Developing a love of reading in KS1

Yesterday was transition morning at my school. My current Year 2 class returned, and one of the children mentioned that their new teacher had asked who their favourite author is. It reminded me of asking them the same question a year ago and the only answer I received was Julia Donaldson. I have no qualms with Julia Donaldson, we used Monkey Puzzle in English this year and got some fab writing outcomes. It just made me sad that she was the only author they knew of, and this would probably have come from English lessons. So, I asked them all that same question and the responses I got a year on were Pip Jones, Pamela Butchart, Kes Gray, Roald Dahl, Rachel Bright, Oliver Jeffers, Francesca Simon and the list goes on and on. I was beaming!

They are a class of varying reading abilities, but I feel 100% confident in saying that this year they have all developed a complete love of reading. You could ask any child in my class about a book they love or didn't like at all, and they could give valid reasons for their opinions, something which we have really worked on this year. With that in mind, I thought I would write down what I've implemented in our class incase it helps any other KS1 teachers out there :-).

1. Share your own love of reading

 At the beginning of the year, I got the impression that many of the children in my class thought reading was just a job you had to do for school. I remember spending a good 45 minutes showing them books I read when I was child that I loved, books that I'm reading now and I would constantly recommend books to them that we had in our reading corner. I spoke about books with real interest and enthusiasm and I soon saw them going to our reading corner and picking up books I'd mentioned in class. 

2. Free time to read / Plenty of reading options

This links to the idea above, but I give my class plenty of opportunities to explore different texts from our reading corner that aren't book banded. Our book corner has fiction, non-fiction, magazines and comics and the children are free to choose whatever they wish to read. It's lovely to see them constantly exploring a range of texts and making links to their English learning. I also started the year off by reading a book myself at the same time as them to show my own love of reading too, and also to show them how to quietly enjoy a book.

3. Twitter

Twitter has been an absolute gem this year. My class are very aware of Twitter and absolutely love the interaction they can have with an author. They know they are able to come to me if they want to tweet an author a question about a book they are reading or if they want to share their opinion on a book they have just read. Their faces when they find out they have received a reply is priceless!

4. Good quality texts in English

The texts we have used in English this year have also helped to develop a real love of reading in my class. We used Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones earlier on in the year and they absolutely loved the story. The writing outcomes were brilliant and it resulted in the children politely requesting all of Pip Jones' books.. which are now huge favourites in our reading corner! Pip Jones, by the way, is the kindest person on the planet. She sent the children a lovely letter and signed illustration which sits pride of place in our reading corner.

5. Book bingo

At one point in the year, some children in my class were Pamela Butchart obsessed. Getting them to try a book by any other author was near on impossible! Then, one day, I was perusing pinterest and came across a book bingo sheet. That was the inspiration to create our own book bingo sheet as a class, which included ideas like read a book with a number in the title, read a book with a one-word title, read a book recommended by a friend, read a picture book, read a book with an animal as the main character and the list goes on. It has been brilliant in making the children think about their books choices and to experiment with other authors.

6. End of day reads

Sometimes it's a shorter picture book, sometimes it's a picture book, but we always read at the end of the day. Sometimes I'll read the book, sometimes one of the children will read and sometimes we'll listen to an audiobook. We then make sure that we always complete a likes, dislikes, puzzles and patterns grid. The grid, and general conversation we have during and after reading, has helped the children to realise that we won't always like a book and that's ok but also to verbalise their opinions on books. It has also helped the children to make links between different books we have read at school and they have read at home. Fab!

7. Book day vouchers 

Make the most of book day vouchers! This year I showed the children the books they could spend their voucher on, we made a list and off I went to Waterstones to collect them. They loved owning their own book and many children in my class still treasure them now.

I hope these little tips help. Happy reading!

Toppsta review by 2AP: Sleep

Our book review for Sleep by Kate Prendergast

Sleep is a picture book for children in KS1 and we didn't like reading it, we loved reading it!

It is all about animals and how they sleep. It has illustrations which are fantastic. One of our favourite pages in this book is the page about horses sleeping. Did you know that baby horses called foals sleep for half of their day until they are 3 months old?

Our favourite part of Sleep is the pages at the back because they have really interesting facts about how other animals sleep. We found out that fish sleep with their eyes open, penguins never have a proper sleep because they're afraid of being killed by predators and giraffes sleep standing up.

We think that this book is wonderful to read and it could help if you are learning about animals at school. This is your perfect match!

Thank you Toppsta and Old Barn Books for sending us this book!

By Kareena, Mawia and Georgina.

March Reads

This month has been a bit of a strange one. I've found it really difficult to get into books, but the ones I have read I've absolutely loved. Here is what I read in March, enjoy!

Fragile Lives - Professor Stephen Westaby

Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of heart surgery, saving thousands of lives over the course of a thirty-five year career. Now, in his astonishing memoir, Westaby details some of his most remarkable and poignant cases - such as the baby who had suffered multiple heart attacks by six months old, a woman who had lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was powered by a battery for eight years.

