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Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (illus)
Macmillan
Age 3-7

A brave mouse risks his life in the deep dark wood and gets the better of creatures who want to eat him for their tea by telling them he is off to visit his friend, the very scary Gruffalo. When this invented creature actually appears our hero has to find a way to avoid becoming a tasty mouse snack.The Gruffalo is an award winning picture book by former children’s laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler. The story reads like a song making it a delight to read and re read. The bold and beautiful illustrations provide lots to talk about.

Share the story

Read aloud
Before reading the story talk about the cover illustration and then look closely at the first double page with the illustration of the wood. What can children see? Have they been anywhere like this? Read the book aloud, continuing to pause to talk about the illustrations as you do and encourage children to predict what might happen next.

Join in
As you re read the story children will become familiar with the words and enjoy joining in with the repeated phrases such as ‘A Gruffalo? What’s a Gruffalo?’ ‘Why didn’t you know?’ etc. They will enjoy pretending to be a Gruffalo showing their ‘terrible teeth’ and ‘terrible claws’ as you read.

Talk about the story
After children have heard the whole story share the bits you both liked, children’s favourite picture and how they think the mouse tricked so many animals and even the Gruffalo.

Tell the story
Using the pictures in the book or puppets encourage children to tell the story of the Gruffalo. You may find they start to use phrases from the story as they tell it.

Watch the story
Watch a reading of the Gruffalo story here from Daniel Bekele.

Things to make and do

Make finger puppets
Make finger puppets for the animal characters in the story, either using the templates on the Gruffalo website or by making simpler puppets out of felt or paper stuck or sewn together and decorated with felt pens, wool. Use the puppets to tell the story together.

Make a mask
Make a gruffalo mask. There is a template on the Gruffalo website here.
Or you could make a simpler mask using a paper plate and a stick, using crayons and coloured paper to add detail. Children can wear the mask to be scary with their terrible teeth, tusks and claws.

Make a story world

Use construction materials, small toys and found objects like this created by @Mat_at Brookes* to make a Gruffalo themed storyworld. Children can help create the storyworld and can enjoy replaying part of the story using small figures to represent the characters.

* Matt was inspired by ideas he found on Pinterest.

Draw a story map
Print the template sheet with the path through the forest; children can draw trees, the mouse and all the animals the mouse meets on his way.

Make a picture
Give children paints, felt pens or crayons and a large sheet of paper to make their own picture of a Gruffalo. Look back at the description in the story together to help children remember some of the details.

Go for a walk in the woods
If you live near a wood, forest or park with wooded areas go for a tramp through it like the mouse and the Gruffalo. Talk about what you hear and see. Take some photos and print and stick them into a scrap book when you are back home. Talk about your photos together.

Find out more

Visit the Gruffalo website here
This website includes an interactive exploration of the deep dark wood, things to make and do (including templates for masks and puppets), songs and recipes.

Find and enjoy other picture books by Julia Donaldson working with illustrator Alex Scheffler

Titles include:

The Gruffalo’s Child

A Squash and a Squeeze

* Room on the Broo

* Tyrannosaurus Drip

Monkey Puzzle

Tiddler

The Stickman

Zog

* **See more lovemybooks ideas**

| admin | March 6, 2014

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 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 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

Don’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

The 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 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

The 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/

Gruffalo 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/

The 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/

Goodnight, 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

| admin | February 12, 2015

Your book ideas and comments

Send us your comments on the books on the website that you have enjoyed, send in your comments, ideas and photos about activities linked to the books.

Jemma writes about reading with more than one child

Jemma has three children, Elodie (7), Finlay (4) and Orla (2)

‘We do struggle with this. Orla is at the stage where she just wants to turn the pages constantly, annoying the other two. We find we need to have more time for bedtime reading as they all want to pick a story each! Having a slot of reading time with each child individually helps, so they know they get some ‘one-on-one’ time.

Reading a story with vivid pictures, but perhaps more suited to older children often works, the younger children will ‘listen’ for the pictures, they may tail off and go and do something else but then the older one stays for the story.

It generally seems to be about the book as well, so the best ones that keep them all engaged,

and our age group favourites are Dear Zoo, Each Peach Pear Plum, Peace at Last, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and So Much. Interestingly all our children have loved these stories equally and all had ‘a time’ for them. This is without us promoting them also.

