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Goodnight Spaceman

goodnight_spaceman Michelle Robinson, Nick East (illustrator)
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.

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Read aloud
Before you start reading the book aloud to your child look at the cover picture and title pages together and talk together about what this story might be about.  Then read the story aloud pausing when your child would like to talk about the pictures or story. Older children would be interested to hear the foreword too.

Join in
This is a rhyming story which makes it easy for joining in (once children are familiar with the story), you can pause so that children can complete the rhymes. You could also take turns with some of the double page spreads eg child ‘Goodnight shuttle, Goodnight base.’ Parent: ‘Goodnight deepest, darkest space’. The countdown to lift off would be fun for children to join in with as well.

Talk about the story
Look at the pictures of the boys’ bedroom and see how many space themed things you can spot together, there are lots!

Share favourite illustrations and what you like about them.

Did the children in the story really go into space? What does your child think?

What would be amazing about going into space?

Some of the words in the story eg ‘docking’ and ‘orbit’ may be puzzling. Talk together about what they mean. If you talk about the phrase ‘one small step, one giant leap’ you might like to look at our On the Moon  activity page with resources on the first moon landings.

Talk about what your child knows about space, the names of the planets for example. See links below for more information.

Watch the story read aloud.

 

 

Things to make and do 

Act out the story
Help you child dress up as a spaceman in a helmet (perhaps made from a small cardboard box or large paper bag) boots, large gloves and a back pack so that they can act out lift off and being in a space rocket. Perhaps you could be ‘mission control’ and start the count down!

Write a space diary
Print off the special sheet so that children can write a diary of their own imaginary adventures in space, which could be like the children in Goodnight Spaceman or something different!

Make a space picture
Children could use crayons or paint to make a big space picture, including rockets, planets and astronauts.

Make a junk model rocket
Stick cardboard or plastic tubes or containers together to make a rocket. Children could cover their model in glued paper and paint it.

Find out more

Find out how to draw a spaceman
Illustrator Nick East demonstrates here.

Make a poster about astronaut Tim Peake and the Principia mission on the International Space Station
Older children could do more research:

https://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/index.html

or The Solar System https://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMF8WVLWFE_OurUniverse_0.html

http://www.spacekids.co.uk/solarsystem/

or The first moon landings, see our resources for On the Moon by Anna Milbourne and Benji Davies


Read more bedtime books by Michelle Robinson and Nick East

Goodnight Tractor

Goodnight Digger

Read more books by author Michelle Robinson here 

Other books by Michelle Robinson include:

A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting with David Roberts

Chicken Nugget with Tom McLaughlin


Read more books by illustrator, Nick East
  here 

Titles include:

Who’s for Dinner? with Claire Freedman

Harry and the Monster with Sue Mongredien.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

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?

 

Our top 10 apps

There are an increasing number of apps with interactive stories based on children’s’ books available. These provide another way for you to share books with your children and lead to lots of opportunity to talk about the stories and activities together.

For more discussion and ideas about reading on screen see here.

Several of the apps listed here link with books included on the lovemybooks site.

me booksMe Books
Age 0-7

Me Books is a library of stories with an increasing number from new picture books as well as older books and traditional stories. The range includes books suitable for children from 0-7.

Listen to the stories read aloud, tap a character to hear what they say or create hotspots with your child and record their own voices helping to tell the stories. Look out for some lovemybooks stories including Aaaarrgghh Spider by Lydia Monks, The Gigantic Turnip and Not Now Bernard or discover new favourites for example Banana! by Ed Vere for 0-3s or Hugless Douglas by David Melling for 3-5s.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/me-books-books-comics-bedtime/id534499518?mt=8

hat monkeyHat Monkey [Fox and Sheep GmbH] created by Chris Haughton
Age 0-5

This is a stand-alone app which encourages children to interact with hat monkey in a series of scenes, an appealing character, sending him texts, feeding him bananas or dancing with him. Children will enjoy this interactive book much more if they know the story Oh No, George!  where the monkey is seen reading in one scene. See our ideas for sharing Oh No George! in the animals section. This will also lead you and your children to discover more Chris Haughton books including A Bit Lost, Shh! we have a plan.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hat-monkey/id904565251?mt=8

pigeonDon’t let the pigeon run this app! [Disney] designed by Mo Willems
Age 3-7

Children will love this app much more if they have met Mo Willems character Pigeon in the hilarious story ‘Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!’

