

Naughty Bus Jan and Jerry Oke       

A New House for Mouse Petr Horacek              

The New Neighbours Sarah McIntyre           

The New Small Person Lauren Child               

The Night Pirates Peter Harris, illus Deborah Allwright

Nimesh the Adventurer Ranjit Singh, illus Mehrdokht Amini

No Dinner Jessica Souhami          

Not Now Bernard David McKee              

The Odd Egg Emily Gravett             

Oh No George! Chris Haughton           

Oi! Get off our train John Burningham       

Oliver’s Vegetables Vivian French, illus  Alison Bartlett

On Sudden Hill Linda Sarah, illus Benji Davies

On the Moon Anna Milbourne, illus Benji Davies

Once upon a star  James Carter, illus Mar Hernandez

One dog and his boy Eva Ibbotson              

Orange Pear Apple Bear  Emily Gravett             

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat Chris Riddell               

The Outlaw Varjak Paw SF Said                       

The Owl and the Pussycat Edward Lear               

Pandora  Victoria Turnbull         

The Paper Dolls  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Pattan’s pumpkin  Chitra Soundar, illus Frane Lessac

Peace at Last  Jill Murphy                 

Peck Peck Peck Lucy Cousins 

Phoenix S F Said              

Please Mr Magic Fish Jessica Souhami          

Please Mr Panda Steve Antony              

Pom Pom is Super Sophy Henn                

Pugs of the Frozen North  Philip Reeve, illus Sarah McIntyre

Pumpkin Soup Helen Cooper             

Q Pootle 5 Nick Butterworth        

Quill Soup Alan Durant                

Rama & the Demon King Jessica Souhami          

Red Car Red Bus  Susan Stegall              

Robin’s Winter Song  Suzanne Barton          

Rocketmole  Matt Carr                   

Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson, Illus Axel Scheffler

Rosie’s Walk Pat Hutchins               

The Secret Sky Garden Linda Sarah  

Secret of the Tattered Shoes, Jackie Morris, illus. Ehsan Abdollahi

Shark in the park Nick Sharrat               

Shh we have a plan Chris Haughton           

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam Tracey Corderoy, illus Steven Lenton

Silly Suzy Goose Petr Horacek              

The Snail and the Whale  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Snow  Sam Usher                 

The Snowbear Sean Taylor                

So Much Trisha Cooke, illus Helen Oxenbury

The Something Rebecca Cobb             

Sophie and the new Baby Catherine & Laurence Anholt

Space Dog Mini Grey                   

Space Tortoise  Ross Montgomery, illlus David Litchfield

Stanley’s Stick  John Hegley, illus Neal Layton

Steven Seagull Action Hero Elys Dolan                  

Stomp Chomp Big Roars! Here come the Dinosaurs Margaret Mayo, illus Alex Ayliffe

Stomp Dinosaur Stomp Kate Umansky, illus Nick Sharratt

The Storm Whale Benji Davies               

A Story about Afiya James Berry, illus Anna Cunha                                                                                                                                                               

Sunk! Rob Biddulph             

Superbat Matt Carr                   

Tad Benji Davies               

The Tale of Angelino Brown David Almond             

10 things I can do to help my world Melanie Walsh 

Tilly and the Time Machine Ade Edmondson, illustrated by Danny Noble    

That rabbit belongs to Emily Brown Cressida Cowell          

There’s a rang tan in my bedroom  James Sellick, illus Frann Preston-Gannon

This is Our House Michael Rosen, illus Bob Graham

Tidy Emily Gravett             

Tiger Walk Dianne Hofmeyr, illus Jesse Hodgson

The Tiger who came to Tea Judith Kerr                 

The Tin Forest  Helen Ward, illus Wayne Anderson

Titch  Pat Hutchins     

Tomorrow Nadine Kaadan          

Tom’s Sausage Lion Michael Morpurgo      

Toys in space  Mini Grey                   

Traction man  is here!  Mini Grey                   

Train  Judi Abott                  

The Train Ride June Crebbin, illus Stephen Lambert

Tyrranosaurus Drip Julia Donaldson          

Uncle Gobb and the Dread shed Michael Rosen, illus Neal Layton

Varjak Paw  SF Said                       

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle                    

The Way Back Home Oliver Jeffers   

The Weed Quentin Blake           

We’re going on a Bearhunt Michael Rosen, illus Helen Oxenbury

What the Ladybird Heard Julia Donaldson, illus Lydia Monks

Whatever Next Jill Murphy                 

The Wheels on the Bus Annie Kubler

Where my feet go Birgitta Sif                  

Where the Wild Things Are  Maurice Sendak          

Where’s my Teddy? Jez Alborough             

Where’s Spot? Eric Hill                      

Window Jeannie Baker             

The Wooden camel Wanuri Kahiu, illus Manuela Adreani

You’re safe with me Chitra Soundar           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NEW Complete list of books and activity pages

