James Carter, Mar Hernàndez, illustrator
Caterpillar Books
Age 5-7

This book takes us on a poetic journey through space and time, celebrating the wonder and beauty of our solar system, looking in particular at our sun and its creation.

Through striking illustrations and a beautiful text we travel deep into the wonder of the night sky, discovering a galaxy of stars and our sun in particular. Then we travel back through time to explore the beginning of our universe, our solar system and the diversity of life on earth. Our dependency on the sun is emphasised and the magic that we are all made of star dust and so we are all – STARS! The back of the book includes an informative summary in acrostic form ‘sciencey’ stuff about the sun – its origin and destiny.  A book which combines information with poetry creating a sense of wonder beautifully.

Share the story

Read aloud

This is a book to savour and share several times to enjoy the poetry of the words, the drama of the illustrations and the sense of wonder it evokes about our world, our sun and the solar system.

When you read this book aloud for the first time it might be fun to whisper the first page, perhaps cuddled together under a blanket to create a sense of the dark sky, lifting the blanket off for the last line ‘look up you’ll see the galaxy.’

Point to some of the words in bold as you read, giving these extra emphasis. Revisit favourite pages to enjoy again.

Join in
When you share the book again children might enjoy making the sound effects for the big bang and boom, reading alternate lines or sections of the text with you, enjoying the music of the words or creating actions for certain parts, eg  for ‘the great explosion burst.’

Talk about the book

• Talk about anything new or unfamiliar with your child such as ‘solar system’ and ‘galaxy’.

• Talk together about what children know about the sun and why it is so important for us

• Talk together, or find out, which planet is which/ closest furthest away from the sun.

• Talk about the different varieties of life on earth.

• Share and talk about favourite lines and illustrations.

 

Things to make and do

Be a star watcher
Look at the night sky to see the stars. If possible try to see the sun setting or rising, taking photos if you can.

Act out the story
Practise a performance of the book with actions and sound effects. This is more fun if you or other children join in. Make a recording if you can to listen back to.

Make a picture
Children could use paint or collage to make their own picture of the Big Bang, a starlit night sky or other aspect of the book which inspires them. They could choose a favourite line from the book.

Find out more

Find out more about poet James Carter his books and work here
See also Once Upon a Raindrop (the story of water)

Find out more about the sun – see here

Or watch a video 

Patricia Hegarty, illus. Greg Abbott
Caterpillar Books
Age 3-5 years

Mouse dreams of a happy future in a house of his own. But then he meets several animals all in need of shelter including a frog whose pond has dried up and birds whose tree has been cut down. Mouse decides to happily share the dream home he is building. Word spreads and many more animals arrive. Working together they build mouse’s dream house just in time to shelter from the rain and celebrate together.

Everybody’s Welcome is a beautiful picturebook with delightful illustrations. The clever cut outs and cropped pages capture the growing number of animals arriving and the hive of activity as the house is built.

The rhyming text and repetitive refrain of ‘Everybody’s welcome’ will encourage children to join in as you reread the book. There are important themes to talk about here including the impact of humans on animal habitats and the importance of being welcoming and of working as a team. It is easy to spot the parallels with humans and the reasons they might lose their homes and seek sanctuary.

A positive, warm hearted picture book offering plenty for young readers to think about.

 

Share the story

Read aloud
Read the story aloud to your child, pausing to look at all the animals and activity in the detailed illustrations when your child wants to.

Join in
Children will quickly pick up on the rhyme and refrain. encourage them to join in with the chorus ‘Everybody’s welcome, no matter who they are, wherever they may come from, whether near or far.’

Talk about the story

• Talk about the reasons the animals left their homes why for example people may have cut down the tree or why the pond may have dried up.

• Share favourite illustrations.

• Look at the illustration towards the back of the book of all the animals working on the house together. What jobs are they doing? What sort of things would different animals be good at? This might also lead to a discussion about the kinds of jobs involved in building a house.

Things to make and do

Play the story
Have imaginary conversations between the characters animals seeking shelter and the mouse. Use soft toys, or you could make finger puppets.

Make a welcome sign
On a large piece of paper children could draw or paint a welcome sign like the ones in the story.