In this interactive app using shake and play technology children can learn to draw a pigeon like Mo’s and create and record their own stories about the pigeon.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dont-let-pigeon-run-this-app!/id459749670?mt=8

heart and bottleThe Heart and the Bottle for ipad [Harper Collins] designed by Oliver Jeffers
Age 5-7

An interactive app version of Oliver Jeffers poignant story about a little girl whose life changes after her grandfather dies and how she gradually learns to cope with this. Children can listen to the story read aloud and follow the hints to bring the beautiful illustrations to life; creating a snow flurry or turning day into night.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/heart-bottle-for-ipad/id407795360?mt=8

nursery rhymesNursery Rhymes with StoryTime [ustwo Ltd and Atomic Antelope]
Age 0-5

A beautifully designed interactive app with a number of well-known rhymes. Listen to the rhymes read aloud or tell them your selves as you enjoy the images and touch the screen to make the three blind mice squeak or the Grand old duke of York’s men tumble down the hill.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/nursery-rhymes-storytime/id423322533?mt=8

three little pigsThe Three Little Pigs a 3D fairy tale [Nosy Crow]
Age 3-7

An award winning animated version of the well-known story narrated by children. Lots of surprises and touch points in every scene. Children can join in with the wolf blowing down the 3 little pigs’ houses and read or tell the story themselves.
http://nosycrow.com/apps/the-three-little-pigs

Goldilocks and Little Bear
Age 3-7

This prize winnning story app includes two versions of the familiar classic story Goldilocks and the Three Bears. While Goldilocks is in the bears’ cottage, eating porridge, sitting in their chairs, and sleeping in their beds, Little Bear is in Goldilocks’s house eating their pancakes,trying on their clothes and reading their books.

Children can learn to navigate, select scenes, scroll, tap, and swipe and shake to animate the characters. They will enjoy helping Goldilocks taste porridge, collect berries and jump on the beds and break baby bear’s chair.  

A highly enjoyable well designed and interactive story app.

http://nosycrow.com/apps/goldilocks-and-little-bear/

gruffaloGruffalo Games [Magic light Pictures Ltd based on The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler]
Age 3-7

Gruffalo Games is for children who know and love the story of the Gruffalo. See lovemybooks ideas on sharing The Gruffalo. The app contains 6 games interactive games based on characters and scenes in the story.
http://www.magiclightpictures.com/family_brands/
the_gruffalo/apps/gruffalo_games/

hungry caterpillarThe Very Hungry Caterpillar and friends  [Story Toys Entertainment Ltd with Eric Carle’s original artwork]
Age 3-5

This app will be more fun for children who are very familiar with The Very Hungry Caterpillar story. See lovemybooks ideas for sharing The Very Hungry Caterpillar with your child.

Using Eric Carle’s original artwork this app includes animation and a number of games and activities linked to his stories and characters.
http://storytoys.com/apps/the-very-hungry-caterpillar/

goodnightGoodnight, Goodnight Construction Site  [Oceanhouse Media book by Sherry Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld]
Age 3-5


Listen to the beautifully illustrated animation of Rinker and Lichtenheld’s rhyming picture book about construction vehicles at night time read aloud. Children can then record themselves telling the story.
https://itunes.apple.com/app/goodnight-goodnight-construction/id926597014?mt=8

 

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

The Bed Book Sylvia Plath and Cindy Wume V

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    

Blue Monster Peter Horacek V

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

The Emerald Forest Catherine Ward, illus Karen Littlewood 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

Farha loves mangoes, Sarthak Sinha

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

Halima Superhero Princess Emily Joof, illus. Asa Gilland 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 

Just like Grandpa Jazz Tarah.L.Gear, illus. Mirna Imamovic

          

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 

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

Noah’s Gold Frank Cottrell Boyce, illus Steven Lenton AB V

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 

Penguin Huddle Ross Montgomery and Sarah Warburton (illus) V

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

The Seamaiden’s Odyssey Berlie Doherty, illus Tamson Rosewell 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 Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams, illus William Nicholson V

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                                                     

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

   

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 SuperherDavid 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           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Thunk

 

Michelle Robinson, illus. Deborah Allwright
Bloomsbury
Age 3-7 years

Hector Voltaire is a determined young man. He has a theory that ‘The Thunk’, a legendary creature or possibly an extinct animal is in fact not only real but still exists.  Despite ridicule, he decides to prove that he is right. He packs for his journey and sets off. Despite very poor map reading skills he finds a thunk, complete with trunk, pink and blue fur and a horrible odour. In fact, he doesn’t find just one but 63, 402!

