Animals
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’.
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.
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…
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.
Paddington by Michael Bond and R. W. Alley
Paddington is a childhood favourite of mine and I was delighted to hear that author Michael Bond has just received a CBE for his services to English Literature. I met Michael Bond as a child and one of my prized possessions is a signed copy of Paddington Goes to THE SALES.
Fictional Best Friends
What would we do without a best friend? June 8th is National Best Friends Day in the USA and we had great fun looking through our book collection to find some of our favourite fictional best friends.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
From Head to Toe is a great book to get children moving and it’s one of my favourite Eric Carle books to use in the classroom. Children love to join in with the actions and it’s an especially good book to use with non native English speaking children.
The Special Guest by Steve Smallman
We love the way that Steve Smallman’s beautifully illustrated title page introduces the characters and sets the scene for The Special Guest, a humorous story about vanity, ingenuity and friendship.
Wildlife Jack I want to fly! by Ed Kellie, Jacopo Lanza & Mark Billington
The dawn chorus is very loud here right now so our thoughts have turned to birds and which birds could be making so much noise! Wildlife Jack I want to fly! has been the perfect book to accompany our discussions and is full of beautiful photographs and fascinating bird facts.