Here’s a complete list of all our book activity pages – click on the link and it will take you to the activity page

V = Video
AB = Activity Book

A

Aaaarrgghh Spider Lydia Monks  V

The Acorn Edward Gibbs       

Albert Talbot Master of Disguise Ben Manley, illus. Aurélie Guillerey   V

Alfie Gets in first Shirley Hughes  V      

Almost Anything  Sophy Henn                

The Animal Boogie Debbie Harter  V        

The Astounding Broccoli Boy Frank Cottrell Boyce, illus. Steve Lenton   AB 

Avocado Baby John Burningham  

B


The Bad Bunnies Magic Show Mini Grey

Banana! Ed Vere  V 

Bear and Bird Jarvis V

The Bear and the Piano David Litchfield  V

Bear Shaped Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden   V

Beetle Boy  MG Leonard  V  AB             

Be Brave Little Penguin Giles Andrae, illus. Guy Parker Rees

Beegu  Alexis Deacon             

Betty goes Bananas  Steve Antony  V   

Big Green Crocodile  Jane Newberry, illus. Carolina Rabei  V

A Big Mooncake for Little Star Grace Lin V

The BFG Roald Dahl    AB               

Billy and the Beast Nadia Shireen  V           

Billy’s Bucket  Kes Gray, llus Garry Parsons  V

Biscuit Bear Mini Grey  V                 

A Bit Lost Chris Haughton   V        

Black Cat White Cat Silvia Borando            

Blue Chameleon Emily Gravett    

Bog Baby   Jeanne Willis, ill. Gwen Millward

Boot: Small Robot Big Adventure Shane Hegarty   AB       

Boundless Sky Amanda Addison, illus. Manuela Adreani

The Boy at the Back of the Class Onjali Rauf, illus. Pippa Curnick   AB

The Boy who Climbed into the Moon David Almond    AB

The Boy who Sailed the World Julia Green, illus. Alex Latimer

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?   Bill Martin Jnr, illus Eric Carle

Buckle and Squash and the Monstrous Moat Dragon Sarah Courtauld

Burglar Bill  Allan Ahlberg, illus  Janet Ahlberg  V

C

Car, Car, Truck, Jeep  Katrina Charman, illus. Nick Sharratt  V

Can I Sit in the Middle Susanne Strasser V

Charlotte’s Web EB White  V    AB                

The Chinese Emperor New Clothes  Ying Yang Competine, illus David Roberts  V   AB

Chocolate cake Michael Rosen, illus Kevin Waldron  V

The Christmas Eve Tree Delia Huddy,  illus Emily Sutton  

Cinderella of the Nile Beverley Naidoo  V   AB

Clean up!  Nathan Bryon, illus. Dapo Adeola

Clever Polly & the Stupid Wolf  Catherine Storr   

The Comet Joe Todd Stanton

The Cooking Club Detectives  Ewa Jozefkowicz

Coyote’s Soundbite – a poem for our planet  John Agard, illus. Piet Grobler    AB

The Crocodile who didn’t like water Gemma Merino   V     

D

The Darkest Dark Chris Hadfield, illus The Fan Brothers  V

The Dawn Chorus Suzanne Barton

Dear Dinosaur Chae Strathie, Nicola O’Byrne

Dear Zoo Rod Campbell             

Dig dig digging Margaret Mayo, illus Alex Ayliffe  V

Diggersaurs Michael Whaite  V         

Dinosaur chase Benedict Blathwayt    

Dinosaur roar Paul Strickland, illus Henrietta Strickland

Dinosaurs and all that rubbish  Michael Foreman  V     

Do not enter the monster zoo Amy Sparkes, illus Sara Ogilvie

Don’t worry little crab  Chris Haughton

A Dog So Small Philippa Pearce   V        

Dogger Shirley Hughes  V   

A Dollop of Ghee and a Drop of Wisdom   Chitra Soundar, illus. Uma Krishnaswamy V