This is an amusing story with a memorable rhyme and delightful illustrations offering lots of scope for imaginative story play.

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Read aloud
Before you start reading the book with your child, talk about the cover image and title page together. What is happening in the images and what might happen in this story? Read the story aloud to your child pausing to talk about what is happening if your child wants to.

Join in
The rhyming text makes this a great book for joining in with. Once your child is familiar with the story you could leave gaps so your child can complete the rhymes, or take turns to read a line each.

Talk about the story
▪︎Talk about what you would each pack to take on an adventure like this.
▪︎Share favourite illustrations and talk about them together.
▪︎Talk about puzzles for example, unfamiliar words eg extinct, legend, mouldy, thrive, fragrance, ultimate.
▪︎Why does Hector change his mind about wanting to prove thunks exist? This may lead to broader discussions about whether or not animals should be kept in zoos.
▪︎Why does Hector decide to stay with the thunks?

Things to make and do

Play the story

Pack a bag as if you are Hector Voltaire ready to set off in search of thunks. What will you take? Perhaps a torch or binoculars and some snacks to keep you going.

You could extend the activity by encouraging your child to make a map first to help find your way. For even more fun a toy representing the thunk could be hidden somewhere for your child to find.

Make a Thunk
Use a cardboard tube, blue and pink wool or cotton wool painted blue and pink to make a thunk. You could add a trunk made from a strip of felt or card.

Design your own magical creature
Give your child paper and pens, pencils, crayons or paints to design their own magical creature – talk about this together first, what colour will it be? Will it have fur, scales, wings or horns? How many eyes ears will it have? What will it eat?…

Make a zig zag book of magical creatures

Have a look at the links in the find out more section below. Your child could make their own mini book of magical creatures including perhaps dragons, trolls and unicorns.

Find out more

Read another story by author Michelle Robinson. Titles include:
Goodnight Spaceman
How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth
Ten Fat Sausages
There’s a Lion in my Cornflakes.

Find out about more books illustrated by Deborah Allwright

Find out about other magical animals

Find out about extinct animals

Our top 10 funny picture books

Children love hearing funny books read aloud and returning to them again and again. Stories in which absurd things happen, stories which use funny words, stories in which adults and children’s roles are reversed, stories which reflect and exaggerate everyday situations, stories in which the illustrations add to the humour.

Here is our selection of funny picture books compiled with the help of our patron Marilyn Brocklehurst.

We hope you and your child enjoy them.

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Chocolate Cake
Michael Rosen, Kevin Waldron (illus)
Puffin Books
Age 5-9

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Michael Rosen’s poetry and his wonderful performances are very popular, and this poem, now in a picture book of its own is one of his most famous. It tells the story of a young Michael who loved his mum’s chocolate cake. One night he couldn’t resist the temptation of creeping downstairs to ‘look at’ the left over cake in the kitchen. No prizes for guessing what happens next

A poem which tells a funny story and evokes a whole raft of childhood feelings including overwhelming temptation and greediness, excitement, contentment, guilt, fear, worry and regret.  The illustrations add to the humour of the situation and emphasise the dread of discovery.

Visit our activity page

Watch Michael perform the poem

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Danny McGee Drinks the Sea
Andy Stanton, Neal Layton (illus)
Hodder Children’s Book

Danny McGee and his sister Frannie go to the seaside. Danny bets his sister he can drink the sea and he DOES – but that is just the beginning! He goes onto swallow all sorts of things from a tree to America land of the free. Will Danny ever stop swallowing things? He has even swallowed the book’s author Andy Stanton who finishes the book from inside Danny. Turns out the only thing that stops Danny is when his sister Frannie swallows him! The rhyming and rhythmic text skips along in this anarchic and absurd tale complemented perfectly by the exuberant illustrations which add to the humour.

