Before I start a new year of blogging I thought I’d take a quick look back at Story Snug’s 10 most viewed posts in 2017. 

Only one is a book that I wrote about this year although it’s an old story that I enjoyed reading when I first started teaching, it’s a book by the Ahlbergs who have two books on our list. Three are our learning activities posts where we have linked arts, crafts, science and other activities to favourite picture books, these were activities that my daughter and I enjoyed before she started school. Interestingly most of the most viewed books are classic stories that I read and enjoyed as a child or those that I read to Reception / Year One classes when I first started teaching. It seems that many old favourites are now being read and enjoyed by newer generations.

So here you go – 2017’s top ten most viewed blogposts in reverse order!

Number 10

Burglar Bill by Janet and Allan Ahlberg: Burglar Bill celebrated his fortieth birthday this year! We love Bill and Betty’s repetitive refrain – ‘That’s a nice… – I’ll have that!’

Burglar Bill - Story Snug

Number 9

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers: It was interesting reading this story with my daughter and her friend when they were younger. Both had very different interpretations of the ending!

How to Catch a Star - Story Snug

Number 8

Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre: This amusing, action packed, first chapter book includes Rambling Isles, shipwrecks, sarcastic seaweed and nasty villians. Published in 2013 this is the newest book on our list.

Oliver and the Seawigs - Story Snug https://storysnug.com

Number 7

Kipper’s Birthday by Mick Inkpen: This is one of my favourite books to read in the classroom when teaching children to write birthday invitations! This amusing story shows children the importance of including specific information on an invitation!

Kipper's Birthday - Story Snug

Number 6

The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb: I loved making paper dolls as a child and this book inspired us to get out paper and scissors and make them with my daughter.

Story Snug The Paper Dolls

Number 5

Learning with Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: The witch’s ‘truly magnificent broom’ has inspired a lot of dressing up and imaginative play in our house. We have flown all over the world on our broom and the story has also inspired us to create potions and learn how to plait.

Learning with Room on the Broom  - Story Snug

Number 4

On the Way Home by Jill Murphy: This is a fun story which shows the power of a child’s imagination. As Claire walks home she gives her friends more and more outlandish explanations for her injured knee.

On the Way Home - Story Snug

Number 3

Learning with Eric Carle and The Hungry Caterpillar: I have used many of Eric Carle’s books to stimulate learning in many areas of the curriculum. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has inspired many crafts and learning activities both with my daughter and in the classroom.

Learning with Eric Carle and the Hungry Caterpillar - Story Snug

Number 2

Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg: Funnybones has a very atmospheric, repetitive text and the humour in the illustrations makes us laugh, especially when the skeletons put their dog ‘back together’!

Funny Bones - Fiona Ross blog tour - Story Snug

*NUMBER 1*

Learning with Elmer by David McKee: The first Elmer book is still our favourite and we had lots of fun with these crafts and activities that were inspired by the story. A particular favourite activity was baking and decorating Elmer biscuits.

Learning with Elmer by David McKee - Story Snug

Thank you to all of you who read and comment on our blogposts and enter our giveaways. I look forward to sharing favourites old and new with you next year.

Wishing you and your families a very happy and healthy 2018!

Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr 2018!


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18 responses to “Story Snug’s 10 most viewed posts in 2017”


  1. Debbie Denyer avatar

    I love your ‘Room on the Broom’ plaited bread! We’ve tried making potions with vinegar, baking soda, food colouring, pinecones, sticks, flowers and plastic bones before. It’s such a great story to re-enact!


    1. Catherine avatar

      We’ve had a lot of fun with this story. We made some magnificent brooms when my daughter was younger 🙂


  2. Kim (BookBairn) avatar

    Interesting that none of these are new releases (from what I could tell!) Inspired me to do some more oldy book posts! #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      My most viewed posts are mostly books that I used when I started teaching. There are so many that lend themselves to lots of learning 🙂


  3. Kate Eccles avatar

    I love that these are such well loved books and the activity ideas to go with them are fantastic 🙂 Happy New Year Catherine x #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      I used to love doing the activity posts but we haven’t had a lot of time to do that since my daughter started school!


  4. Acorn Books avatar

    A great top 10, some posts that I haven’t seen before too. You have some brilliant activity ideas, I love the Elmers biscuits #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      The Elmer biscuits were really fun to make 🙂


  5. Yet Another Blogging Mummy avatar

    I like to look at my stats too, but I couldn’t do an interesting round-up post like yours, as apart from a 2013 recipe which always comes in at number 1 each year, all the rest of my 2017 top 10 were giveaways


    1. Catherine avatar

      My giveaway page was at number 11!!


      1. Yet Another Blogging Mummy avatar

        10 was a lucky cut-off point then



  6. Sarah MumofThree World avatar

    I did a round-up of my most read posts of 2017 and they’re a rather surprising bunch! You can see exactly why your posts would be popular – some real classic stories and some great activities to do with them!


    1. Catherine avatar

      Thanks Sarah, I love doing the end of year round up. It seems that in my case it is the more familiar traditional books that people want to read about 🙂


  7. Bec @IshMotherBec avatar

    Lots of familiar titles here, I like the look of your ‘learning with’ posts, especially the Elmer one – who wouldn’t love colourful elephant biscuits?! #ReadWithMe


    1. Catherine avatar

      I loved doing the ‘learning with’ posts but now that my daughter is older our reading focusses are different. She’s a huge bookworm so I guess that the learning activities helped to inspire her 🙂


  8. Chantelle Hazelden avatar
    Chantelle Hazelden

    Some lovely posts to reflect on and books to re-read. Thanks for sharing with #readwithme


    1. Catherine avatar

      It’s interesting to read older posts several years later. My daughter made several comments that I’d forgotten about!