Down by the station Jess Stockham

The Dragon in the Library, Louie Stowell

Dragon Mountain  Katie and Kevin Tsang  V   AB

The Drum  Ken Wilson Max, illus Catell Ronca   V

Dylan’s amazing dinosaurs EJ Harper, illus Dan Taylor

E

Each Peach Pear Plum  Allan Ahlberg, illus Janet Ahlberg   V

The Elephants umbrella Laleh Jaffari,  illus Ali Khodai    V

Eliot Midnight Superhero Anne Cottringer, illus Alex T Smith

Elmer David McKee  V

Eloise Undercover Sarah Baker    AB        

The Everywhere Bear Julia Donaldson, illus Rebecca Cobb

The Explorer  Katherine Rundell   AB   

The Extraordinary Gardener Sam Boughton   V  

Everybody’s Welcome Patricia Hegarty, illus Greg Abbott

F

Fair Shares Pippa Goodhart, illus Anna Doherty

Farmer Duck Martin Waddell, illus Helen Oxenbury

The Fastest Tortoise in Town Howard Calvert, ill. Karen Obuhanych

Fire Fox  Alexandra Page, illus. Stef Murphy   V

The Firework Maker’s Daughter  Philip Pullman   AB

Five little men in a flying saucer Dan Crisp    V               

Five Minutes Peace Jill Murphy                 

Flora and Ulysses, the illuminated adventures Kate Camillo     V   AB

Flooded Mariajo Ilustrajo V

The Forgettery Rachel Ip, ill. Laura Hughes   

Fortunately the Milk Neil Gaiman, illus Chris Riddell

Frindleswylde, Natalia and Lauren O’Hara

Gaspard the Fox  Zeb Soanes, illus. James Mayhew

G

Gerald the lion Jessica Souhami          

The Ghost train Allan Ahlberg, illus Andre Amstutz   V

Gigantic Rob Biddulph V

The Gigantic Turnip Alexsei Tolstoy, illus Naimh Sharkey  V

Giraffes Can’t Dance  Giles Andreae, Guy Parker Rees    V 

The Girl and the dinosaur Hollie Hughes, illus Sarah Massini  

Gloria’s Porridge  Elizabeth Laird, illus. Toby Newsome

The Glassmaker’s Daughter Diane Hofmeyr, Illus Jane Reay  V

Goodbye Grandma Melanie Walsh           

Goodnight Spaceman Michelle Robinson, illus Nick East   V

Grace and Family  Mary Hoffman, illus Caroline Binch   V

Granpa John Burningham   V    

A Great Big Cuddle Michael Rosen, illus Chris Riddell   V

Grobblechops Elizabeth Laird, illlus Jenny Lucander   V

The Gruffalo  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Grumpy Frog  Ed Vere    V       

H

   

The Hairy toe Daniel Postgate   V

Handas surprise Eileen Browne  V         

Hairy MacLary from Donaldson’s Dairy, Lynley Dodd  V

Harry and the bucket of dinosaurs Ian WhyBrow, illus Adrian Reynolds

Have you seen Elephant David Barrow V

Here come the aliens Colin McNaughton   

The Highwayman Alfred Noyes   V   AB

The Highway Rat  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler   V

Honey biscuits  Meredith Hooper, illus Alison Bartlett

Hooray for Fish Lucy Cousins   V

Hooray for Bread  Allan Ahlberg, illus  Brice Ingman

Hortense and the Shadows O’Hara Sisters             

How to hide a lion Helen Stephens   V      

I

I am Absolutely TOO Small for school Lauren Child    V           

I am Henry Finch Alexis Deacon             

I Love you Blue Kangaroo Emily Gravett    V         

I want to be in a scary story Sean Taylor                

I was made for you David Lucas                

If I had a dinosaur Gabby Dawnay, illus Alex Barrow

If I Had a Sleepy Sloth Gabby Dawnay, illus Alex Barrow

If you meet a dinosaur Paul Bright, illus Hannah George

In the dark dark wood Jessica Souhami   

Iris and Isaac Catherine Rayner V

The Iron Man Ted Hughes    AB   

J

 The Jasmine Sneeze  Nadine Kaadan

Jolly Christmas Postman Allan Ahlberg, illus Janet Ahlberg   V

The Journey Home Frann Preston Gannon

Julian is a mermaid Jessica Lowe

The Jumblies Edward Lear  V    AB 

          

K

Katie & the dinosaurs James Mayhew           

The King who Banned the Dark Emily Haworth Booth

The King With Dirty Feet  Sally Pomme Clayton, illus. Rhiannon Sanderson

Kipper’s Birthday Mick Inkpen    V             

Knuffle Bunny Mo Willem    V     

L

The Last Wolf Mini Grey  

Last: The Story of the White Rhino Nicola Davies   V

Leon the Extraordinary Jamar Nicholas V

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch Ronda and David Armitage V