For example, each of them have had us read Dear Zoo 10 times a day between the ages of 9 months and a year! A firm favourite for all of them is so much and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, all 3 of them will happily listen to that, even Elodie. Max at Night is also popular. Finlay (4) absolutely loves Alfie books, we read these a lot. I didn’t realise there was a video with Alfie Gets in First . I’ll show him that.

Jemma is interested in the new lovemubooks novels section.

Elodie (7) is an avid reader and reads books so quickly. I’m always on the lookout for new ones at the library or to buy but sometimes books that are suitable for her reading level are not always suitable in content. (They often have lots about boyfriends!)

Elodie has read Charlotte’s Web which she adored; she loved discovering what animal the characters were. She did find it sad though, I think it was the first book that really ‘moved her’, so that was interesting to see. She also became a vegetarian for a couple of days!

She read Mango and Bambang the not a pig in one sitting in an afternoon, I was a bit worried that she hadn’t read it properly but she recounted the whole story and loved it.

There are loads of books on your site that we like and some great ideas for new reads that we haven’t read on your new picture books list. [ http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/our-top-10-new-books. This is such a great list for buying books as gifts for friend’s children!

It’s a lovely and very helpful website. Well done!’

Tamiko wrote this:

‘I have just clicked onto LMB and LOVE it already! I have been reading The Hungry Caterpillar, The Gruffalo, Dear Zoo and other stories for the last 6 months to my son and I adore all your ideas on how to expand and develop the stories. Thank you for creating this website.’

We asked her how she was getting on with sharing books with her little boy Vincent who is now nearly one:

She has told us his favourite books are Dear Zoo and Spot’s First Easter (for pulling the flaps), The Very Hungry Caterpillar (for poking his fingers in the holes), Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy as he enjoys the rhymes, 100 First Animals for the variety and colour of the animals.

Tamiko continues:
‘We share Each Peach Pear Plum, Dear Zoo, Very Hungry Caterpillar, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Gruffalo, Peace at Last, Room on the Broom (the last is our favourite bedtime story). We often share books straight after breakfast for about 40 minutes on a good day! I have tried the lovemybooks ideas of singing along to the Bear Hunt song, and also saying lines from the book when having a bath for example (splash, splosh, splash splosh!)

I look forward to doing more Hungry Caterpillar games once he is a bit older. And all the other interaction and games of course! ‘

Thanks Tamiko! We look forward to hearing more about your reading together

Recommendations from Rose, a grandmother

I’d like to recommend the Little Red Train series by Benedict Blathwayt. Each page is full of realistic but also whimsical detail, humorous and informative, with townscapes, country scenes and seascapes, exploring universal themes such as the tortoise and hare type of race (between trains), generous acts, cheating, rescue etc. I’ve just bought two: Race to the Finish and To the Rescue. Two others are: Runaway Train and Busy Day. I notice that you include one book by him in the dinosaur section.

These were suggested by the bookshop in Muswell Hill when I mentioned that both my grandsons Leo and Luke love the detail of the Richard Scarry books, but I don’t like having to ‘translate’ from the American, both the language and cultural references. The Scarry books are full of humorous representations of urban busyness and different forms of travel, and have lots of recurring people/animals to find on each page. I’ve given a few to both Leo and Luke (aged 3 and 2 and a half) for example, The Busiest People Ever and Cars and Trucks and Things that Go). But at the bookshop the assistant recommended the Little Red Train books as being similar in having lots of detail and having the theme of people helping, rescuing etc. I’ve used Race to the Finish and both really liked it – I’m saving the Busy Day for later.

Another author I like is Alex T Smith: http://www.alextsmith.com/. He’s a young author and very popular, apparently.

It would be good to include on the site a section on local recommended bookshops. Mine would be: Children’s Bookshop, Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill.

Lovemybooks
Thanks Rose for some great suggestions for books and for the website. Please write again about reading with your grandsons. We’d love to hear from you.

ROLE PLAY IS GREAT! -Emma
My daughter (aged two) engages most with role play activities around the books on the website. She has loved the ideas from the site such as packing a bag to ‘go on a bear hunt’ in the garden and ending up in bed under the covers, and is often now doing this on her own. I overheard her saying” oh no! ‘I’ve got shoes on my mud like going on a bear hunt, squelch squerch!” See all the lovemybooks ideas for We’re Going on a Bearhunt.

She also had lots of fun with Dear Zoo activities, putting toy zoo animals into presents ‘from the zoo’ and sending them back. I recently gave her something to play with while I was tidying up and she promptly gave it back saying “send it back!” so I have decided not to play this one too close to Christmas to avoid awkward present giving situations!