 

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The Day the Crayons Quit
Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (illus)
Harper Collins
Age 5-7

One day Duncan goes to take out his crayons and finds a stack of letters of complaint. Each of these is from one of his crayons. Some crayons such as red, blue (Duncan’s favourite) and grey used to colour in big animals, complain of being overused, while pink feels underused, white can’t be seen and black is only used for outlines. Beige is having an identity crisis and purple wants Duncan to be tidier about his colouring. A witty set of letters with Jeffers excellent childlike drawings to complement each double page spread make this book great fun to read together and discuss. It prompts Duncan to be inventive in his use of colour to placate his disgruntled crayons and may inspire young readers to be creative with colour as well

 

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Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Mo Willems
Walker
Age 3-5

Pigeon dreams of driving a bus however we find at least one bus driver is clearly not keen, as speaking directly to the reader, he tells us not to let the pigeon drive the bus while he takes a break. When Pigeon arrives he uses every trick in the book to try to get the reader to let him drive the bus, boasting, pleading, bribing and eventually having a mega tantrum. This is all to no avail as the bus driver returns and the bus disappears. But hang on a minute here’s a truck maybe the pigeon could be …. a truck driver! The story evokes a young child’s frustration about not being able to do what they want to do brilliantly complemented by the illustrations which convey the pigeon’s feelings through his body language perfectly. Involving the reader throughout with both the bus driver and the pigeon speaking directly to us makes this book extra funny

Watch an animation

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! from Bernie VanTilburg on Vimeo.

There are more stories in the series including Don’t let the Pigeon stay up late and The Pigeon Needs a Bath see also Knuffle Bunny another funny story of toddler frustration from Mo Willems and also by the same picturebook creator There is a Bird on your Head

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Goodnight 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 who won’t give up in his quest for company.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 or acting out the story.


Watch a trailer

Watch the story read aloud

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I am Actually a Penguin                                                                                                          Sean Taylor, Kasia Matyjaszek (illus)
Templar Publishing
Age 3-7

This is a story about a little girl who loves dressing up. She is delighted to receive a penguin suit from her uncle and wants to wear it all the time. Not content with dressing as a penguin she decides she has actually BECOME a penguin, behaving like one as much as possible, from her method of getting downstairs (not recommended) to what she eats; though trying to catch fish fingers in her mouth proves a bit of a challenge. She is allowed to wear her penguin suit to her auntie’s wedding,  but when it comes to going to school her parents put their foot down, no penguin suit, anyway it needs washing, so she takes it off and decides to become…. an alligator instead!
A funny story about delight in dressing up and getting really engrossed in imaginative play.

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Oi Frog!
Kes Gray, Jim Field (illus)
Hodder Children’s Books
Age 3-7

Cat’s in charge and giving out orders with a very clear idea of where each animal should sit. Frogs sit on logs, cats sit on mats and hares sit on chairs. The rhyming pattern is clear and it’s fun to predict where other animals might have to sit, some comfortably like goats on coats and some precariously like moles on poles. But when frog finds out where dog sits he is not very happy! A funny tongue twister of a book with brilliantly funny illustrations. First in this popular and brilliantly funny series see also Oi Dog! (Where frog takes control of the rules) Oi Cat! and Oi Duck Billed Platypus!

Watch the story read aloud

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Read the Book Lemmings!
Ame Dykman, Zachariah Ohora (illus)
Andersen Press
Age 3-7

On board SS Cliff three lemmings overhear Foxy reading from his book about lemmings, when it gets to the part about jumping off cliffs the word ‘jump’ triggers an immediate response and they all jump off with a huge cry of ‘Geronimo!’ Foxy tries to tell them they’ve got that wrong – lemmings don’t jump off cliffs and get them to read the book – but every time they hear the word jump off they go again! The repetition of the same response from the three lemmings (named Jumper, Me Too and Ditto) by Foxy and the cry ‘Geronomio’ make this a really funny read aloud and great fun for children to join in with. Turns out the lemmings can’t read the book but when they do learn to read and also learn the errors of their ways they decide to take up flying instead! Hilarious.

Watch the story read aloud by its creators

See also the brilliant Wolfie the Bunny by the same team.

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Stuck
Oliver Jeffers
Harper Collins
Age 3-

Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree and in order to get it out he throws his shoe at it and you’ve guessed it, that gets stuck too. And so follows a seemingly endless array of sillier and sillier things being thrown into the tree from a ladder to a fire engine and even a whale in true old woman who swallowed a fly style. In the end a saw does the trick and the kite is returned to its owner. But has Floyd forgotten something? A brilliant metaphor for throwing everything including the kitchen sink at a problem>
This is a funny tale perfectly told and illustrated.