Lima’s Red Hot Chilli David Mills, ill. Derek Brazell V

The Lion Inside Rachel Bright   

Little Bad Man and the Killer Aunties Humza Arshad and Henry White,  Illus Aleksei Bitskoff   V   AB

Little Monkey  Marta Altés  V 

Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears Emily Gravett  

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion Alex T Smith   

LIttle Rabbit Foo Foo Michael Rosen, Arthur Robins (illus) 

The Littlest Yak Lu Fraser, ill. Kate Hindley     V

Look Up! Nathan Bryon, illus Dapo Adeola

Lost and Found Oliver Jeffers              

Lullabyhullababboo Mick Inkpen               

Lulu gets a cat Anna McQuinn, illus Rosalind Beardshaw

The Lumberjack’s beard  Duncan Beedie           

Luna Loves library day Joseph Coelho, illus Fiona Lumbers

Lunchtime Rebecca Cobb  

M

Macavity T S Eliot    V   AB       

Man on the Moon, a Day in the life of Bob  Simon Bartram           

Mango and Bambang, The Not-a-Pig  Polly Faber, illlus Clara Vulliamy

The Marvellous Moon Map Teresa Heapy, illus David Litchfield

Matisse’s Magical Trail Tim Hopgood, illus Sam Boughton

Max the Brave Ed Vere

Maybe… Chris Haughton V

Meg and Mog Helen Nicholl ,illus Jan Pienkwski

Miró’s Magic Animals Antony Penrose V

Mister Magnolia Quentin Blake            

Meet the Parents Peter Bently, illus Sara Ogilvie

Mog the Forgetful Cat Judith Kerr                 

Monkey and Me Emily Gravett             

Mr Bunny’s Chocolate Factory Elys Dolan                  

Mr Gumpy’s Outing John Burningham       

Mrs Noah’s pockets Jackie Morris, illus James Mayhew

My Brother is a Superhero David Solomons   AB

My Dad Anthony Browne        

My Green Day Melanie Walsh   

My Must-Have Mum   Maudie Smith, illus. Jen Khatun

My Sister is an alien Rachel Bright    

          

N

Naughty Bus Jan and Jerry Oke       

A New House for Mouse Petr Horacek              

The New Neighbours Sarah McIntyre           

The New Small Person Lauren Child               

The Night Pirates Peter Harris, illus Deborah Allwright

Nimesh the Adventurer Ranjit Singh, illus Mehrdokht Amini

No Dinner Jessica Souhami          

Not Now Bernard David McKee     

         

O

The Odd Egg Emily Gravett             

Oh No George! Chris Haughton           

Oi! Get off our train John Burningham       

Oliver’s Vegetables Vivian French, illus  Alison Bartlett

On Sudden Hill Linda Sarah, illus Benji Davies

On the Moon Anna Milbourne, illus Benji Davies

Once upon a star  James Carter, illus Mar Hernandez

One dog and his boy Eva Ibbotson      AB        

Orange Pear Apple Bear  Emily Gravett             

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat Chris Riddell               

The Outlaw Varjak Paw SF Said      V    AB               

The Owl and the Pussycat Edward Lear  

P

             

Pandora  Victoria Turnbull         

The Paper Dolls  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Pattan’s pumpkin  Chitra Soundar, illus Frane Lessac

Peace at Last  Jill Murphy                 

Peck Peck Peck Lucy Cousins 

Phoenix S F Said    V     AB

Pirate Stew   Neil Gaiman, illus. Chris Riddell   V

Please Mr Magic Fish Jessica Souhami          

Please Mr Panda Steve Antony              

Pom Pom is Super Sophy Henn   
  
The Princess and the Greedy Pea , Leigh Hodgkinson 

Pugs of the Frozen North  Philip Reeve, illus Sarah McIntyre

Puppet David Almond, illus Lizzie Stewart AB

Pumpkin Soup Helen Cooper             

Q


Quiet Tom Percival, ill. Richard Jones V

Quill Soup Alan Durant   

Q Pootle 5 Nick Butterworth       

             

R

Rama & the Demon King Jessica Souhami          

Red Car Red Bus  Susan Stegall 

Rigatoni the Pasta Cat  Michael Rosen, Illus. Tony Ross

Robin’s Winter Song  Suzanne Barton          

Rocketmole  Matt Carr                   

Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson, Illus Axel Scheffler

Rosie’s Walk Pat Hutchins  

S

   