She also gets very excited about having tiger tea parties (The Tiger Who Came to Tea) laying out all the food on a tray, wondering who is at the door and using a tiger puppet to eat all the sandwiches and buns and drink all the tea in the teapot. We then go round the kitchen so the tiger can eat all the food in the cupboards and drink all the water in the taps. We have even put on our coats to go to a pretend cafe, ordering food, paying the bill and then going to the shops to buy an extra large tin of tiger food!

Learning from these ideas in love my books has helped us to come up with our own activities. We read Peace at Last, going into different rooms in the house, listening to sounds like the clock ticking, the refrigerator and a dripping tap, saying “oh no! I can’t stand this!”

Lovemybooks:
Hi Emma – it’s really good that you’re enjoying role play with your daughter.
Role play – playing out the story of a book – helps to develop imagination, play and language, a deeper understanding of stories AND builds interest and enjoyment of books.

LOVE MY BOOKS – Sarah Baker
We started reading to our baby when I was about 7 months pregnant. Partly as a bonding exercise (I’d read a piece on how babies can recognise their mum and dad’s voices) and partly because we’d already been given some lovely books and I wanted to revisit some of my childhood favourites.

Now he’s five months and we’ve been reading to Freddie ever since. It’s his dad’s turn at night for the last story of the day, usually a quiet one as part of his bedtime routine, but once morning comes around, it’s my turn and that’s when the activities start.

One of our favourites is Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It’s bright, the pictures are wonderful and the little holes are brilliant for tiny fingers to poke through and help turn the pages or pretend to be a caterpillar. At five months, Freddie is more of a listener than a reader, but in time we’ll get a little more interactive and try some of the brilliant suggestions on the Love My Books website.

As a writer for children and a voracious reader, I’m keen to encourage Freddie’s early love of books (whether listening to them or biting them) and the Love My Books website is a brilliant resource of both fun and educational activities to support that. They also have lots of book suggestions, some of which we didn’t know, so we’ve already ordered more. I foresee very happy times ahead (and not just for me!)

I look forward to working through the age group books and activities with Love My Books and our very own hungry caterpillar.

Dads sharing books with children

We’ve heard quite a bit from mums reading with their children – and we’ve also been collecting comments from dads about their experiences of sharing books with their children.

The National Literacy Trust (NLT) are urging more dads to share books with their children and to recognise their importance as reading role models, particularly for boys. Read more here

Joe

I love reading with Luke, it’s a great way of sharing an experience together, a privilege really. Some of my earliest memories of Luke as a baby, looking back, are of reading to him. That always felt good, when you are a new parent and you are still trying to work out what you are actually meant to be doing, what your role is, reading to him always felt like a good thing, like somehow you knew what you were doing. There are a lot of books that Luke has enjoyed; last night we read Tin Soldier, by Jess Stockham. He liked that one, we read it again whilst eating breakfast this morning. He went through a phase of just wanting to read Alfie stories, which were all good books. Julia Donaldson’s work is always popular; Tabby McTat, Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo, have all been great. I think we’ve read The Gruffalo so many times that he can now recount large parts of it from memory, well large parts might be a slight exaggeration, but some of it anyway. Luke has recently been given two of the Little Red Train books as a present, they are by Benedict Blathwayt, and they have gone down really well. One of our joint all time favourite books is definitely Man on the Moon: A Day in the Life of Bob, by Simon Bartram, it has great artwork, a funny story, and Bob’s favourite lunch is the same as Luke’s, peanut butter sandwiches and cheese sandwiches, in case you’re interested.

Josh

Neither of our boys will go to bed unless they have had at least two stories. Our one year-old gets very cross if he doesn’t get to read Dear Zoo and insists on being the one who turns the pages and opens the flaps. He also mumbles along to the story. We have had to buy a second copy of the book as our 3 year old is in the ‘mine’ phase and has rediscovered his love for any book his brother enjoys! He has always loved the Spot the Dog books but has a particular soft spot for The Cow who fell in the Canal. It is a Dutch book that I loved as a child and when I read it to him for the first time a year or so ago, I was convinced it would bore him as it was, and still is, significantly longer than his other favourites. To my surprise (and now frustration as I have to read it regularly) he loved it! They both love the ‘That’s not my…’ Usborne series, anything by Emily Gravett and Peepo. I love going to bookshops with them and reading with them is lovely way to say goodnight – particularly if the day has been very busy!