 

 


See Oliver Jeffers read it aloud here

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You’re Called What?!
Kes Gray, Nikki Dyson (illus)
Macmillan
Age5-7

It was a very busy day at the ministry for silly animal names with a long queue of animals desperate to change their names. And this is not surprising with names such as ‘Blue Footed Booby’ and ‘Tasselled Wobbegong’. When each animal reaches the counter they meet one of the staff, a team of world weary secretary birds, they are asked to state their name which causes riotous laughter from the animals waiting behind them. The biggest laugh goes to the ‘Aha ha’ wasp. Amazingly all these incredibly named animals actually exist and there is information about each of them at the back of the book. A hilarious story with brilliant illustrations of the disgruntled animals, great fun to read aloud.

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Our top 10+ books with girl power

The books in our list challenge traditional stereotypes and gender marketing, demonstrating that being a girl does not require you to dress or behave in a certain way and you can be the hero in the story too. They show strong female characters choosing what they want to play with, having adventures and standing up for themselves. Our list includes recently published books and well known stories. There are also real life stories here of significant women, some alive today such as the inspirational Malala and some who have made a difference throughout history as well.

We hope this collection will help inspire girls to aspire and that you will enjoy sharing them with your daughters, and with your sons too.


Ada Twist Scientist, Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (illus)
Abrams books for young readers
Age 5-7

Ada Marie doesn’t start talking until she is three, but when she does she is full of questions and curiosity about the world ‘Why are there pointy things stuck up a rose?’ ‘Why are there hairs up inside your nose?’ She causes havoc in her quest to find answers to these questions, both at home and at school. Her parents and teacher recognise she is showing the traits of a scientist with her questions, hypotheses and endless tests and try to help. But the question which is most perplexing Ada is a strange smell which seemed to follow her around. A mystery which young readers might like to speculate about! Could it be her brother’s smelly feet…!?

An amusing story and rhyming text which skips along and illustrations which add to the humour.

Watch a trailer


Watch the story read aloud
 From Nana Kate

See also Rosie Revere Engineer and Iggy Peck Architect



Amazing Grace
Mary Hoffman, Caroline Binch (illus)
Frances Lincoln books
Age 5-7

Grace absolutely loves stories and spends as much time as possible acting them out. When her teacher announces the class will be performing Peter Pan Grace in desperate to be given the leading role. Her classmates tell her the she can’t be Peter Pan because she is a girl and because she is black. Grace is understandably upset by this. Her ma and nana tell her she can be whatever she wants to be. Ma tells her Peter Pan is always a girl anyway and Nana takes her to see a ballet with a black lead ballerina. Inspired, Grace gives a brilliant audition and is chosen to play Peter Pan and is a huge success.

This is a beautifully illustrated and aspirational story about striving for your dreams.

As Grace’s Nana says ‘You can be anything you want Grace if you put your mind to it.’

Amazing Grace is one of a highly successful series about Grace by the same author/illustrator team. See our activity ideas for another in the series, Grace and Family here:



Fantastically Great Women who changed the World
Kate Pankhurst
Bloomsbury
Age 5+

This accessible picture book celebrates the achievements of great women throughout history. It includes women from a wide range of fields such as science, aviation, archaeology, activism, sport, literature, art and even espionage! The stories of some of these are well-known such as Anne Frank and Rosa Parks, but some such as Sacagawea, a Native American Indian will be less so. This book is attractively illustrated with a double page spread for each of its subjects. Emmeline Pankhurst, the leading British Suffragette with whom the author Kate Pankhurst has a distant family connection is included too.

The publisher Bloomsbury have a freely available activity book you can download here

See also: Fantastically Great Women who Changed History by the same author.


 

Goodnight stories for Rebel Girls
Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
Particular Books
Age 7+

Written in bedtime story style, with a hundred mini biographies of significant women throughout history and from across the globe, this is a fascinating book. We travel back in time to meet Cleopatra and back to the present to find out about Malala Yousafzai’s story and achievements. Significant women from the worlds of science, the arts, archaeology, espionage, exploration and athletics are included. Some names such as Florence Nightingale and Michelle Obama are well known but many are virtually unknown.

Carefully researched and published after a successful crowdfunding campaign this book developed after the writers’ concern about what they perceive as continued gender stereotyping in media, the writers aimed to challenge this.

The beautiful portraits alongside each biography by female artists make this a very attractive book. There is space at the back for young readers to write their own story or ambitions. A book to open all children’s eyes to the role of women in our world’s ongoing story and inspire young girls to follow their dream.