The Secret Sky Garden Linda Sarah  

Saving Winslow Sharon Creech  AB

Secret of the Tattered Shoes Jackie Morris, illus. Ehsan Abdollahi    V    AB

Shark in the park Nick Sharrat  

Shhh!   Sally Grindley, illus. Peter Upton

Shh we have a plan Chris Haughton           

Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam Tracey Corderoy, illus Steven Lenton

The Skull Jon Klassen V

Silly Suzy Goose Petr Horacek              

The Snail and the Whale  Julia Donaldson, illus Axel Scheffler

Snow  Sam Usher                 

The Snowbear Sean Taylor 

The Snowflake Benji Davies     

So Much Trisha Cooke, illus Helen Oxenbury

The Something Rebecca Cobb

Sona Sharma, Looking After Planet Earth  Chitra Soundar, illus Jen Khatun    AB      

Sophie and the new Baby Catherine & Laurence Anholt

Space Dog Mini Grey                   

Space Tortoise  Ross Montgomery, illlus David Litchfield

Stanley’s Stick  John Hegley, illus Neal Layton

Steven Seagull Action Hero Elys Dolan                  

Stomp Chomp Big Roars! Here come the Dinosaurs Margaret Mayo, illus Alex Ayliffe

Stomp Dinosaur Stomp Kate Umansky, illus Nick Sharratt

Stop the Clock  Pippa Goodhart, illus. Maria Christiana V

The Storm Whale Benji Davies               

A Story about Afiya James Berry, illus Anna Cunha                                                                                                               

Sunk! Rob Biddulph             

Superbat Matt Carr    

SuperJoe does not do cuddles Michael Catchpool, illus. Emma Proctor

Super Milly and the Super School Day  Stephanie Clarkson, illus. Gwen Millward    V 

T

Tad Benji Davies               

The Tale of Angelino Brown David Almond       AB     

10 things I can do to help my world Melanie Walsh 

Ten Delicious Teachers   Ross Montgomery, illus. Sarah Warburton V

The Three Happy Lions  Louise Fatio, illus. Roger Duvoisin

Tilly and the Time Machine Ade Edmondson, illustrated by Danny Noble    

That rabbit belongs to Emily Brown Cressida Cowell          

There’s a rang tan in my bedroom  James Sellick, illus Frann Preston-Gannon

There’s a tiger in the garden Lizzy Stewart V

This is Our House Michael Rosen, illus Bob Graham

The Thunk Michelle Robinson, illus. Deborah Allwright

Tidy Emily Gravett             

Tiger Walk Dianne Hofmeyr, illus Jesse Hodgson

The Tiger who came to Tea Judith Kerr                 

The Tin Forest  Helen Ward, illus Wayne Anderson

Titch  Pat Hutchins     

Tomorrow Nadine Kaadan          

Tom’s Sausage Lion Michael Morpurgo      AB

Toys in space  Mini Grey                   

Traction man  is here!  Mini Grey                   

Train  Judi Abott                  

The Train Ride June Crebbin, illus Stephen Lambert

Tyger SF Said, iIllus Dave McKean V AB

Tyrranosaurus Drip Julia Donaldson   

 

U

Uncle Gobb and the Dread shed Michael Rosen, illus Neal Layton

V

Valentine’s Guest House Sam Sharland V

Varjak Paw  SF Said      AB               

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle   

           

W

The Way Back Home Oliver Jeffers   

The Weed Quentin Blake           

We’re going on a Bearhunt Michael Rosen, illus Helen Oxenbury

We’re Going to Find the Monster Malorie Blackman, illus. Dapo Adeola   V

What the Ladybird Heard Julia Donaldson, illus Lydia Monks

Whatever Next Jill Murphy                 

The Wheels on the Bus Annie Kubler

Where my feet go Birgitta Sif                  

Where the Wild Things Are  Maurice Sendak          

Where’s my Teddy? Jez Alborough             

Where’s Spot? Eric Hill                      

Window Jeannie Baker    

When the Sky Falls Phil Earle V AB

The Wolf Wilder  Katherine Rundell     V    AB

The Wooden camel Wanuri Kahiu, illus Manuela Adreani

Y

You’re snug with  me Chitra Soundar

Z

The Zebra’s Great Escape Katherine Rundell, ill. Sara Ogilvie V AB

Zombierella Fairy Tales Gone Bad Joseph Coelho, illus. Freya Hartas  V   AB                                                     

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Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs

harry and the bucketfulIan Whybrow, Adrian Reynolds (illus)
Scholastic
Age 3-7

When Harry helps his Nan tidy her loft he finds a box full of dusty old dinosaurs. After a wash and a few repairs the dinosaurs become Harry’s special friends and travel everywhere with him, until one day he loses them. Will he find them again? This appealing story (with a happy ending!) is ideal for young dinosaur fanatics. The Harry and the Dinosaurs books have their own website and have inspired a TV series as well.