Steve

I enjoy spending time reading with my daughter (age 3) and as she gets to know certain stories, she can join in their retelling which makes it more fun. At the moment she is particularly into the rhymes in Michael Rosen’s A Great Big Cuddle.

One of her favourites is his poem Once, she uses different voices and expressions for the poor little ‘mom’ for the line “What about me,me, me?!” See Michael Rosen performing the poem ‘Once’ from A Great Big Cuddle here

Ben

Casper loves books and the activities on LoveMyBooks really help to bring them to life for him. Making the books interactive also make it more enjoyable for us dads, especially when you are reading Where the Wild Things are for the tenth time in an evening!

Danny

I love reading with my son Leo. Books have different roles in our house depending on the time of day – at about 5.30 am they are pushed under my nose with the words “Daddy, it’s morning, read me a story!” Later on – they inspire games, making Leo want to re-enact tales of astronauts, knights and ninjas. After nursery, we read to learn about dinosaurs, castles and sharks – which form the conversation at dinner time. Then, when it’s time for bed, we pick a good story to help us calm down and relax… It’s lovely time spent together, focused and imaginative, interactive in a way TV can never be. I can’t wait, as he grows up, to share the stories with him that I loved as a kid.

| admin | May 26, 2016

Our top 10 rhyming picture books

Rhyming picture books hold a special place in the realm of children’s literature, captivating the imaginations of young readers and their families with their melodic language and vibrant illustrations. These books use rhyme and rhythm to engage readers, making the experience of reading both enjoyable and memorable. One of the primary benefits of rhyming picture books is their ability to make language fun and accessible. The predictable patterns of rhyme help children anticipate and recognize words, which can enhance their early reading skills. The rhythmic flow of the text also aids in phonemic awareness, helping children understand the sounds within words and how they fit together. This foundational skill is crucial for developing proficient reading abilities later on, also follow https://troycarter4congress.com.

Rhyming picture books are an important way to help young children acquire a natural feeling for rhyme and pattern in language. Here are a selection of some of our favourites:

Animal Boogie
Debbie Harter
Barefoot Books
Age 0-5

Down in an Indian jungle, children and animals have fun boogie-woogie-ing together by stomping, shaking, flapping, leaping, slithering and swaying.

See an animated version here.

The Cat in the Hat
Dr Seuss
Random House
Age 3-7

A classic rhyming story of the Cat in a hat who transforms a dull day into pure joy.
This hilarious book transforms children into readers too!
See the animated version here.

(See also: Green Eggs and Ham, Wacky Wednesday, Hop on Pop and more)

Dinosaur Roar
Paul and Henrietta Stickland
Dutton Books
Age 3-5

Dinosaurs roar, dinosaurs galore in this irresistible tale of dinosaurs weak and strong,
above and below, who gather for a memorable lunch. A great, rambunctious joining-in rhyme.
Click here to see lovemybooks activities.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
Lynley Dodd
Puffin
Age 3-7

A memorable, cumulative rhyme about a gathering of distinctive dogs. Unforgettable characters and great pictures (see also Slinky Malinky).

Lottie Potter wants an Otter Jeanne Willis, Leonie Lord (illus)
Harper Collins
Age 3-7

Lottie Potter is very keen to have a pet, and only an otter will do! She finds Mr Trotter’s shop which is full of otters and Lottie makes her choice. But this otter turns out to be an absolute rotter! So Lottie’s search for the perfect pet continues.

This is a rhyming picture book with a very satisfying rhythm which skips along delightfully making it a great read aloud and easy for children to join in with too. The story is very silly but great fun and the illustrations add to the humour.

Mister Magnolia
Quentin Blake
Red Fox
Age 0-5

Everyone loves Mr Magnolia and his rooty-toot trumpet. He is full of fun and the joys of life even though he has only one boot. Life is complete when he receives a unique present. Children will love the exuberance and humour.(See also All Join In).
Click here to see lovemybooks activities.

Oi Dog
Kes & Claire Gray, Jim Field (illus)
Hodder
Age 5-7

‘Oi Dog!’ is a wonderful and sophisticated rhyming game of a book. The rules are animals have to sit on something which rhymes with their name, from cats sitting on gnats to cheetahs sitting on fajitas. Frog, who in the prequel ‘Oi Frog!’ was squashed by dog, takes charge of the rules in this book and gets his own back. This is quite a tongue twister to read aloud but enormous fun, children could try to guess what each animal might have to sit on and perhaps come up with alternatives of their own. The brilliant illustrations add to the humour.