There is also a sequel for readers looking for more stories about inspirational women, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls 2.




I’m a Girl!
Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury
Age 3-5

The main character in this story loves speeding on her scooter, running really fast, playing the drums loudly and she is always making a mess. Everyone assumes she’s a boy because she behaves like this and wears shorts not dresses. She quickly puts them right though, declaring, ‘I’m a girl, I’m a girl, I’m a girl!

This is a book which challenges what girls and boys can do; girls can race about make a noise one minute and play with soft toys the next. And it’s ok for boys to wear skirts and play with dolls too. In fact this is a book which celebrates the message on the cover ‘Be yourself, there’s no one better,’ shouting it loud and clear.

Yasmin Ismail talks about the background to the story here 

Watch a trailer here

 



Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion
Alex T Smith
Scholastic
Age 3-7

In a delightful twist on the Red Riding Hood story, a very hungry lion is no match for Little Red. Set in a vibrant African landscape with gazelles and elephants, Little Red lives with her daddy and sets off to visit her auntie to take her medicine when she is ill. On her journey she travels over sleepy crocodiles and catches a lift on an elephant. Little Red meets a lion on the way who works out a clever plan to eat her. He has underestimated Little Red though, she isn’t fooled by his disguise when she meets him at her auntie’s house. With no messing at all she teaches the lion a thing or two causing him great embarrassment by giving him a new hairdo, dressing him up and telling him the error of his ways. The lion seems repentant and content with doughnuts instead of little girls to eat in future, though he hasn’t completely ruled out eating Little Red’s daddy…

This is a very funny story with an assertive heroine. The illustrations are fabulous and the double page picture of the lion with his hair braided hilarious.

 



Malala’s Magic Pencil
Malala Yousafzai, Keraskoët (illus)
Puffin Books
Age 7+

This sensitively illustrated picture book, which tells Malala’s own story, aims to explain it in simple terms and inspire others to find their own ‘magic’ just as Malala found her voice.

As a child Malala wished she had a magic pencil to change the world for the better, for example, she would draw schools for her father with it so children could study for free. Education really matters to Malala and when dangerous men stopped girls attending school she started writing about what was happening in her country and people around the world started listening to what she had to say. With just a hint at the attempt on her life Malala describes her continuing fight for education and equality:

‘One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.’

Malala introduces her book here


Paper Bag Princess
Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko (illus)
Annick Press
Age 5-7

First published in 1980, this classic feminist picturebook still entertains and has a strong message. Princess Elizabeth is all set to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon smashes her castle, burns it down and carries off her Prince. Undeterred, Elizabeth dresses in the only thing she can find, a paper bag and sets off to rescue him. With bravery and cunning, she outwits the dragon and rescues the prince. Instead of being grateful, the prince criticises her appearance and tells her to tidy herself up! At this the heroic princess decides he is not the one for her after all and the marriage is off

For another story about a Princess who definitely isn’t looking for a handsome prince see Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole.



Pearl Power and the Toy Problem
Mel Elliott
I Love Mel
Age 5-7

When Pearl’s new neighbour Jerome comes to visit he brings his toy dinosaur. He tells Pearl and her friend Sebastien that she can’t play with it because she’s a girl – dinosaurs are for boys, he learnt that from a TV Ad. Pearl decides to teach Jerome a lesson by ‘pinkifying’ his dinosaur, much to his dismay. Sebastien points out that dinosaurs are not only for boys and there’s nothing wrong with a pink one either. Not content with this, Pearl and Sebastien write to the woman in charge of the TV and ask her to block these ads. They are delighted to receive a reply which declared:

‘From now on the makers of toys will have to stop saying they are for girls or for boys.’

A direct challenge to toy manufacturers and the media and lots to discuss in this amusing rhyming story. This is one of a series about Pearl Power.
See a trailer for the first in the series here:



That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown
Cressida Cowell, Neal Layton (illus)
Hodder Children’s Books
Age 5-7

Emily Brown has a very special toy, an old grey rabbit called Stanley. Every day they have amazing adventures together; in outer space, under the sea, in the desert and deep in the rainforest. When Queen Gloriana’s chief footman knocks at the door offering to swap Stanley for a brand new teddy Emily says emphatically, ‘NO’. Undeterred the queen sends the army, the navy and the air force, each offering more and more gifts in exchange for Emily’s toy rabbit. Nothing persuades her to part with her favourite toy until the Queen’s special commandos steal Stanley from Emily’s bedroom. Emily is furious and goes immediately to the palace where she finds Queen Gloriana and Stanley in a sorry state. Emily takes charge, rescues Stanley and tells the queen exactly what to do so that she can have a special toy of her own.

