Stick Man

Stick Man lives in the family tree

With his Stick Lady Love 

and their stick children three . . .  

This has been the final Julia Donaldson book that we have shared together this term as part of our Author focus.

It was a great one to finish with - particularly as Santa made an appearance!

Stick Man had woken early one day and went for a jog - but had a few mishaps along the way!

"A dog got him" - Joshua G

"The boys and girls throwed him in  the river and he floated away and he wanted to see his tree family and he was lost" - Zak

The children were using him as part of their game of Pooh-sticks!

 "Once me and my mum played it. We throwed sticks in the river" - Jasper

After lots more mini adventures, Stick Man fell asleep and was picked up as a 'good stick for the fire'. He was woken by a noise from up above . . .

"Santa just came down the chimney. The Stick Man didn't move. The cat runned away because Santa came down - that's why - he's scared of him" - Lola

"It's good! Santa comed out the chimney" - Maggie

"Santa takes him home on his sleigh to his family tree" - Albie

This was a lovely ending to a lovely book.

We have really enjoyed all the Julia Donaldson books that we have read together - and will continue to enjoy them even when we change our focus author next term.

Which have been your favourites?

We would love you to let us know.

The Gruffalo's Child

We enjoyed the story of 'The Gruffalo' so much that we couldn't wait to find out what happened in the next book . . .  

In this story, the Gruffalo's Child ignores her father's warning and tiptoes out into the snow in search of the Big Bad Mouse!

The children had fun trying to predict who it was that the Gruffalo's Child might meet next as she followed the trails in the snow - and we looked for clues in the illustrations . . .

"It's the fox - it has whiskers and a tail - orange and white" (Harry R)

We talked about how the Gruffalo's Child might be feeling . . .

"I think the mouse is too big for the little Gruffalo - he's going to scare the Gruffalo and make a big shadow" (Gracie)

Ben G predicted what might happen next . . . 

"I think the mouse is going to make a big shadow with a nut on his shoulder"

Have you read this wonderful story yet? 
Was Ben correct in his prediction?

We enjoyed the story so much that we are going to read it again next week - but this time, with added sound effects - and with a little visitor!

We would love to hear what you thought of the story, let us know!

The Gruffalo

We have been having fun exploring the autumnal changes in and around our school trees.  

This wonderful story by Julia Donaldson was the ideal choice for our next book!

Lots of the children recognised it and several joined in with 'A gruffalo? What's a gruffalo?' 'A gruffalo! Why, didn't you know?'

Rory told us "I like the Gruffalo's claws"

Sam said "The Gruffalo's big"

Logan added "He's got big eyes" and Ella-Grace said "He's got big teeth"

Isla told us "The mouse was small"

We also met a fox, an owl and a snake!

Have a read of this great story and let us know who your favourite character was - we would love to hear from you!

Room on the Broom

Some of the children have been telling us about their Halloween adventures, so we thought this would be a good story to choose next from Julia Donaldson . . .  

The witch had a cat
and a very tall hat,
And long ginger hair
which she wore in a plait.
How the cat purred
and how the witch grinned,
As they sat on their broomstick
and flew through the wind.

This was a lovely rhyming story!

Jenson told us "I liked the cat, it was looking for the hat"

Arlo said "The bit I loved is the dragon breathing fire at the witch"

Jasper agreed - "I liked the dragon cause he was going to eat the witch"

Have a read of the story and find out what happens!

 

We would love to hear if you celebrated Halloween - post us a comment and let us know! 

Rabbit's Nap

We have been talking about rabbits a lot recently - so we thought this might be a good book to share with 

the children . . .

It was lots of fun lifting the flaps to find out who was keeping Rabbit awake!

When we talked to the children about their favourite part, Mila told us "The mice, because they were hiding"

JJ agreed - "I liked the mice because the rabbit 

couldn't see them"

Zak told us "I liked the rabbit because the rabbit 

opened the gate"

And Ben F said "I liked Tortoise riding on his bike"

Builder Bear and Fox also manage to keep Rabbit from her sleep - read the story and see what happens at the end!

We would love to hear from you - let us know which character was your favourite.

The Rhyming Rabbit

The children have been having lots of fun pretending to be rabbits looking for some lovely carrots to eat this week - and so this next Julia Donaldson book seemed to be the obvious choice!

The Rhyming Rabbit has a talent for making up poems - and through the story we join him as meets some of the characters that inspire his poetry!

