2015
Dogs don’t do Ballet by Anna Kemp & Sara Ogilvie
Biff is a small, plump pug with big dreams, he wants to be a ballerina but is met with the constant refrain ‘Dogs Don’t Do Ballet’.
Charlie and Lola: But excuse ME THAT is my book by Lauren Child
But excuse ME THAT is my book is one of our favourite Charlie and Lola stories. Charlie, Lola and Lotta visit the library and introduce us to a variety of books as well as the concepts of borrowing a book, books being shelved according to the alphabet and being quiet in a library.
Picturebook inspired crafts & activities
We love doing picture book inspired crafts! Doing a book or story related craft can help children to consolidate their understanding of a story as well as provide them with an opportunity to talk about what they have just read. My daughter often creates her own activity as a result of reading a book, for example…
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf by Catherine Storr & Marjorie-Ann Watts
Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf, published in 1955, is the first book about Polly and her adventures with the Wolf who is determined to eat her. Catherine Storr originally wrote the stories to allay her daughter Polly’s fear of wolves. She then wrote a second book, Polly and the Wolf Again.
Blogtour: Ask an Author – Rebecca Colby
We are delighted to be the first stop in Rebecca Colby’s ‘It’s Raining Bats & Frogs’ blogtour. Rebecca answered our questions about her writing, her inspirations and, of course, her favourite picture books. ‘It’s Raining Bats & Frogs’ will be published on August 11th and as part of Rebecca’s blogtour you can also take part in her online…
Are you going on a farm holiday? Pack a story set on a farm!
Holidays on a farm are a lot of fun and if you are lucky enough to stay on a working farm your child can meet different kinds of animals and gain many new experiences. We were amazed how many farmyard stories we have on our bookcase, these are some of our favourites.
Summer Reading Tree
Summer holidays are finally here which gives us lots of time for reading. We have joined the library’s summer reading challenge which involves a child reading and summarising three or more books of their choice but my daughter wanted to keep a record of all the books that we read over the summer. We are including…
Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre
Rambling Isles, shipwrecks, sarcastic seaweed, posh hairdos and nasty villains all add to the adventure in Oliver and the Seawigs. It’s a very amusing, action packed, first chapter book that would be perfect to pack for a seaside holiday.
Preparing your child for school – Literacy & Numeracy activities
Many parents and children are enjoying the holidays but others will be spending the summer preparing for their child’s first day at school. It’s a huge milestone and some children and parents will be looking forward to it more than others. Handing your child over to a new teacher isn’t easy but there are lots of activities…
Poo in the Zoo by Steve Smallman & Ada Grey
The highlight of this year’s school trip to the zoo was seeing a monkey do a poo and my daughter explained the situation in great detail (with actions!). She then asked to read Poo in the Zoo which is an amusing and original rhyming story about how one little zookeeper has to deal with the animal poo that…