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Share the story

Read alouddinosaur1
Before you start reading the story look at the title page together and say the names of the dinosaurs (including Harry-o-saurus). What would your child be called if he or she were a dinosaur? For example ‘Jake-o-saurus’ or ‘Ellie-o-Saurus’. You could make up dinosaur names for the whole family!

Read the story aloud allowing time to talk about the pictures and what children think will happen next.

Join in
When you re-read the story encourage your to join in, for example with the places Harry takes his dinosaurs and perhaps their names as well. If your child has toy dinosaurs they might like to listen to the story too.

Talk about the book
Children will be able to relate to Harry’s feelings at different points in the story. You could talk about how Harry feels when he finds the dinosaurs and why he gets so cross with his sister after he loses them. Look at the pictures of the dinosaurs on the end papers together, talk about them, name and count them.

Watch the story

From Give us a Story

 Things to make and do

Play the story If you have some toy dinosaurs at home children can wash them and check whether they need mending just like Harry. Having a bath with the dinosaurs might be fun. Children may like to take them on an outing or to bed. If you don’t have toy dinosaurs you could use other toys instead.

Go to the library What would your child like to find out about dinosaurs? Have a trip to the library like Harry and try to find out something new eg which dinosaur was the biggest or what they ate. Alternatively you could use websites to find out information such as the ones below.

Make your own story Make your own dinosaur adventure. Encourage your child to arrange their dinosaurs (or other toy animals) in different places eg bath, garden, park and take photos of your child with them. You could print the photos so that children can stick them in a scrap book or you might like to make a digital Photostory of them. Children could compose captions for their photos, if they are beginning to write they could have a go at writing the captions themselves, or you could write for them.

Draw a picture Draw a picture of Harry and his dinosaurs, perhaps in the park or the garden. Click here for a template.

Find out more

See Andy’s dinosaur adventures on CBeebies here

More dinosaur websites here, here and here.

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The Paper Dolls

paper_dollsJulia Donaldson, Rebecca Cobb (illustrator)
Macmillan
Age 5-7

A little girl makes some paper dolls with her mother’s help. She names and plays with them constantly, having all sorts of adventures including escaping danger from a dinosaur, tiger and crocodile. Holding hands, the paper dolls escape all of these dangers until they meet the ultimate threat – a pair of scissors! Cut to pieces, the only place the dolls can fly is into the little girl’s memory along with many other very special things. And then, years later, she is able to teach her own daughter to make paper dolls too.

A lovely story with beautiful illustrations about imagination, memory, and links between generations which will give you lots to talk about and do.

Watch a trailer which animates the beginning of the story


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Share the story

Read aloud
Read the book aloud pausing when your child would like to talk about what is happening in the story or pictures. Pause when the boy cuts up the dolls. What would children like to happen next?

Join in
When children become familiar with the story they could join in as you re read it with the paper dolls’ song and the words of the dinosaur, tiger and crocodile eg ‘I’m coming to crunch you!’

Talk about the story
Talk about the different dolls and the names for them, what might each of them be like?

Can you spot the butterfly slide on every page?

Talk about the boy cutting the dolls up. Why might another child (boy or girl) do something like that?

Talk about how the little girl might have felt at different points in the story

Share memories; what special things (toys, places, or people) do children remember or which nice things would they like to remember when they grow up? Talk about your own childhood memories. Did an adult teach you to make something special?

Watch the story
The author, Julia Donaldson reads the story and talks about it here.

 

Things to make and do

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Samantha tells us about sharing the book and our activity ideas with her daughters.

‘Both my girls (aged 6 and 8) really enjoyed The Paper Dolls. It is a tender, partly rhyming and comfortingly repetitive tale that is easy for children to remember and recite back - it was a real winner with my two.

My eldest daughter enjoyed reading it out to us herself and using the repeat of the dolls’ names in a rhythmic way which sounded nice. The book is not without its emotional challenges, and my youngest in particular was a bit upset when the paper dolls were destroyed. Although the dolls’ destruction was a shock, it does teach young children about loss, how ultimately nothing lasts forever and how all things change which is a valuable life lesson to take away. Her favourite part was the scene in the girl’s imagination where the dolls live again and as she rather poignantly said; “the granny is keeping them safe.” 