Fragile Lives is a thought-provoking memoir that I pretty much read in one train journey. I found it so interesting to read about some of the major operations in his career and I appreciated how Westaby included a back story for each patient and operation. When I finished this book, I immediately had to double check I was on the organ donor register. A super read, especially if you are interested in the NHS.

Gangsta Rap - Benjamin Zepheniah

Roy, Tyrone and Prem. Three boys who aren't easy, who attract trouble, who don't fit in. But they know what they want, and they've got the talent to back it up.

I saw this book when I went into Waterstones to spend some World Book Day vouchers for my class and thought I'd give it a read. A totally different read to what I normally enjoy, but I enjoyed this quick and easy read. The themes are relevant and I can imagine reluctant teenage readers would absolutely love this.

The Children of Castle Rock - Natasha Farrant

Alice Mistlethwaite has been packed off to an unusual boarding school in Scotland. Everyone is talking about the Great Orienteering Challenge, where students are sent off, unsupervised, for three days! Alice sees her chance.. She just needs to persuade her teammates, rule-abiding Jesse and mischief-maker Fergus, to follow her across the wild Scottish highlands and islands, in search of a legendary castle.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book on twitter thanks to @MrBoothY6. This book completely took me back to my childhood and I absolutely adored it. It reminded me of reading Famous Five when younger, but with so much more included to keep it up to date. I adored the story line and the theme of relationships between children and adults. A great choice for UKS2 or read aloud class book. I can't wait to read more from Natasha.

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloody-thirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight Judge Judy loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherine. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge dumpees everywhere and finally win him the girl.

I haven't read anything else by John Green, but I've got to say I really didn't enjoy this. The characters were really difficult to like and I just found the plot completely bizarre. Sorry!

Running on Empty - S.E Durrant

The thing that makes me different from other eleven-year old boys, apart from my fantastic running ability, is that my parents have learning difficulties. It's no big deal for me. Really it isn't. I don't look after them. We look after each other.

I adored this book which deals with a sensitive topic in such a tender way. I found myself really caring about the character AJ and empathising with his situation.  This a perfect book to share with KS2 about the life of a young carer but also to show how easy it is for us to judge situations that others find themselves in. I really do recommend any KS2 teachers share this beautiful book with their class.

The Wild Robot - Peter Brown

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive. But as Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until, one day, her mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

I LOVED THIS! This is such a quirky book about a loveable robot named Roz. It covers so many themes including bullying, families (when not biologically related), the importance of kindness and the relationship between technology and the environment. The short chapters with beautiful black and white illustrations make it a perfect book for KS2 which you could easily link to STEM. I now need to buy The Wild Robot Escapes!

Bookworm - Lucy Mangan

When Lucy was little, she was whisked away to Narnia - and Kirran Island - and Wonderland. She ventured down rabbit holes and womble burrows, into midnight gardens and chocolate factories. She wandered the countryside with Milly-Molly-Mandy, and played by the tracks with the Railway Children. With Charlotte's Web, she discovered death, and with Judy Blume it was boys. No wonder she only left the house for her weekly trip to the library or to spend her pocket money on amassing her own at home.

I noticed this book when perusing the Waterstones website and immediately had to order it. From reading the blurb, Lucy Mangan sounded like a really bookish child that I instantly connected with. I found it really nostalgic to read about books from my childhood that I'd forgotten about and would regularly nod along when reading. I really enjoyed the added details she included about a variety of authors and I will now have to revisit some old favourites. Read this if you're a bookworm, you'll love it.

Release - Patrick Ness

It's Saturday, it's summer and, although he doesn't know it yet, everything in Adam Thorn's life is going to fall apart. Relationships will change, he'll change, but maybe, just maybe, he'll find freedom in the release. Time is running out though, because way across town a ghost has risen from the lake. Searching, yearning, she leaves a trail of destruction in her wake..

I adore everything that Patrick Ness writes and this was no different. This very personal story focuses on Adam who is a gay teenager living in a very strict Christian family. The characters in this story feel very real which is probably why I felt the story was very character driven. The characters are beautifully written about, particularly Angela who is Adam's Korean-American best friend. This story provides a lot of food for thought about sexuality, self worth and the labels we give people.

The Case of the Missing Hippo - Laura James

Fabio, the world's greatest flamingo detective, just wants to sit on the veranda of the Hotel Royale and drink pink lemonade, not judge the local talent show. But, when Julia the jazz-singing hippo disappears from the stage, Fabio knows he's been served a tall, refreshing glass of crime.

This is a wonderful detective story for young children. It is full of tongue in cheek humour which I adored and the illustrations are beautiful. I really appreciated how twists and turns are included in this story and it will definitely keep children guessing. The story has lots of shorts chapters with a perfect size font for year 2, my class are definitely going to be fighting over this one!