See a trailer for the prequel, Oi Frog here

This is the Bear
Sarah Hayes, Helen Craig
Walker
Age 3-7

A delightful rhyming story of ‘sibling’ rivalry. Dog is jealous of Bear for the boy’s affections and nudges him into the bin. All ends well when Bear is safely retrieved after his adventure. Thought and speech bubbles reveal what the characters are really thinking.

What the Ladybird Heard
Julia Donaldson, illustrator Lydia Monks
Macmillan
Age 3-5

Ladybird may be tiny but she’s the heroine whose clever plan saves the cow from being stolen by two crafty robbers at the farm. She just needs a little help from her noisy friends. Watch and listen to the author singing the song of the book here.

See our activities for What the Ladybird Heard

(See also : The Snail and the Whale, The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom and more).

Where’s My Teddy?
Jez Alborough
Walker
Age 5-7

Bear and Eddie are frightened when thy bump into each other in the woods, until they realise they have something important in common. They both love their love their Teddy Bears! A humorous, touching tale of vulnerability. (See also It’s the Bear!, My Friend Bear, Duck in the Truck and more).
Click here to see lovemybooks activities.

| admin | April 16, 2015

Room on the Broom

Julia Donaldson, Alex Scheffler (illus)
Macmillan Children’s Books
Age 5-7

A witch is flying on her broomstick when a strong wind blows off her hat, then her bow and wand. Luckily three helpful animals find them, wanting only a ride on the broom in return. Will they all fit on the broom? And will the animal friends come to the witch’s rescue when she encounters a fire breathing dragon who fancies eating witch and chips?

Share the Story

Read aloud
Read the story aloud, stopping every now and then to talk about the pictures and to see if children can predict what might happen next.
Join in
When you read the story again pause so that children can join in with some of the repeated phrases such as ‘Is there room on the broom?…’
Tell the story
As children become familiar with the story they will be able to tell it using the pictures to help them. You will find they begin to use phrases from the story as they do so. It would be fun to retell the story using puppets as well, see below.

Watch the story here

Things to make and do

Make stick puppets
Make stick puppets for the different characters in the story. Tell the story using puppets; this is more fun for children if you join in too. See here for how to make stick puppets.

Draw a picture
Draw a picture of the witch and her animal friends on a ‘truly magnificent broom’ or choose another favourite part of the story to draw. Children will enjoy talking about their pictures.

Have fun with rhyme
Spot rhyming pairs in the story, eg room and broom, flew and blew, ground and found. You could carry on finding rhyming pairs with other words as well. Having fun with rhyme will help children become more aware of words and their patterns as they develop as readers.

Make up a spell
Give children a big cooking pot to use as a cauldron. They can collect some ingredients for their own magic spell. Just like the witch in the story they can throw them in, stir them well and mutter a special, magic spell.

Read a poem here.

Find out more

Read about more books by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler here.

* The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo’s Child

* The Snail and the Whale

A Squash and a Squeeze

Stick Man

* See more lovemybooks ideas

| admin | March 6, 2014

The Highway Rat

Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler
Scholastic
Age 5-7

Robbing everyone on the highway of any food they carry, the Highway Rat continues terrorises animal travellers until a very clever duck gets the better of him and eventually he sees the error of his ways. You may recognise the style of this poem which echoes the pattern and rhythm of the famous classic poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes exactly. The rhyming and repeated text makes it great fun for children to join in with the words and there is plenty to talk about in the story. Another brilliant collaboration between Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Share the story

Read aloud
Before you start reading the book look at the cover illustration and title together. What does your child think will happen in this story? They maybe unsure what a highway is and this may be a good point to talk about highwaymen – or you could do so later after enjoying the story together.

Read the story as far as the lines about the animals growing thinner and thinner. How does your child think the animals feel? Is there anything the animals can do?

Continue reading to the end of the story.

Join in
When you read aloud again encourage your child to join in with the repeated choruses.

Talk about the book

What does your child think about the way the duck tricked the rat?
Are children puzzled by anything? For example the meaning of words or phrases such as ‘stand and deliver’ or ‘halt’.
What does your child know about highwaymen?
Do children know any more stories like this?

Watch the story read aloud

Things to make and do

Dress up
Help your child to dress up as a highway rat use a piece of cloth as a cloak. You could make a mask for your child out of card. For instructions follow link here and scroll to ‘Method 2’

Play the story
Choose a scene from the story and act it out together, you can improvise an imaginary conversation or use some of the words from the story.

