Stick Man

Stick Man lives in the family tree

With his Stick Lady Love 

and their stick children three . .  .

This is the last of our focus author books for this term - and as anticipated, the children loved it!

One day after waking early, Stick Man goes for a jog - but ends up having lots of adventures . . . 

Sienna told us "I liked the dog when it chased Stick Man!"

Isabel said "I liked the little stick and the pond cause it was so pretty"

Before long, Stick Man finds himself helping Santa who had got stuck in a chimney . . . 

Joe - "I liked Stick Man when he helped Santa"

Now Santa was able to continue on his journey to 

deliver the toys . . . 

Alfie - "Stick Man helped Father Christmas"

Erin P - "I liked it when Stick Man helped Father Christmas"

With only one chimney to go, faster and faster they flew through the snow.

Then at last, Stick Man was back where he wanted to be, safely at home in the family tree!

We hope you enjoy this book as much as we did - perhaps you managed to watch the story on the television over Christmas - let us know! 

The Gruffalo's Child

The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should 

Ever set foot in the deep dark wood.

The children have loved sharing our most recent Julia Donaldson book - this is how Aisha described what the story was about . . . 

"The Gruffalo Child tiptoed out of the cave to find the Big Bad Mouse and he found a kind mouse and then the Big Bad Mouse came in the moon and the shadow gave him  fright!"

It was great fun joining in with the repetative text, and lots of the children predicted who the Gruffalo's Child was going to find hiding each time she thought it might be the Big Bad Mouse leaving a trail in the snow.

Oliver BH told us "I liked the big Gruffalo and the moon - cause it made a shadow"

Finley said "Sometimes they go bigger and sometimes they go smaller (shadows). The moon is shining bright"

Cherry added "I liked the shadow cause it made a big shadow of the mouse"

Have a read of the story and let us know which your favourite part was - and why! 

Night Monkey Day Monkey

Having found out about how Diwali is celebrated both during the day time and night time, we thought that this next Julia Donaldson book would be a good one to share . . . 

Night Monkey and Day Monkey's worlds are as different as . . .  night and day! What one fears, the other loves.

But in learning about each other's opposite worlds, they also learn to be the best of friends.

Lexie said "I liked the monkeys because they swing on trees"

Jaydn said "I like butterflies" He flapped his arms as he continued "Wings are moving"!

Eli told us "I loved the shadow bit"

Aisha said "My favourite was the girl monkey because she said 'don't be daft' to the boy monkey"!

Have a read of the book and let us know what your favourite part was. We would love to hear from you!

Room on the Broom

Many of the children were eager to tell us about their experiences of Halloween when we came back after half-term!

We thought that this would be the ideal next Julia Donaldson book to share with them . . .

Here are just a few of the quotes from the children after we had read the story:

Colette - "I liked the cat because he was sitting next to the witch"

Missy - "The witch got on the broom, it flyed away. The broom falled in the grass"

William - "The witch - she meeted the dragon - put her by the mud!"

Ewan - "At the end, there's a new broom!"

We would love to hear what you thought about this story - post a comment and let us know!

The Gruffalo

Having enjoyed our Autumnal experience beneath the trees, we thought this next Julia Donaldson book would be a great one to share!

Lots of children were already familiar with the story and enjoyed joining in with the parts they could remember!

We talked about what the Gruffalo was like . . . 

Wanda liked his orange eyes!

"I like his big teeth" (Mia)

Grace told us "The Gruffalo's going to put the mouse inside a sandwich!"

When we had finished reading the story, Finley said "I liked the owl - Gruffalo scared him off!"

We would love to hear what your favourite part of the story was - post us a comment and let us know!

The Scarecrows' Wedding

As part of our Harvest celebrations, we have been thinking about the scarecrows that help to keep the produce safe from the birds - and this story from Julia Donaldson seemed to be an ideal choice for our next focus author book!

Betty O'Barley and Harry O'Hay were scarecrows - they planned to have a wedding, the best wedding yet, a wedding that no one will ever forget!