Make a mini book with graduated pages
Take four pieces of A 4 paper and fold them in half. Then cut a 3cm strip off the left side of one of them, a 6 cm strip off the second and a 9cm strip off the third leaving the last piece of paper uncut. Place them on top of each other with the complete sheet on the bottom and the smallest on top. You could sew the sheets along the fold to keep them together.

Children could use this mini book to make their own version of the story or to make their own book about animal habitats.

Create a habitat
Find out about minibeasts and their habitats (see below). Collect some snails, or woodlice and recreate a habitat for them at home using a container such as an old fish tank. Look after the creatures by supplying their correct food and providing the right environment for them. Observe them for a few days before releasing back into the wild

Find out more

Other books by Patricia Hegarty include:

Bug Bear with Carmen Saldana

Above and Below with Hanako Clulow

We are Family with Ryan Wheatcroft

Other books illustrated by Greg Abbott include
There’s a Dragon in your Book  and There’s a Monster in your Book with Tom Palmer.

Find out about animal homes and habitats from information books and the internet.

Amazing Animal Homes by Chris Packham and Jason Cockcroft | Find out about how we can protect the natural environment and the habitats of wild life.

How to Help a Hedgehog and Protect a Polar Bear by Jess French, ill. Angela Keoghan,

Go on a Minibeast hunt 
Talk about the different habitats needed for different animals. See here

 

 

So many wonderful picturebooks are published every year. Here is our selection of some of the best new books. These are books we hope you and your children will enjoy sharing again and again which might prompt conversations, creative activities, finding out more or imaginative story play. We hope you enjoy them.

Arlo the Lion who Couldn’t Sleep 

Catherine Rayner
Macmillan Books

Age 3-5

Arlo the lion is exhausted, but he just can’t fall asleep. Owl sees his predicament and has the perfect solution – he sings Arlo a song about relaxing and imagining he is in a lovely place. It works – Arlo sleeps all night and feels so much better when he wakes up, he can’t wait to tell Owl. Unfortunately, now Owl is fast asleep, and Arlo wakes him up!

A beautiful picturebook, perfect for bedtime reading with a simple story and a memorable rhyme to share together. The illustrations are wonderful, textured and appealing. This is a story which might lead to discussions about animals which sleep during the day and during the night.
Buy here 

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Ergo

Alexis Deacon, illus. Viviane Schwarz
Walker Books
Age 5-7*

Ergo is a chick whose life is about to begin. She is inside an egg and developing awareness of her body – her toes, her wings and her beak. This is her world – albeit a very small one. But then Ergo decides to use her toes, her wings and her beak to escape and find out if there are more like her. She discovers she is part of a much bigger world.

This is a book to prompt lots of thinking and talk about our own known worlds and how we find out more about them.

Another philosophical book for children from the team that created the highly successful I am Henry Finch

Fabulous illustrations and striking layout emphasise the confusion of the little chick and her happiness when she discovers she is not alone, and the world is very exciting indeed.

Buy the book

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The Fire Fox

Alexandra Page, illus. Stef Murphy
Two Hoots
Age 5-7+

A beautiful written and sensitive story about a young girl, Freya and her mother who go to stay in a remote cabin set in a snowy landscape. A sense of sadness lingers in the first few pages sensitively suggesting the loss of Freya’s father. Exploring her new environment Freya discovers a magical white fox and they play together. The fox seems to be creating wonderful colours as he speeds through the snowy landscape with Freya. When he disappears, colours fill the sky around her as if a gift left behind for her.

This story is inspired by legends of the Saami people of Northern Scandinavia about a white fox who scatters sparks which form the Northern Lights. It might inspire children to find out more about the Northern Lights, create artwork in response to the ideas or illustrations or prompt conversations about loss, grief and sharing good memories of loved ones.

Buy the book

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Gloria’s Porridge

Elizabeth Laird, illus. Toby Newsome
Tiny Owl
Age 3-5

When Gloria makes a bowl of porridge her cat wants some, but Gloria doesn’t want to share. This leads to a chain of events upsetting not only the cat, but also a donkey, a hive of bees, a hen and finally Gloria herself. Fox hears the rumpus and helps them sort out the problem.