Make a poster
Make a wanted poster for the Highway Rat. Talk about what to include such as a description and picture of the highway rat, reward and who to contact.

Find out more

The Gruffalo
The Snail and the Whale
Room on the Broom

Find out about echoes
The clever duck tricks the highway rat using echoes. Find out about more about echoes. See here and here

Find out more about highwaymen here

The Highwayman poem
The story of the Highway Rat is based on The Highwayman, a classic poem by Alfred Noyes see here.

| admin | March 4, 2019

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You can contact us using the form at the bottom of the page, by email at info@lovemybooks.co.uk, on our Facebook page or on Twitter @lovemybooksUK.

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Your comments

Here is a great new website all about reading for pleasure. Lots of recommendations, activities, tips, great advice for parents and children. It’s been created by true experts and enthusiasts, and patrons are Michael Rosen and SF Said. Fantastic for the summer holidays and beyond. Find out how to make an origami book, discover how we learn to read, send feedback, ask questions. It’s bright and brilliant and free!

David Almond, author, via Facebook

It’s absolutely marvellous, many congratulations for getting something so bright, comprehensive, clear, easy to navigate, inspirational – I could go on all day!

Sian Williams, Children’s Bookshow

What a fantastic website- well done- lovely graphics, easy links and great idea.

Kathy Cruise, Supervisor Family Nurse Partnership

It’s a pleasure to see such a beautifully curated reading resource.

SF Said, author via Twitter

Fantastic new website with TONS of great books & creative reading ideas for 0-7s!
SF Said, author via Twitter

Reading for pleasure, reading for fun: howze about this? http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk
Michael Rosen, author and broadcaster via Twitter

Miss G Garnett ‏@fazakeyfs Jul 15

Have a look at http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk for great reading ideas for children aged 0-7 @lovemybooksUK
Via Twitter

Alison ‏@WoodlandAli Jul 16

@lovemybooksUK Loving your website http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk great timing for #summerholidays Thanks @savelibservices top tweet!
Via Twitter

Anne Thompson ‏@Alibrarylady Jul 21

Very impressed by new website from @lovemybooksUK http://www.lovemybooks.co.uk/ Wonderful, FREE #reading resources for parents
Via Twitter

“I have just clicked onto LMB and LOVE it already! I have been reading The Hungry Caterpillar, The Gruffalo, Dear Zoo and other stories for the last 6 months to my son and I adore all your ideas on how to expand and develop the stories. Thank you for creating this website!”

Tamiko, parent

My daughter (aged 2) loves the activities on your website. She can now often be seen walking round the flat, bag packed ‘going on a bear hunt’ and is turning into a real bookworm, looking at the pictures telling us the stories from her favourite books – thanks for all the creative ideas Lovemybooks!

Emma (Naomi’s mum)

Contact form

| admin | February 19, 2014

Our videos

Children who become familiar with particular books can begin to take on the tunes, patterns and meanings of the book – even as they are learning to talk…

Three year old Cassie reads Little Rabbit Foo – singing the chorus and engaging delightfully with the book.

Luke age 1 reads The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

Elodie reading Peepo by Allan Ahlberg to her baby cousin from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

Naomi reading with her dad Steve from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

lotte reading odd egg from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

Naimi aged 1 reading Rosies walk from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

Naomi age 2 reading The Old Woman and the Red Pumpkin from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff from Lovemybooks on Vimeo.

| admin | July 8, 2015

Scary things

It is fun feeling just a little bit scared especially if you know that you are really perfectly safe, Mum, Dad, a grandparent or carer is close byand there is really no such thing as a ‘Gruffalo’ or a ‘Wild Thing’. Here you will find a great range of books about scary (and not so scary) monsters and ghosts. There are stories about everyday fears here as well; children will be reassured to find out they are not the only one who feels afraid of the dark.

IT’S EASY! JUST CLICK ON A BOOK FOR ACTIVITIES

Our specially chosen books about scary things

| admin | December 5, 2013

Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (illus) Macmillan Age 3-7

Share the story

Talk about the story After children have heard the whole story share the bits you both liked, children’s favourite picture and how they think the mouse tricked so many animals and even the Gruffalo.

Tell the story Using the pictures in the book or puppets encourage children to tell the story of the Gruffalo. You may find they start to use phrases from the story as they tell it.

Watch the story Watch a reading of the Gruffalo story here from Daniel Bekele.