In response to the demise of the dolls, both my girls made their own paper dolls, the eldest from a book where they could be cut out and designed, and my 6-year-old made her own jellyfish versions! (She has a particular interest in jellyfish, the reasons for this are known only to herself!)’

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Make paper dolls
Help your child make a chain of paper dolls. You could follow the instructions on the video link or webpage or use the pictures in the book to guide you so that some dolls are wearing trousers and some dresses. Your child could then decorate and name them, making sure each one is special and different.

Make your own story
Children could make up a story with their own paper dolls – perhaps their dolls will be in danger from a scary animal attack. You could play the story together using a toy or improvised glove puppet (oven glove perhaps?!) for the imminent danger to the dolls.

Make a story book
You could help your child write their paper doll adventure story in a zig zag book and then they can illustrate it.

Make a memory box
Using a shoe box children can put in a few special things, objects, photographs and drawings. They could decorate the box to make it look special with wrapping paper and label it ‘my memory box’. Encourage your child to tell another member of the family about their memory box and what is inside. This would be an opportunity for older family members to share memories with your child too.

Find out more

Find out about the record breaking longest chain of paper dolls made in 2013 here

Maybe you could make a really long chain of paper dolls too! Maybe some friends could help.

Read more books by author Julia Donaldson here

Titles with activities on LoveMyBooks are:

The Gruffalo

Room on the Broom

The Snail and the Whale

Tyrannosaurus Drip

What the Ladybird Heard

 

Read more books by Rebecca Cobb here 

Lunchtime

The Something

Missing Mummy

Aunt Amelia

 

 

 

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Tyrannosaurus Drip

tyrannosaurus drip full coverJulia Donaldson, David Roberts (illus)
Macmillan Books   
Age 5-7

This is the story of a duckbilled dinosaur egg that lands in a Tyrannosaurus’ nest. Problems begin when the egg hatches and Drip, a vegetarian dinosaur  finds himself surrounded by a family of fierce carnivores. A story about not fitting in, Julia Donaldson’s use of rhyme and rhythm make it great for reading aloud and joining in.

 

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Share the story

Read aloud
Before beginning the story look at the cover together, opening it out to green dinosaur pairsee the whole dinosaur on the front and back cover. Talk about what might happen in the story.

Join in
As you re read the book encourage children to join in with the refrains such as ‘Up with rivers! Down with water!’ And ‘SPLASH!’

Talk about the story
Which pages did children like best? Choose your favourites and discuss them.

Talk about why Drip didn’t fit in and wanted to run away.

Tell the story
Using the pictures in the book or model dinosaurs children could tell the story in their own words.

Watch a video

Watch Julia Donaldson and her husband Malcolm singing a song about Tyrannosaurus Drip here 

Things to make and do

Play the story
Using green and red plasticine or playdough make some duckbilled and tyrannosaurus dinosaurs.

Place a blue cloth on the floor or a table to represent the river and arrange the model dinosaurs on each side. Children can act out parts of the story.

Make a nest of dinosaur eggs
Make a nest out of materials such as twigs, dried grass or screwed up newspaper.

Finely crack some hard boiled eggs, dip in food colouring and peel after a few hours to make mysteriously patterned eggs to put in your nest. See here for more detail: 

Write a menu for Drip
What kind of food would Drip like? Talk about what Drip wanted to eat in the story and other foods he might like. Children could make a menu especially for him.

Find out more

Read more books by Julia Donaldson, titles include:

* The Gruffalo

A Squash and a Squeeze

* Room on the Broom

* The Snail and the Whale

The Stick Man

* See more lovemybooks ideas

Find out more about dinosaurs here, here and here.

See here for more dinosaur themed activities.

 

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Monkey and Me

 

monkey and me
Emily Gravett
Macmillan
Age 0-3

This is a lovely story with appealing illustrations about a little girl and her toy monkey who go to see lots of interesting animals. The story includes a rhyme which is repeated as a chorus and there are lots of clues in the illustrations about what the little girl and her monkey will see next. See if you can spot them together!

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Share the story

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Before reading the story
Pause to talk about the drawings on the title pages – of the little girl putting her tights on.

Read aloud
Read the story aloud emphasising the rhythm as you do, pausing between each page and reading the animal names loudly.