Skylar recognised the book - she told us that her Nanny Di had it at her house!

Towards the end of the story, Rhyming Rabbit meets a woolly sheep - she makes up poems all the time too!

Eve liked both the Rabbit and the sheep because they were friends.

After we had finished the book, William told us "Me liked bunnies!"

We hope you like this book too - perhaps you could have a go at making up your own poem, just like Rhyming Rabbit - we would love to hear it if you do!

The Scarecrow's Wedding

The children have been enjoying participating in the action rhyme 'Dingle Dangle Scarecrow' so we thought we would introduce them to this next Julia Donaldson book . . .

The story is about Betty O'Barley and Harry O'Hay - they are hoping to have the best wedding ever, the best wedding yet, the wedding that no one will ever forget.

But what will happen when Reginald Rake arrives - will he spoil their special day?

Part way through the story, Betty is in danger as flames flicker higher . . . but don't worry, her true love appears and puts out the fire!

JJ told us "I liked that man who put out the fire"

Harry R also liked this part of the story - "The man put it out with a bucket"

We hope you enjoy reading this book and finding out what else happens in the story - Flynn told us afterwards - "They had a party!"

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

Superworm

As we have been exploring ways to use different parts of our body -  such as our head or shoulder to balance a bean bag on, our feet to kick a ball, and our hands to throw, catch or roll a ball - we thought this next book by Julia Donaldson would be a good choice . . .

Meet the wriggliest, squiggliest superhero in the world!

We had lots of fun joining in with the rhyme about Superworm, and finding out about all of the wonderful things that he can do with his body to help out his friends.

When Wizard Lizard tells Superworm to find him some treasure in the soil, Thomas predicted that Superworm would "Dive under the mud" and then "He will come back wriggling!"

Looking at the illustration of the spider weaving a web, Mila told us "It looks like a net that catches someone!"

We won't spoil the story by telling you here what happened, but Ben G told us "I liked the bit when it was at the end when he was a swing - cause some people went on it"

Have a read of the book yourself - we would love to hear what you think and if you have a favourite part.

Let us know!

What the Ladybird Heard . . .

Alongside all of our theme related books and rhymes in Nursery, we are going to focus on a range of story books written by Julia Donaldson this term.

As we have been using our ears to do a lot of  'listening', we thought this would be a good book to start with . . .

Two crafty robbers, one tiny ladybird, and a whole farmyard of fun!

This is a great story about how Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len try to steal the farmer's fine prize cow - until the ladybird comes to the rescue!

Here are just a few of the children's responses . . .

Albie - "I liked the duck cause he went 'quack, quack, quack' noise!"

Jenson - "I liked the Policeman and he took the two men away"

Arlana also liked this part of the story, she told us "I like the police car because the police took the baddies away!"

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

The Wheels on the Bus!

As we had chosen the 'Bus' to be one of our 'Transport Tribes' - we thought this would be a great book to share from our focus author!

Everyone knows that the wheels on the bus go round and round, but in this book, the bus drives into a wildlife park and we get to meet all sorts of animals!

Theo told us "I liked the birds - because they singed a song, they sing ting-a-ling!"

Ebony said "I liked the monkeys (baboons) cause they jumped on the bus!"

Aisha told us "I liked the hippos because they were crawling through the mud"

Wanda liked "The fluffy animals (Llamas) - they're girls!"

Megan's favourite part was "Going on the bus - because the children were on there!"

And Boyan reminded us - "The wheels on the bus go round and round!"

We had lots of fun making up our own new verses and actions to add to the song - can you think of some too?

Post us a comment and share them with us - we would love to hear from you! 

Whoosh around the Mulberry Bush

We went 'around' part of our school field during our Race for Life event, so we thought this book would be a good choice to read next from our focus author! 

Based on the song, it includes animal noises and actions from a variety of habitats, including the garden, seashore and desert to name but a few!

Isabel C spotted a picture of a jelly fish and told us "Jelly fish sting, one stung me on the back of my foot!"

After sharing the book, Mia said "I liked the snake because she was long"

Alfie told us "I liked the giraffe because it was running with the zebra"

Sam chose the same page of the book - "I liked the crocodile cause he was in the water"

Lucy chose a different animal - "The bunny rabbit, he was sliding down the ice"

William said "I liked the bit with the frogs because they were all jumping"

Isabelle K chose the starry night page - "I love the owl because he was flapping his wings"

Which habitat and animals were your favourite?