An engaging picturebook telling a simple and satisfying story of consequences highlighting the importance of thoughtfulness. It is based on a traditional Ethiopian folk tale.

Visit our activity page

Buy here

Watch a trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze_Ar97vou4

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Once Upon a Tune    

James Mayhew
Otter Barry Books
Age 7-9+

This is a stunning book containing six carefully selected stories which have inspired great pieces of music including The Sorceror’s Apprentice and In the Hall of the Mountain King. We meet an array of characters including sorcerers, trolls and sea monsters. Scherherazade introduces the brave girl who persuades a bitter sultan into saving her life by bewitching him with stories.

The text is very well written, stories skillfully unfold with some lovely descriptive passages. The illustrations are wonderful with collaged images depicting the story worlds. The back of the book provides information about the composers and the writers whose stories inspired them. There is also a suggested playlist so that families can explore the music inspired by the stories.

A wonderful blend of music, art and storytelling, this is a perfect gift book likely to be treasured and pored over by adults and children alike. It may ignite interest in the music which inspired the story and also encourage children to have a go at storytelling or at creating their own collaged pictures of story settings.
Buy the book

See this video for an insight into the music which inspired the book

https://youtu.be/yhfJEXoG0Ag

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Saving Mr Hoot 

Helen Stephens
Alison Green Books
Age 3-7

When he says Mr Hoot stole his mitten, they think it is just his imagination. All winter long Ben and Mr Hoot call to each other. In springtime a lady with a chainsaw arrives to cut the tree down, but Ben is determined to stop her.

A story about the frustration of making yourself heard when you are very small. There is a strong environmental theme and sharing this story is likely to lead to talk about animal habitats and the impact of cutting down trees. It may lead to greater awareness as children look at the trees in their local environments.

This is a beautifully illustrated story by the creator of the highly popular How to Hide your Lion series.

Buy the book

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Shu Lin’s Grandpa                                   

Matt Goodfellow, illus. Yu Rong
Otter Barry Books
Age 3-7

A young narrator remembers when Shu Lin first joined his school and wasn’t able to speak English well. She didn’t seem to fit in with playground games and had strange things in her packed lunch box. One day Shu Lin’s Grandpa visits and shows the class his beautiful artwork. He has created fabulous worlds with mountains and dragons. Afterwards the children have a go at painting their own magical landscapes. Shu Lin becomes the teacher sharing her brushwork skills, her classmates are very impressed.

This is a story about understanding what it is like to be a new arrival and the importance of acceptance and inclusion. It is likely to prompt discussions about the main character’s feelings.

The book includes a wonderful fold out landscape complete with dragon perfect for storytelling. After this insight into traditional Chinese artwork be ready to get out brushes and paints and a long strip of paper for children to create their own masterpieces.

Buy the book

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SuperJoe Does NOT do Cuddles                                        

Michael Catchpool, illus. Emma Proctor
Lantana  
Age 5-7

SuperJoe has a busy day ahead of him, there is a tiger on the loose!  Before he sets off on his mission, mum wants a cuddle, but SuperJoe has no time for that, and anyway superheroes do NOT do cuddles.  SuperJoe is successful in his mission and two more daring rescues swiftly follow, involving a runaway train and a collapsing bridge, thwarting an arch enemy in the process. After a busy day it turns out the one thing a superhero really needs is a cuddle after all.

A lovely picturebook packed with imagination and adventure likely to inspire storyplay. The illustrations are very attractive and include lots of extra detail to spot, adding to the storytelling. The vocabulary is ambitious giving plenty to discuss.

Visit our activity page

Buy the book

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Ten Delicious Teachers

Ross Montgomery, illus. Sarah Warburton
Walker Books
Age 3-7

Ten teachers miss the school bus and decide to take a short cut through a forest. They don’t spot the hungry monsters waiting to pounce. One by one the monsters pick off the teachers on their way through the forest until only Miss Hunter, the nursery teacher remains. However, she is more than a match for monsters and in no time at all takes them in hand teaching them some manners and how to count to ten!

This is a very silly rhyming counting story with humorous text well matched by the illustrations – the monsters are fantastic and might encourage young readers to design their own.