A funny, clever story with a great main character. Emily’s assertive responses to her rather self-important series of visitors make this story fun to read aloud and share again and again. Brilliant illustrations add to the humour.

See our activity ideas here

 


This is not a fairy tale
Will Mabbitt, Fred Blunt (illus)
Puffin
Age 3-7

Why do princes have all the adventures while princesses have to wait to be rescued? Sophie, fed up with this, decides to change the story while dad reads to her.  Her story has a brave princess, a bald prince locked in a tower (obviously), a transforming combine harvester/robot (less obviously!) and a fire breathing dragon. The princess saves the day and dad gets so carried away with the brilliant adventure he forgets he is cooking sausages for tea which end up rather burnt.

An amusing story with equally amusing illustrations which might encourage some changes to traditional story play roles. The fun Sophie has creating her own story might encourage children to have a go too.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Our top 10 new books 2014-15

Many new 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.

bears dont read_thumbBears Don’t Read Emma Chichester Clark
Harper Collins (2014)
Age 5-7

George the bear has a very nice life but feels something is missing. When he finds a book he realises what it is, he wants to learn to read. Despite protests from his family he sets off for the town to seek help. George doesn’t understand why everyone panics when they see him approach! It would be fun to talk about the reasons for this with your child. Eventually George finds a kind mother and daughter who help him.

A beautifully illustrated and amusing story about determination and kindness which hints at the way reading can make life more interesting.

the dawn chorus_thumbThe Dawn Chorus Suzanne Barton
Bloomsbury (2014)
Age 3-5

This is a delightful story about Peep, a tiny nightingale who loves singing and is desperate to audition for the ‘Dawn Chorus’. Unsurprisingly, he finds he is not cut out for early rising!

As well as lots to find out about birds here there’s a chance to talk about wanting to belong, being different and having different skills.

Children might enjoy drawing and colouring beautifully patterned birds to represent the dawn chorus.

the-day-the-crayons-quit_thumbThe Day the Crayons Quit Drew Dywalt, Oliver Jeffers (illus)
Harper Collins (2014)
Age 5-7+

Duncan opens his box of crayons to find they have gone on strike and left him letters of complaint. Grey is fed up with colouring big elephant shaped things, blue is fed up with being over used. What can Duncan do? Time to be creative! An interesting story which might inspire some creative drawing using unconventional colours.

Watch the story read aloud 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

oi frog_thumbOi Frog! Kes Gray, Jim Field (illus)
Hodder Children’s Books 2014
Age 0-5

A funny rhyming book in which Frog learns very quickly that animals all have a special place to sit (cats on mats and gophers on sofas). Frog finds it’s not a good idea to ask where dogs sit though!

Children can have fun joining in with the rhymes and thinking up some more rhyming places for other animals to sit.

Watch a trailer here

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

smelly louie_thumbSmelly Louie Catherine Rayner
Macmillan 2014
Age 3-7

Following a rose and apple blossom scented bath Louie has lost his special smell. He goes off in search of it finding stinky bins, sticky sludge, pongy ponds and a host of helpful animal friends along the way.

A beautifully illustrated picture book with an appealing story. Discussing and describing favourite smells with your child might be fun after sharing this story.

the something_thumbThe Something Rebecca Cobb
Macmillan (2014)
Age 3-5

One day a little girl discovers a hole under a tree in her garden. What might live there? Her friends and family all have ideas; maybe a mouse or a fox, perhaps a troll or even a dragon!

A wonderfully imaginative story with great illustrations of all the possible inhabitants of the hole. Children would enjoy talking about what they think might live in the mysterious hole and drawing their own under-the-ground pictures.

where is rosies chick_thumbWhere oh where is Rosie’s Chick? Pat Hutchins
Hodder Children’s Books (2015)
Age 3-5

Rosie has lost her baby chick and starts searching everywhere under the hen house and behind the wheelbarrow. Children will enjoy helping her search and seeing what they can spot in the detailed illustrations, including who is following her! This is a very long awaited and amusing sequel to the picture book classic Rosie’s Walk. See our ideas for sharing Rosie’s Walk.

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.