Post us a comment and let us know!

If You're Happy And You Know It!

We were all really happy last week when we celebrated the Queen's 90th Birthday, so we thought this would be a good book to choose next from our focus author!

'If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands . . . 
. . . or wag your tail, snap your
beak and jump about!'

"I liked the little girl cause she was clapping her hands and her T-shirt was nice!" - Colette

"I liked the elephant cause he flapped his ears" - Georgia

"I liked the snappy bit - it was the crocodile!" - Eli

"I liked the kangaroo cause he jumped up and down" - Finley

"I liked the hyenas cause they laughed" - Cherry

There are lots of other animals in this great book - have a read and see what they do to show that they are happy!

What do you like to do when you are happy?
Post us a comment and let us know!

Over in the Clover

Continuing with our animal theme, we have been reading another great book by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner . .  .

'Over in the forest, 

in a cave so snug,

one cubby bear

gives his mummy a hug.'

"I liked the little bear because he was so cute" (Harley)

"I liked the kangaroo bit because they're bouncing!" (Caleb)

"I liked the eagles because they were so fluffy and they flapped their wings!" (Sienna)

We also had lots of fun counting the different animals on each page!

Do you think you would have liked the three baby moles, or maybe the ten tiny tadpoles?

Let us know!

The Animal Bop Won't Stop!

'The animal bop just won't stop, so move your body from the bottom to the top!'

As well as reading this to the children, we listened to the story on  the CD with music and sound effects, which added to the fun as everyone joined in with all the movements!

Willow - "I liked the jelly fish because it was wiggling!"

Lexie - "I liked the giraffe, he was munching leaves"

Ella - "I like the crows cause they made a funny noise!"

There are lots of other great animals in this lovely book - have a read of it and tell us all about your favourite one! 

Doing the Animal Bop

We have enjoyed sharing so many great stories by Mick Inkpen  and will continue to do so. 

We are however, now going to focus on a collection of books by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner.

We thought this would be a great one to start with as we have been thinking about different animals in the jungle!

'If you like to dance and you sometimes sing, why don't you do the animal thing?'

Isabella told us "I liked the penguins because they were black and white"

Oliver BH said "I liked the snake because he was slithering along the tree branch"

But Millie had a different favourite - "The duck - because he wiggled his bottom!"

Take a look at the book and let us know which animal was your favourite! 

In Wibbly's Garden

Having been for a walk in the school grounds to look for signs of Spring, we chose this story as our next Mick Inkpen book.

"It's got a ladybird on it like we saw!" (Mia)

"And there's a giant in this story, and that's the funny one" (Eli)

The children enjoyed helping to lift the flaps as we went through the story. When we had finished the book, we asked the children what they thought might happen next . . . 

"Wibbly Pig might go to the beach and play in the water and after he played in the water he might get an ice cream" (Colette)

"He might go to his house and play" (Isabelle)

"I liked Wibbly Pig cause he was little" (Cherry)

We hope you enjoy the book as much as we did - what do you think might happen on Wibbly's next adventure?

Let us know!

Wibbly Pig has 10 Balloons

We have been thinking a lot about different colours recently - and in this story, Wibbly Pig has some lovely coloured balloons!

As well as different colours, there were different shaped balloons - the teddy bear balloon was Wibbly's favourite and when we were talking about the story afterwards, Sam said that he liked the teddy one too!

Lots of Wibbly Pig's friends come to see him, and they all want a balloon - Big Pig's sister wants one too - she grabs the strings from Wibbly, takes the pink balloon with the bow, and lets the others go!

Grace told us "I liked the sister pig when she let the balloons go!"

Poor Wibbly Pig! 
Megan said "He's sad because he hasn't got no balloons left"

We won't tell you what happens next as we don't want to spoil the story for you - but there might be a happy ending after all!

Post us a comment and let us know which would have been your favourite balloon!

Billy's Beetle

Billy had lost his beetle. Who will be the one to find it?

As we had been talking about different animals on Noah's Ark this week, we thought this would be a great story as our next book from our focus author - Mick Inkpen.

There was lots of help to try and find Billy's beetle - including a girl, a man with a sniffy dog, a hedgehog, a woman without sausages, a polar bear, an oompah band and an elephant! 