Buy the book

See the author Ross Montgomery reads from the book in this trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6fJ_JGPOXs

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We’re Going to Find the Monster                                               

Malorie Blackman, illus. Dapo Adeola
Puffin
Age 0-5

Charlie and Eddie set off to find the monster. They go over a shimmering ocean and up a huge high mountain encountering a tiger, a hungry wolf and even a whale along the way. They eventually find the monster – their older brother – under his bedclothes ready to pounce and tickle them both.

This story is a celebration of the power of imagination and family fun. The cumulative text is a joy to read aloud, and children will enjoy hearing it again and again. The illustrations are warm and colourful adding to the storytelling. We find out the whale is really a goldfish and the tiger a stripey cat. One of the main characters has vitiligo and there is a link to find out more information about this condition on the inside cover.

Buy the book

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Catherine Storr
Puffin

Age 7-9

This classic collection was written over 70 years ago, yet it is a surprisingly modern recasting of the traditional tale with a strong female character who uses her intelligence to outwit the less sharp wolf. Despite many hairy encounters with the hungry wolf, there are no quivering females here and granny, too, is made of sterner stuff than might be expected. Timeless.

 

 

 

 

 

Talk about the story

Talk together about the most interesting parts of the story and why you thought so.

Share anything you found surprising or puzzling about the story or the words used.

Can you remember the different ways Polly manages to escape the wolf?

Have you ever overcome your fear of something? Say what happened and how you felt.

What was your favourite story and why?

Things to make and do

Make a story box

Using a shoebox or other small cardboard box, children can cut down two edges so that they can open one side out. Then they can create a scene from one of the stories in the box. They could decorate the inside like a stage, and use animal figures or make animals out of modelling material. Children can then use their scene to retell one, or more, of the stories. Click here

Male up your own wolf tale
Children can write their own traditional or modern story about tricking the wolf using words and pictures.

Make and information book about wolves
What do children know about wolves and what else would they like to find out? From research on the web and in books, children can gather answers to their questions, organise their ideas, and make their own information book to include maps, drawings, diagrams, captions and written material. Some websites to help include:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/wolf/

https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/wolves/

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/wolf.html

http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/gray-wolf/

 

Find out more

Find more stories by this author

Polly and the Wolf Again

More Stories of Clever Polly and the Wolf Again

Tales of Clever Polly and the Hungry Wolf Polly and the Wolf Again

Marianne Dreams

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Durant, illus. Dale Blankenaar
Tiny Owl 
Age 5-7

Noko the porcupine is very tired and hungry. He decides to ask for food from the inhabitants of a small village. However, the villagers are suspicious and refuse so Noko devises a cunning plan. He announces he is going to make quill soup a dish, he alleges he cooks for the king.  The villagers hurry to find the ‘extra’ ingredients he requests. In no time at all there is a tasty soup for everyone to share.

This is a great story to read aloud, with the repeated  visits to the animals’ houses, an amusing trick and an array of exotic animals such as aardvarks and meerkats. The intricate illustrations contain clues to the villagers lies; the monkeys hiding a box of spare food and the rabbits with carrots aplenty inside their warren. 

Based on the European trickster story ‘Stone Soup’ this version is set in Africa.

Share the story

Hear the story read aloud

Read aloud
Read the story aloud pausing when your child wants to talk about what is happening in the story or illustrations. After a first read through go back and looking closely at the illustrations, there is a lot to spot,  such as what’s going on in the animals’ houses and whether they are telling the truth about having no food.

Join in
Your child might like to join in with the animals’ responses to porcupine, when he knocks on their doors and later when he wants ingredients for his ‘quill’ soup.

Talk about the story

• Talk about how the animals behaved to porcupine and why they changed their minds.

• Look closely for clues to show the animals lied in the pictures (eg monkey hiding a secret store of food)

• What would your child say to the animals about how they should behave if they have more hungry visitors?

• Should the porcupine have lied to the animals? Why did he do this? What does your child think?

Watch the trailer

 

Things to make and do

Act it out
Pretend to be porcupine and have a conversation with different animals; perhaps aardvark, pangolin and meerkat.

Edible Soup
Using household items and vegetables or other food stuffs make two collections, one of things that are edible (ie vegetables) and things that are not (eg string, cardboard).