Things to make and do

Make finger puppets Make finger puppets for the animal characters in the story, either using the templates on the Gruffalo website or by making simpler puppets out of felt or paper stuck or sewn together and decorated with felt pens, wool. Use the puppets to tell the story together.

Make a mask Make a gruffalo mask. There is a template on the Gruffalo website here. Or you could make a simpler mask using a paper plate and a stick, using crayons and coloured paper to add detail. Children can wear the mask to be scary with their terrible teeth, tusks and claws.

Make a story world

Use construction materials, small toys and found objects like this created by @Mat_at Brookes* to make a Gruffalo themed storyworld. Children can help create the storyworld and can enjoy replaying part of the story using small figures to represent the characters.

* Matt was inspired by ideas he found on Pinterest.

Draw a story map Print the template sheet with the path through the forest; children can draw trees, the mouse and all the animals the mouse meets on his way.

Make a picture Give children paints, felt pens or crayons and a large sheet of paper to make their own picture of a Gruffalo. Look back at the description in the story together to help children remember some of the details.

Go for a walk in the woods If you live near a wood, forest or park with wooded areas go for a tramp through it like the mouse and the Gruffalo. Talk about what you hear and see. Take some photos and print and stick them into a scrap book when you are back home. Talk about your photos together.

Find out more

Visit the Gruffalo website here This website includes an interactive exploration of the deep dark wood, things to make and do (including templates for masks and puppets), songs and recipes.

Find and enjoy other picture books by Julia Donaldson working with illustrator Alex Scheffler

Titles include:

Titles include:

The Gruffalo’s Child

A Squash and a Squeeze

* Room on the Broo * Tyrannosaurus Drip

* The Snail and the Whale

Monkey Puzzle

Tiddler

The Stickman

Zog

* See more lovemybooks ideas

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 Books Age 0-7

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

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

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

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

The Three Little Pigs a 3D fairy tale [Nosy Crow] Age 3-7

Goldilocks and Little Bear Age 3-7

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

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

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

Send us your comments on the books on the website that you have enjoyed, send in your comments, ideas and photos about activities linked to the books.

We’ve heard quite a bit from mums reading with their children – and we’ve also been collecting comments from dads about their experiences of sharing books with their children.

The National Literacy Trust (NLT) are urging more dads to share books with their children and to recognise their importance as reading role models, particularly for boys. Read more here

Joe

Josh

Steve

Ben

Danny

Rhyming picture books are an important way to help young children acquire a natural feeling for rhyme and pattern in language. Here are a selection of some of our favourites:

Animal Boogie Debbie Harter Barefoot Books Age 0-5

The Cat in the Hat Dr Seuss Random House Age 3-7

Dinosaur Roar Paul and Henrietta Stickland Dutton Books Age 3-5

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy Lynley Dodd Puffin Age 3-7

Lottie Potter wants an Otter Jeanne Willis, Leonie Lord (illus) Harper Collins Age 3-7

Mister Magnolia Quentin Blake Red Fox Age 0-5

Oi Dog Kes & Claire Gray, Jim Field (illus) Hodder Age 5-7

This is the Bear Sarah Hayes, Helen Craig Walker Age 3-7

What the Ladybird Heard Julia Donaldson, illustrator Lydia Monks Macmillan Age 3-5

Where’s My Teddy? Jez Alborough Walker Age 5-7

Julia Donaldson, Alex Scheffler (illus) Macmillan Children’s Books Age 5-7

Share the Story

Watch the story here

Things to make and do

Make stick puppets Make stick puppets for the different characters in the story. Tell the story using puppets; this is more fun for children if you join in too. See here for how to make stick puppets.

Draw a picture Draw a picture of the witch and her animal friends on a ‘truly magnificent broom’ or choose another favourite part of the story to draw. Children will enjoy talking about their pictures.

Have fun with rhyme Spot rhyming pairs in the story, eg room and broom, flew and blew, ground and found. You could carry on finding rhyming pairs with other words as well. Having fun with rhyme will help children become more aware of words and their patterns as they develop as readers.

Make up a spell Give children a big cooking pot to use as a cauldron. They can collect some ingredients for their own magic spell. Just like the witch in the story they can throw them in, stir them well and mutter a special, magic spell.

Read a poem here.

Find out more

Read about more books by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler here.

* The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo’s Child

* The Snail and the Whale

A Squash and a Squeeze

Stick Man

* See more lovemybooks ideas

Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler Scholastic Age 5-7

Share the story

Read the story as far as the lines about the animals growing thinner and thinner. How does your child think the animals feel? Is there anything the animals can do?

Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (illus)
Macmillan
Age 3-7

Talk about the story
After children have heard the whole story share the bits you both liked, children’s favourite picture and how they think the mouse tricked so many animals and even the Gruffalo.

Tell the story
Using the pictures in the book or puppets encourage children to tell the story of the Gruffalo. You may find they start to use phrases from the story as they tell it.

Watch the story
Watch a reading of the Gruffalo story here from Daniel Bekele.

Make finger puppets
Make finger puppets for the animal characters in the story, either using the templates on the Gruffalo website or by making simpler puppets out of felt or paper stuck or sewn together and decorated with felt pens, wool. Use the puppets to tell the story together.

Make a mask
Make a gruffalo mask. There is a template on the Gruffalo website here.
Or you could make a simpler mask using a paper plate and a stick, using crayons and coloured paper to add detail. Children can wear the mask to be scary with their terrible teeth, tusks and claws.

Draw a story map
Print the template sheet with the path through the forest; children can draw trees, the mouse and all the animals the mouse meets on his way.

Make a picture
Give children paints, felt pens or crayons and a large sheet of paper to make their own picture of a Gruffalo. Look back at the description in the story together to help children remember some of the details.

Go for a walk in the woods
If you live near a wood, forest or park with wooded areas go for a tramp through it like the mouse and the Gruffalo. Talk about what you hear and see. Take some photos and print and stick them into a scrap book when you are back home. Talk about your photos together.

Visit the Gruffalo website here
This website includes an interactive exploration of the deep dark wood, things to make and do (including templates for masks and puppets), songs and recipes.

* Room on the Broo

* Tyrannosaurus Drip

* **See more lovemybooks ideas**

Me Books
Age 0-7

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

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

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

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

The Three Little Pigs a 3D fairy tale [Nosy Crow]
Age 3-7

Goldilocks and Little Bear
Age 3-7

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

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

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

Animal Boogie
Debbie Harter
Barefoot Books
Age 0-5

The Cat in the Hat
Dr Seuss
Random House
Age 3-7

Dinosaur Roar
Paul and Henrietta Stickland
Dutton Books
Age 3-5

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
Lynley Dodd
Puffin
Age 3-7

Lottie Potter wants an Otter Jeanne Willis, Leonie Lord (illus)
Harper Collins
Age 3-7

Mister Magnolia
Quentin Blake
Red Fox
Age 0-5

Oi Dog
Kes & Claire Gray, Jim Field (illus)
Hodder
Age 5-7

This is the Bear
Sarah Hayes, Helen Craig
Walker
Age 3-7

What the Ladybird Heard
Julia Donaldson, illustrator Lydia Monks
Macmillan
Age 3-5

Where’s My Teddy?
Jez Alborough
Walker
Age 5-7

Julia Donaldson, Alex Scheffler (illus)
Macmillan Children’s Books
Age 5-7

Make stick puppets
Make stick puppets for the different characters in the story. Tell the story using puppets; this is more fun for children if you join in too. See here for how to make stick puppets.

Draw a picture
Draw a picture of the witch and her animal friends on a ‘truly magnificent broom’ or choose another favourite part of the story to draw. Children will enjoy talking about their pictures.

Have fun with rhyme
Spot rhyming pairs in the story, eg room and broom, flew and blew, ground and found. You could carry on finding rhyming pairs with other words as well. Having fun with rhyme will help children become more aware of words and their patterns as they develop as readers.

Make up a spell
Give children a big cooking pot to use as a cauldron. They can collect some ingredients for their own magic spell. Just like the witch in the story they can throw them in, stir them well and mutter a special, magic spell.

Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler
Scholastic
Age 5-7

Join in
When you read aloud again encourage your child to join in with the repeated choruses.

Dress up
Help your child to dress up as a highway rat use a piece of cloth as a cloak. You could make a mask for your child out of card. For instructions follow link here and scroll to ‘Method 2’

Play the story
Choose a scene from the story and act it out together, you can improvise an imaginary conversation or use some of the words from the story.

Make a poster
Make a wanted poster for the Highway Rat. Talk about what to include such as a description and picture of the highway rat, reward and who to contact.

Find out about echoes
The clever duck tricks the highway rat using echoes. Find out about more about echoes. See here and here

The Highwayman poem
The story of the Highway Rat is based on The Highwayman, a classic poem by Alfred Noyes see here.