They made a list of the things they would need on the day and went on a hunt round the farm - lots of the animals helped them along the way. 

Cherry said she liked it "When the cows shaked their bells for the scarecrow"

Isabel told us "The snail followed the old man"

But the snail was so slow . . . it took more than a day. The farmer came by with a frown on his face, and he made a new scarecrow to take Harry's place.

Georgia - "I liked it when the scarecrow found another scarecrow"

But Reginald Rake accidently started a fire - Betty was in danger as the flames flickered higher.

Then Harry arrived just in time - Jaydn told us "He put the water on the fire"

Having saved Betty's life, now they could at last become husband and wife!

We hope you enjoy reading the complete story - and finding out who helped them with all the items on their list.

Have you been to a wedding? We would love to hear all about it. Post us a comment and let us know! 

What the Ladybird Heard

The Gingerbread Man met some different animals during his adventure - which ended with the sly old fox!

We thought the children would enjoy meeting some more animals - in fact a whole farmyard of them - in this great story from Julia Donaldson . .  .

Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan to steal the farmer's fine prize cow. But they reckon without the tiniest, quietest creature of all: she has a plan of her own.

Some of the children recognised the book as they have it at home:

"I got that book. My favourite part is the pig cause I love pigs" (Georgia)

"The bad guys are going to get the cow and the farmer called the Policeman and they drived a police car!" (Ewan)

"And the men fell into the duck pond and the Policemen got them" (Harley)

"I love the sheep bit cause it's my favourite animal on the farm" (Aisha)

Have a read of the book and post us a comment to let us know which was your favourite animal and why!

Monkey Puzzle

As the children have been getting to know each other, we have been finding out about some of the similarities and differences between them.

Monkey Puzzle is a lovely story all about Butterfly helping Monkey to find his mum . . .

Leyla - "The monkey lost his mum"

"Hush, little monkey, don't you cry, I'll help you find her" said Butterfly.

"She's big!" said the monkey. "Bigger than me."

Lexie - "I liked the monkeys mum cause she's bigger than him"

"Bigger than you? Then I've seen your mum.

Come, little monkey, come, come, come."

But somehow Butterfly keeps getting it wrong!

"No, no, no! That's an elephant. 

My mum isn't a great grey hunk. 

She hasn't got tusks or a curly trunk.

She doesn't have great thick baggy knees.

And anyway, her tail coils round trees."

Iris - "I like the elephant cause he's got a trunk"

Butterfly takes monkey to several other animals as the story continues, but none of them are the right one. Eventually they think they have found her hiding place, could they have found mum? 

"No, no, no! That's my dad!"

But dad comes to the rescue and takes him home to . . . MUM!

Isabelle - "I liked the end cause the little monkey found his mummy"

Which part of the story did you enjoy? Did you have a favourite animal? Post us a comment and let us know!

Superworm!

Meet the wriggliest, squiggliest superhero in the world!

This term our focus Author is going to be Julia Donaldson, and when we read in the Induction notes from parents that this was Ella's favourite book, we thought it would be a great one to start with!

As anticipated, Ella was very excited when she saw the book and told us - "Superworm is super-long. He's wide and kind. Superworm is super-strong!"

Some of the other children also recognised the book and several tried hard to join in with the chant:

'Superworm is super-long.

Superworm is super-strong.

Watch him wiggle! See him squirm!

Hip, hip, hooray for SUPERWORM!'

There was lots of discussion as we started to read and meet the different characters. . .

Sienna - "Birds have beaks because they need beaks (why?) to eat!"

Oliver BH - "They like worms" (to eat)

Alesha - "He (the crow) might eat him!" (Superworm)

Sienna - "The spiders, they hang down and make spider webs. And there's a caterpillar. Bees - honey comes from bees - how do they make honey?"

When we had finished the book, we shared the children's thoughts about the story . . . 

Caleb - "I like Superworm because he's so strong!"

Willow - "I liked the bees ones 'cause that's my favourite part. I didn't like the lizard part (why not?) it was too scary!"

We would love to hear what you thought about the story - post us a comment or two and let us know! 