With your child choose some things from the edible items to make some soup. Here is one recipe but you can adapt according to vegetables you have available and individual taste

Make a welcome poster
Give your child a piece of A4 paper to design a friendly poster for any future visitors to the animals’ village– talk together about what the ‘slogan’ might be eg Strangers Welcome Here! Then they could decide on an illustration.

Find out more

Find out about more about the book
See the publisher’s website: this also includes downloadable resources and a poster.

Read more books by author Alan Durant  

Picturebooks include:

Angus Rides the Goods Train illustrated by Chris Riddell
A Dinosaur called Tiny illustrated by Jo Simpson
Billy Monster’s Daymare illustrated by Ross Collins

Hear Stone Soup read aloud – the European version of the story.

Find out more about the animals mentioned in the story and make a mini book.

You might be able to visit a zoo or wildlife park to see them in real life.

Make an information book

• Use information books and the internet to find out more about the African animals listed in the story  
  

• Children could make a mini book with a page for each of the animals they have found out about.

  The pangolin, for example is an endangered animal. This could lead to a discussion about why different animals are endangered and what we can do to help preserve them.

• Perhaps your child might like to adopt an endangered animal to help in its conservation.  

 

Malorie Blackman, illus. Dapo Adeola
Puffin
Age 3-5

Charlie and Eddie set off to find ‘the monster.’ They go over a shimmering ocean and up a huge, high mountain, encountering a tiger, a hungry wolf and even a whale along the way. They eventually find the monster – who is in fact their older brother – hiding under his bedclothes ready to pounce and tickle them both.

This story is a celebration of the power of imagination and family fun. The cumulative text is a joy to read aloud, and children will enjoy hearing it again and again. We find out the whale is really a goldfish and the tiger a stripey cat. The illustrations are warm and colourful adding to the storytelling.

One of the main characters has vitiligo and there is a link to find out more information about this condition on the inside cover.

Watch the story read aloud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cng5mdBv3WM

Share the story

Read Aloud
Read the story aloud to your child. It’s worth having a think about how you will read it before starting – there are places where you can get louder and others where you might decide to whisper.

Join in
When your child is familiar with the story encourage them to join in with parts such as ‘He’ll be grumpy and hungry.’ and ‘Look out there’s a….!’ ‘We’re Going to find the monster!

Talk about the book
Share your favourite pages and talk together about what is happening in the story and illustrations.
Talk about what all the places and scary creatures in the story really were – for example see if your child can find what the tiger, dog or whale were, the high mountain or the shimmering ocean
Talk about any words your child is unfamiliar with eg ‘shimmering’ and ‘fiend’
If your child notices Charlie’s skin is different to Eddie’s, you could talk about this together perhaps using the link below. (This link is also in the inside cover of the book).

Things to make and do

Play the story
Go on an imaginary monster hunt around the house and garden pretending you are going up mountains through jungles and past lakes. could imagine you are going past wild animals too – using pets or soft toys.  Practise creeping and whispering as you go. Playing the story would be even more fun if someone can play the monster waiting to chase and tickle!

Make a story map
After you have been on a monster hunt make a big map together like the one in the story of the imaginary places you went. You could encourage your child to do most of the drawing and then you could write the labels for them.

Play a word game
Have fun describing the monster ‘He’ll be grumpy and prickly’ – you could use words from the story and add some of your own, see how many you can think of together to make a really long list.

Find out More

Read more books by author Malorie Blackman Home page – Malorie Blackman ~ Author of Noughts and Crosses

Other picture books include Jessica Strange illustrated by Alison Bartlettand I want a Cuddle illustrated by Joanne Partis

Books for younger readers include Betsey Biggalow and The Girl Wonder series and Space Race

Read more books by illustrator Dapo Adeola

Hey You! Written and Edited by Dapo Adeola

Look Up! and Clean Up! written by Nathan Bryon

My Dad is a Grizzly Bear written by Swapna Haddow

Find out more about vitiligo Home – The Vitiligo Society

The books in our list challenge traditional stereotypes and gender marketing, demonstrating that being a girl does not require you to dress or behave in a certain way and you can be the hero in the story too. They show strong female characters choosing what they want to play with, having adventures and standing up for themselves. Our list includes recently published books and well known stories. There are also real life stories here of significant women, some alive today such as the inspirational Malala and some who have made a difference throughout history as well.