Join in
As you read the story again, children can join in with the repeated phrase (monkey and me etc). Pause at the end of each page to see if your child can remember or guess the name of the animal on the next page.

Talk about the book
Talk about the clues in what the little girl is playing on the page before we see each animal.

Talk about anything else your child notices or is interested in, for example the baby kangaroo in the pouch, or the monkey that seems to have come home with them at the end of the book.

Count the animals on the double page spreads.

       Watch the author Emily Gravett reading the book aloud

Jemma tells us that sharing the story also inspired her children to find out more about animals and create their own zoo:
 
'We loved that the book was repetitive so that both Orla (aged 4) and Archie (aged 2) could remember parts of the book and repeat it back. The images brought the story to life, especially the bats flying everywhere! We read the book but then searched for the same animals in animal books we had, then we set up a pretend zoo and used leftover packaging from a parcel as straw to feed the animals.'

Things to make and do

Play the story
Together you can:
Waddle like penguins
Bounce up and down like kangaroos
Bend over and look under your legs upside down like bats
Pretend to be elephants with an arm swinging as if it is a trunk

Make up a rhyme
Play ‘Monkey and me, monkey and me, monkey and me we went to see …’ Use the ideas from the story to finish the rhymes and maybe add some more of your own such as crocodiles or lions. The rhyme could be about your child’s favourite toy instead of Monkey. What actions would you add for these?

Find out about animals
Look for photographs of the animals in the story on the internet or in library books or maybe even go to a zoo to see some real animals!

Take a toy on a trip
When you have an outing together your child could choose a favourite toy to go too – just like the little girl in the story. 

Draw a picture
Your child could fill a piece of paper with drawings of some of the animals the little girl saw.

Find out more

Read about more books by Emily Gravett here

Titles include:

* Orange Pear Apple Bear

* Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears

* Blue Chameleon

* The Odd Egg

Dogs

Meerkat Mail

The Rabbit Problem

Cave Baby

Visit a zoo 

See here for some of the best zoos in the UK.
Visit the Chester zookeepers’ FaceBook page –  includes live webcams

 

Buy the book

| admin |

Katie and the Dinosaurs

katie and the dinosaurs new coverJames Mayhew
Orchard Books
Age 5-7

Katie goes to visit the Natural History Museum with Grandma. Leaving Grandma and exploring on her own she finds a door which takes her to the land of the dinosaurs. There Katie befriends a Hadrosuarus and escapes attack from a scary Tyrannosuarus. This is an imaginative story with plenty to talk about in the story itself and in the detailed illustrations.


lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

 


Share the storygreen diinosaur flip

Read aloud
Read the first three pages and stop when Katie is imagining the dinosaurs alive. Suggest your child closes their eyes and imagines the dinosaurs are alive like Katie. What can they see?

Read on, pausing to talk about the story and pictures when your child wants to.

Join in
When you read the story again encourage your child to join in with parts of it, for example Katie’s conversations with Grandma and the Hadrosaurus and by ‘grunting’, ‘growling’ and ‘stamping’ like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Talk about the story
You could talk about what Katie could see in the land of the dinosaurs.

Should Katie have opened a door marked ABSOLUTELY NO ADMITTANCE?

Katie saw dinosaurs that were ‘spiky, fishy, flying, horned,’ You could look together for examples of each of these in the book.

Tell the story 
Using the illustrations as a guide your child could tell you the story of Katie and the dinosaurs.

Watch the story read aloud


Things to make and do

Play the story
When they are on the slide at the park or a water chute at the swimming pool children could imagine they are sliding down a brontosaurus’ tail.

Children could have a picnic with their toy dinosaurs like Katie did, with sandwiches, biscuits and fruit.

Draw a picture – give your child a large piece of paper to draw a big crayon picture of the land of the dinosaurs. Encourage them to tell you about their picture.

Write your own story
What happened when Katie took her Grandma through the magic door?
Write your own Katie and the dinosaurs story about what happens next.
Click here for a special story sheet.

How much do you know?
Try the quiz at the back of the book. Your child could have a go at making up their own dinosaur questions.

 

Find out more

Read more Katie stories by James Mayhew here

Titles include:

Katie’s Picture Show

Katie meets the Impressionists

Katie and the Sunflowers

Katie in London

Katie in Scotland

Visit a dinosaur museum

If you live near London you might be able to visit the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaur collection.

If you can’t get to a dinosaur museum then have a look at the Natural History Museum website; there’s lots to do and discover.

Find out here about the top ten places to see dinosaurs in the UK.

 

 

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