Whoosh around the Mulberry Bush . . .

Holding hands, linking toes, paw in paw, or tail to nose . . . 

We really enjoyed sharing this lovely book - here are just a few of the children's favourite parts:

Louie - "I like the polar bears because they were sliding"

Amelia - "I liked it when the frog did a handstand"

Evie - "I liked the bats, they flap and do 

whatever they want to!"

Casper - "I liked the end when they're all spinning round!"

We would love to hear about your favourite 

part too - let us know!

The Wheels on the Bus

'The Wheels on the Bus' is one of our favourite action 

rhymes - so we thought this would be a good 

choice for our next book . . .

The fun really starts when the bus drives into a wildlife park!

Ava S - "I liked the birdies. I liked them 

because they were colourful"

Billy - "I liked the baboons cause they jumped"

Meadow - "I like the animals because they 

were all different colours"

Emily - "I like the bus because they're singing!" (the people)

Have you been to a wildlife park? 

Which animals did you enjoy seeing?

Let us know!

Over in the Clover

We had enjoyed looking at a variety of different areas within our school grounds, and thought this would be a lovely book to share!

Over in the forest, in a cave so snug, 

one cubby bear gives his mummy a hug.

Tillie - "I like the kangaroos cause they were so bouncy!"

Seren - "I liked the kittens running round"

Leyla - "I like the doggies cause they are so soft"

Thomas W - "I like the tadpoles - they're tiny frogs 
and big frogs!"

As well as enjoying all the animals, you can follow the count-along rhyme from one to ten!

We hope you enjoy this book too - let us know which was your favourite type of animal!

If you're happy and you know it!

This term we are going to be sharing books by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner . . . 

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands . . . 

. . . or wag your tail, snap your beak and jump about!

This was a lovely book to start with - here are just a few of the children's favourite animals that were in it . . .

"I liked the elephant because I liked doing that!" - Eva demonstrated using her hands to 'flap her ears'!

"I liked it when the crocodile snapped his teeth" - Kaitlin

"I liked it when the toucan came because he 

was so funny!" - Nate

"I liked it when the gorilla came up cause I liked 

beating my chest!" - Louis P

Which animal did you like the best?

What do you like to do when you are happy? 

Let us know!

In Wibbly's Garden

In Wibbly Pig's garden

there is a BIG surprise waiting 

for Wibbly, and for you!

This is another great story written by Mick Inkpen - and the children loved looking behind the flaps!

When Wibbly Pig put all his things under a flowerpot, Noah correctly predicted what would happen next . . .

"I think a giant beanstalk grows up" 

Kaitlin liked the part when "Wibbly Pig found a castle" and she remembered what Wibbly Pig had climbed up to find it - 

"A beanstalk!"

Thomas W told us "There's a giant!" and he remembered that he was looking for his "Hen".

Ava M told us "I liked the chicken egg, by the hen" and she told us that the hen was "On the beanstalk"

We won't tell you what happens next - we don't want to spoil the story for you, but read it and let us know what you think!

Wibbly Pig has 10 Balloons

Wibbly Pig is very proud of his 10 balloons.

But his friends arrive and everybody wants one.

Soon even his favourite teddy bear balloon has gone.

The children enjoyed counting down as poor Wibbly Pig gave away his balloons one at a time - and then Big Pig's sister let the others go!

"When the teddy bear one floated in the air" was Aaron's favourite part of the story!

And we all jumped when one of the balloons went 'POP!'

"I liked it when it popped" (Tillie)

As Wibbly Pig and Tiny Pig sat sadly in the park, something wonderful happened - "Teddy balloon came back" (Archie).

Archie thought this would make them "Happy!"

Ellie W also liked the "Teddy bear one when it came back" - this was her favourite part of the story.

Read this lovely book and let us know which balloon you would have liked to have, and why!

Lullabyhullaballoo!

The sun is down.

The moon is up.

It is past bedtime.

But outside the castle . . .

This is another classic bedtime story from Mick Inkpen and the children were once again captivated!

The Little Princess was trying to get to sleep, but there was lots of noise outside from a variety of delightful characters . . .