We hope this collection will help inspire girls to aspire and that you will enjoy sharing them with your daughters, and with your sons too.

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Leigh Hodgkinson
Walker
Age 3-7 years

The rhyme There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly meets the story of The Princess and the Pea in this enjoyable picturebook. One pea in a huge bowl of peas suddenly announces that he is SO hungry! He proceeds to consume anything edible he can find including bread, soup and cheese. After moving onto inedible items (ie the table) he decides to have a break. He chooses to sleep in the bedroom of a very grumpy princess, hiding under her pile of quilts. As expected, when the princess goes to bed, she is uncomfortable and can’t sleep. Eventually the princess decides she is hungry and before long finds the pea in her bed and you can guess how the story ends…

Echoing the traditional rhyme, this version has a cumulative text and an enjoyable rhythm; young readers will enjoy joining in once they are familiar with the story. This is a book with lots of humour in the text and illustrations. The book is beautifully designed, including the varied font, the word ‘soup’ for example, is deliciously drippy.

Share the story

Read aloud
Read (or sing!) the story aloud to your child. Encourage children to join in if they want to.

Join in
You could take turns on different lines as you read or tell the story. For children beginning to read, point out the names of the foods printed in bold text.

Talk about the story
◼︎Does this story remind your child of other stories or rhymes they know?
◼︎There are lots of words for eating in the story, see how many you can collect together ( eg gobble, wolf, munch)
◼︎Spot the cat on each of the pages, what might he/she be thinking?
◼︎Why might the princess be so grumpy

Things to make and do

Test your memory
Can you remember the rhyme in the book or the traditional rhyme on which it is based? See the link to an animation of it below. Have a go at reciting or singing the rhyme together. You could try this anywhere, eg in the bath or on the way to school. It doesn’t matter if you forget the order or make some of it up – just have fun with it and perhaps you will create your own version.

The cat’s version
A cat can be seen watching what the pea is up to. Talk together about what the cat might be thinking. Fold a large piece of paper into six or eight sections. Draw a picture of the cat with a thought bubble in each section. Help your child to write the cat’s thoughts at different points in the story.

Write a food poem
Make a pile of small pieces of paper. On separate pieces of paper help your child to write some of the food names in the story and on others the different words for eating.

Once you have listed them try to add more food words and if you can more words for eating.

Now try putting them together, a food word and an eating word in different ways to make a list poem – this might be the same as the story or completely different. Once you are satisfied with your list poem stick the pieces of paper onto a large sheet or paper or newspaper and  read it out loud together.

Find out more

Find out more about Leigh Hodgkinson
Read more picturebooks by Leigh Hodgkinson, titles include:
Pencil Dog
Are you sitting comfortably?
Goldilocks and the Three Potties
Troll Swap
Colin and the Wrong Shadow

Watch an animation of the traditional rhyme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0_4hkfR7WE

Find out about Anderson’s tale about The Princess and the Pea

Read Mini Grey’s version, The Pea and the Princess.

 

 

Michael Rosen, Chris Riddell (illus)       
Walker Books
Age 0-5 years

This is a delightful and award winning book. Full of fun and language play, it’s a perfect entry to the world of poetry and rhyme. Very young children will want to hear, and repeat these contemporary rhymes again and again, just as they can with traditional nursery rhymes.

There’s lots which will resonate with young children and their parents as many of the poems tap into familiar feelings and experiences; being excited about a party in Party Time, feeling anxious in Lost, being told what to do in Are you Listening? or wanting to have a go at something in Let me do it.

This is an inspired collaboration between two of our Lovemybooks’ patrons; a great poet, Michael Rosen, and a great illustrator, Chris Riddell, with joyous results.

 

Share the book

You could read the poems in order or browse and dip into the book, stopping to share the pages that take your fancy. Children will develop their own favourites (and so will you!) and enjoy hearing you reading them again and again. Encourage children to join in with the words and actions and perhaps with completing the rhymes.

I don’t want, Oh Dear and Let Me Do It are just three of the poems with repeated lines or choruses which would be great fun for children to join in with.

