Age 5
Roald Dahl Day – Esio Trot by Roald Dahl & Quentin Blake
September 13th is Roald Dahl Day! We’ve just started reading Roald Dahl’s books, some of which I read as a child. We loved George’s Marvellous Medicine and have just enjoyed reading Esio Trot. I didn’t know this story although I knew that Esio Trot is tortoise spelled backwards.
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.
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…
The Singing Mermaid by Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks
The Singing Mermaid is the perfect read for a time of year when we’re dreaming of seaside holidays. This beautifully illustrated, tactile, rhyming story demonstrates that even the biggest problems can be solved with a little help from your friends.
Learning with Picture Books – Making Storysacks
We are huge fans of storysacks and they promote lots of learning and discussion. A storysack includes a book and visual aids that are linked to the story (or the subject if the book is non fiction), it can also include relevant worksheets, activities and games. Storysacks are lots of fun to make and are a great…
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals by Camilla de le Bedoyere, Rob Colson, Elizabeth Gray & Steve Kirk
Dinosaurs, their origins and how they became extinct have not been topics that we’ve discussed much in our house but that changed when we started reading Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. This fascinating, beautifully illustrated book is packed full of information and my daughter has been very keen to show the book to friends and visitors.
A Gold Star for George by Alice Hemming & Kimberley Scott
It’s the time of year for school sports days and although some schools now have non competitive sports days, others don’t. A Gold Star for George is a great book for showing children that winning isn’t everything and that other qualities are also important.
‘We’re Going On A Book Hunt!’ – Book Quiz
A book quiz is a fun way for a child to think about the books that they have read and also for them to discover new books, especially in their local library or in the school classroom. They are also a great activity for a rainy day in the school holidays or a classroom time filler. I love creating book quizzes,…
Crunch! by Carolina Rabei
Crunch is a lovely story about friendship, sharing and new discoveries. The cover illustration immediately intrigued us – a guinea pig eating a watermelon – we just had to read more!