At last the beetle was found - but then Billy was missing!

We asked the children where they thought he might be . . .

Sienna - "At home with his toys"

Oliver L - "He might be at the playground playing on his own"

We won't tell you where he was so that we don't spoil the story for you - but here are a few of the children's thoughts when we had finished the book . . . 

Joe - "Me saw an elephant, me liked it 

cause he was in the book"

Zoe - "I liked the hedgehog cause he's sweet"

William - "I liked that they found the little boy's beetle"

We hope you enjoy the story too. 

Let us know about your favourite part! 

Kipper's Birthday

We have been finding out about Mardi Gras and some of the celebrations involved, so this next Mick Inkpen book seemed the ideal choice for our next story as we thought about other celebrations that people have . . . 

Kipper was going to have a birthday party, but there was some confusion with the invitations over which day it was 
to be held on!

Kipper decorated the room with balloons.

Ebony - "I liked the balloons - the red one"

As he sat and waited for his friends to arrive, Kipper started to feel hungry and began eating his cake!

Oliver BH - "I liked it when Kipper ate all of the cake"

When his friends finally arrived, Kipper opened his presents - and they had got him a wonderful birthday cake with candles!

Jaydn - "I liked it when Kipper had a new cake"

Wanda - "I liked the cake because of the spots"

Kipper had a great birthday in the end - what did you do to celebrate your last birthday?

We would love to hear from you - post us a comment 
and let us know.

Lullabyhullaballoo!

The sun is down.

The moon is up.

It is bedtime for the Little Princess.

But outside the castle . . . 

Last week we had come across the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk when we were reading 'Who's been eating my porridge?' (Nick Ward). This led us to talking about the castle where he lived, so we thought the children might enjoy this story as our next book from our Mick Inkpen collection!

Everyone was soon joining in with the 'SSSH!' on each page as the different characters were making so much noise they were keeping the Princess awake.

Here are just a few of the children's comments 
following the story:

Mia - "I like the Princess cause she is beautiful"

Alfie - "I liked it when the dragon was breathing fire"

Aisha - "My favourite part was the ghosts because they 
were making a noise" 

Willow - "I liked the giant. I liked him when he took 
his boots off"

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

Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear

As we have been finding out about the Three Bears in the story of Goldilocks, we thought this would be a great book to share next as part of our Mick Inkpen collection!

Isabel C - "I liked the bear - it couldn't eat with a spoon!"

Iris - "I liked it when the bear was blowing the bubbles - he was trying to catch them"

We all thought Wibbly Pig might be sad when his bear had gone - "He might find another friend!" (Erin P)

Have you got a favourite bear? We would love to hear all about them - post us a comment and let us know!

Kipper

The children really enjoyed seeing what Kipper got up to in the book we shared last week, and this week, we have been finding out what happened when Kipper was in the mood for tidying his basket!

'You are falling apart!' he said to his rabbit . . .

"I liked his rabbit!" - (Missy)

Kipper thought it would be better after he had thrown all his old things out, but now his basket was uncomfortable.

He went out to try and find a better place to sleep . . .

"I liked the part when he dived on the lily pad 'cause he got all wet. I'm too heavy for a lily pad!" - (Finley)

Having tried lots of places including a flowerpot, a stick nest and tickly grass, Kipper returned home to his basket and all his old favourite things . . . 

"I liked it when Kipper fell asleep at the end in his basket" - (Georgia)

We hope you enjoy reading the book too - can you think of any other good places Kipper could have tried for a 

good place to sleep?

Post us a comment and let us know!    

One Year with Kipper

We have loved sharing Julia Donaldson books in Nursery, and will continue to do so! This term however, our focus author is going to be the wonderful Mick Inkpen.

As it is the start of a new year, new month and new term, we chose 'One year with Kipper' to be our first book . . . 

Kipper makes a photographic record of each month and compiles all the photographs to make a Christmas present for Tiger.

Lots of the children recognised Kipper when they saw him on the front cover, and were keen to find out what he did each month. 

Here are just a few of their favourite parts . . . 

Theo - "He took pictures - they were funny!"

Erin R - "I liked them playing in the snow!"

Kendra - "When he was flying - he took a picture of him"

Megan - "The picture - the funny one, the snowball fight - because it was funny!"

We hope you enjoy this book too. Perhaps you could take a photograph each month through 2016 and make a special gift for someone, just like Kipper did!