The illustrations are absolutely delightful and children will enjoy looking at them and talking about them. Which are their favourite pages?

Watch Michael Rosen perform ‘I am Angry’ here:

Kids’ Poems and Stories With Michael Rosen

Visit Michael Rosen’s YouTube channel with more performances from A Great Big Cuddle

Things to do

• Recite The Button Bop  when you are buttoning up clothes.

• Dance to Tippy-Tappy and Music.

• After sharing Boing Boing children can try to roll up like a ball or pounce like a tiger. Wiggly Wiggly will encourage lots of delightful wiggling, jiggling and giggling.

• Finger story  will encourage finger play and thinking together what fingers can do.

• Practise counting down together with Party Time.

• At mealtime you can repeat the words of Lunchtime, crunching and munching.

• In I AM HUNGRY you can have fun together talking about all the things you’d eat if you were really hungry, or what makes you really angry in I AM ANGRY. Can children make a really angry face?

• With Once they can enjoy looking scary like a terrible ‘Berrible’ perhaps looking at their faces in a mirror! Children might like to draw their own picture of a terrible Berrible.

 

Find out more

See our top ten poetry books here

More about poetry and rhyme here

Walker and Booktrust have produced some downloadable activity sheets on this book.

Read more books by Michael Rosen. His books for the very young include:

We’re Going on a Bearhunt

This is Our House

Little Rabbit Foo Foo

Michael Rosen has also written a wide range of poetry and information books for older children and also the Uncle Gobb series of novels Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed

Chris Riddell  has illustrated many children’s books and is author and illustrator of the Ottoline and Goth Girl series. See our activity ideas for Ottoline and the Yellow Cat here.

David Mills, ill. Derek Brazell
Mantra Lingua
Age 3-7

Lima arrives home from school feeling really hungry. Her mother tells her there is plenty of food in the kitchen – but she is not to eat the red-hot chilli! It is not hard to guess what happens next – in no time at al Lima has crunched the chilli and her mouth is on fire. It takes the efforts of Lima’s whole family to solve the problem.

Written over twenty years ago this picturebook continues to be popular and well-loved. It is an amusing warmly illustrated story, available in a wide range of dual language versions.

Watch the story read aloud

https://youtu.be/oAADAbVDS3k

Share the story

Read Aloud
Before reading the book to your child look through it yourself and think about how you will read it – the more dramatic the better to show

Read aloud
Read the story aloud to your child either in English or in your home language.

Join in
When reading the book again encourage your child to join in with the text, for example with the ‘too hard’ or ‘too high’   or the cries of ‘Water, water, try some water!’

Join in
You could encourage two- and three-year-olds to join in as you read, shouting ‘banana’ and saying ‘please.’

Talk about the book
▪︎ Which page did you like best?
▪︎ Have you tasted any of the foods in the story?
▪︎ What would you tell Lima if you met her?

Things to make and do

Play a word game
With your child play a call and response game – taking turns with one of you suggesting something Lima might have tried and the other one replying with how it tasted. You could use foods mentioned in the story and add your own ideas, for example:

1^st person – Lima tried the coconut, 2^nd person – But it was too hard.

1^st person – Lima tried the lemon, 2^nd person – But it was too bitter.

Visit a food market
If possible, visit a local fruit and vegetable market and look at the foods on display and talk about what you see.

Tasting
Taste some of the foods mentioned in the story eg mango, coconut, jelly. Taste some other foods that are new to your child too (perhaps something you found at the market and talk together about how they taste.

Cook with chilli together
Cook a chilli recipe together – here are two options

Chilli con carne for kids recipe | Cooking with my kids

Kid Friendly, Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe (kitchencounterchronicle.com)

Vegetable Chilli | Parent Club

Paint a fiery picture
Give your child some paper and yellow and red paint and encourage them to paint a picture in fiery colours, reds, yellows and oranges – talk about how you mix the orange as you do so.

Find out More

See our Food section for more stories about food

Find out how to grow chilli peppers CBeebies | How to Grow Chilli Peppers | Down on the Farm – Bing video

Find out about the world’s hottest chilli Carolina Reaper: 5 facts about the world’s hottest chilli – CBBC Newsround