Poppy - "I liked the ghosts because they were all scary!"

Evie - "I liked them cause they're so spooky and white!"

The giant was stamping, galumphing and stomping! He asked if he should take off his boots . . .

Meadow - "He will still be loud! A bit loud, but not really loud"

Lily said she liked the wolves howling - they were out in the forest.

But when the Princess started crying and everyone sang her a lullaby, there was an enormous LULLABYHULLABALLOO!

We hope you enjoy this story as much as we did - let us know what you thought of it!

Kipper's Birthday!

When exactly is Kipper's birthday party?

Is it today? Or tomorrow perhaps?

Or was it yesterday?

This has been a great book and the children have had so much fun this week - we have had our own birthday party for Kipper!

Here are just a few of the children's thoughts about the story . . . 

Lydia - "Kipper didn't know how to make a cake!"

Kipper put in lots of currants and eggs, flour and sugar -  he stirred the mixture until his arm ached. Next he added some cherries and stirred it once more . . . 

Louie C - "I think it will explode cause it's too fat and it will spill all over the floor!" 

Kipper began to feel hungry waiting for his friends to arrive . . . 

Amelia - "Kipper ate all the cake!"

Kipper slept through the evening and into the night, dreaming about his cake . . . 

Charlie - "I liked the bit when he was climbing the mountain of cake!"

Read the book to find out what happened next!

We'd love to hear how you celebrate your birthday - let us know!

Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear

Lots of the children have got a special teddy at home, and we have been reading about Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear!

Billy - "I liked the bear when he picked the peas up and he put them in his mouth"

He eats his peas one at a time. It takes him ages!

Because, you see, he cannot use a spoon.

Seren - "I liked it when he couldn't use a spoon for his peas!"

He eats his ice cream with his paws, and gets it everywhere!

Freddie - "He didn't know how to eat his ice cream - he didn't use a spoon"

He will be amazed at the bubbles you blow for him.

Taylor - "He spilled the bubbles! And he's got big paws"

We all loved Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear - we hope you do to!

Let us know which was your favourite part of the story.

  

One Year With Kipper

In January Kipper makes a New Year Resolution about throwing snowballs at Tiger . . .

In this great story, we go through the year with Kipper and see which photograph he takes each month . . .

Eva - "I liked it when Kipper took the photos!"

In April, Kipper was catching tadpoles. Louis told us all 

about them . . . 

"They have a tail, then their legs start to grow and then they turn into frogs!"

It was in August that Kipper took a parachute ride 

above the sea . . .

Elijah - "I liked the part when Kipper was flying"

But Charlie thought September was best after Kipper and Tiger had been picking blackberries . . . 

"I liked the bit where Tiger had all the berries on his hands and on his nose!"

Perhaps you could make a photographic record of your year.

Which month do you think would be your favourite?

Kipper's Toybox

Someone or something had been nibbling a hole in Kipper's Toybox . . . 

This is our second Mick Inkpen book - and just like the first, we thought it was great!

"I love Kipper!" (Alex)

"He took his toys out and he counted them" (Thomas TE)

We all joined in and helped Kipper to count!

Ethan liked the part when Sock Thing was going away from Kipper - but poor Kipper wasn't sure what to do - none of his toys had ever come to life before!

"I liked it when the mouse was nibbling Kipper's Toybox" (Jamie)

We would love to hear what you thought about the story - read it and let us know!

Kipper's Snowy Day!

This term in the Nursery, we are going to be sharing books from the wonderful author Mick Inkpen.

As we had seen a sprinkling of snow on Boxing Day, and have been thinking about 'Winter' this week - we thought 'Kipper's Snowy Day' would be a great book to start with!

We weren't disappointed - the children loved this story and enjoyed it even more when we watched the video!

Ava S - "The dog (Kipper) did footprints all around his garden"

Honey liked it when Tiger and Kipper rolled down the hill.

Leyla - "I liked the doggy snowman thing!"

Nate - "The sun melted him!"

We're sure you'll enjoy this story too - let us know.