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!