Max and the Millions - Ross Montgomery

There, in front of Max, was a tiny boy, no bigger than an ant ... and behind the boy, millions of others: a thriving, sprawling civilization. A civilization in need of Max's help!

First of all, how beautiful is the cover of this book?! I have really enjoyed reading this story over the past week or so. It is a fast-paced adventure story with characters I immediately warmed to. I adore the writing style and the strong theme of fitting in and friendship. A beautiful book to highlight how we should appreciate the tiniest things in life. I definitely need to read more books from Ross Montgomery this month.

February Reads

Here is a round up of what I read throughout February and my thoughts on each. Enjoy! :-)

The Light Jar - Lisa Thompson

In the dead of night, Nate and his mum run away to a tumbledown cottage in the middle of a forest. When Mum heads off for food and doesn't return, Nate is left alone and afraid, with shadows closing in all around him. But comfort comes from the most unexpected of places - a mysterious girl on a cryptic treasure hunt, and the surprising reappearance of someone from his past.

I absolutely adored The Light Jar. Lisa Thompson addressed an incredibly tough and tricky subject in such a sensitive matter. Sadly there is no image of the book in this post as a year 5 child is currently borrowing it, however I have already reviewed this book in more detail which you can read here.

Tin - Padraig Kenny

Christopher is a real boy with a real soul who was orphaned in a fire. He works for Mr Absalom who is an engineer of mechanical children. These eccentric, loyal and totally individual mechanicals become Christopher's family. But after a devastating accident, a secret is revealed and Christopher's world is changed forever. Christopher goes missing and it is up to his loyal mechanical family to try and rescue him.

As someone who loved the Wizard of Oz as a child (even receiving a Tin Man costume for Christmas one year 😂), I adored the narrative of this story. The characters are absolutely brilliatnt and have such individual personalities. I have already reviewed this book in more detail which you can read here.

The Ice Garden - Guy Jones

Jess is allergic to the sun. She lives in a world of shadows and hospitals, peeking at the other children in the playground from behind curtains. Her only friend is a boy in a coma, to whom she tells stories. One night she sneaks out to explore the empty playground she's longed to visit, where she discovers a beautiful impossibility: a magical garden wrought of ice. But Jess isn't alone in this fragile, in-between place...

I inhaled this beautifully written book at the beginning of February. The descriptions are vivid and I love the mixing of real life hospital visits and the fantasy of the ice garden. It is a beautiful story of hope and belief which is perfect for KS2 children.

Uncle Gobb and the Green Heads - Michael Rosen

The second adventure of Michael Rosen and Neal Layton sees Malcolm and the peculiar Uncle Gobb go to America, each with a cunning plan ... Even though Malcolm managed to bamboozle and confuzle Uncle Gobb in the last book,  it was only temporary. Uncle Gobb is still living with him and still roaring at him about peas and poetry and Peter Parker. This time the plan to get rid of Uncle Gobb has to be mega. It has to be epic. It has to involve America, the Jumblies, the Genie, Aunty Brenda the Mender and Malcolm's long-lost dad. But Malcolm doesn't know that Uncle Gobb also has a plan. A plan to get rid of Malcolm once and for all... 

This was a quick and easy read one night after school. It is both hilarious and silly, and I've got to say I do love the interruptions of the weasels (maybe because I call my boyfriend a weasel). A perfect book for LSK2 with some child friendly silliness.

Piggy Hero - Pip Jones

Piggy Handsome is a very confident guinea pig with a hugely inflated ego - he hails from a long line of very famous guinea pigs. But sadly Handsome still hasn't achieved world renown. Well, now he has a new plan to get his name on the telly - he'll be someone's hero! When pushing Jeff Budgie off a roof and 'saving' him fails spectacularly, Handsome is at his wits' end. Little does he know, however, that the dastardly Dixons have escaped prison and are seeking revenge for their capture. What's more, Dan and Dolly's ghastly greed has led them to kidnapping, and now someone really does need saving! Can Piggy Handsome save the day for real? And will it earn him the fame he desperately desires?

I absolutely adore anything by Pip Jones and I adored this read. I devoured this in one evening and became convinced that Piggy Handsome is my fictional twin! My year 2 class loved Piggy Handsome and Piggy Hero was quickly borrowed from my reading corner. A perfect read for year 2 and above.

A Man of Good Hope - Jonny Steinberg

When Asaid was eight years old, his mother was shot in front of him. With his father in hiding, he was swept alone into the great wartime migration that has scattered the Somali people throughout the world. Serially betrayed by the people who promised to care for him, Asad spent his childhood in a bewildering number of places, from the cosmopolitan streets of inner-city Nairobi to towns deep in the Ethiopian desert. But by the time he reached the cusp of adulthood, Asad had made good as a street hustler, and, buoyed by success in work and in love, he put $1,200 in his pocket and made his way down the length of the African continent to Johannesburg, whose streets he believed to be lined with gold.

A Man of Good Hope is the true story of Asad, a Somali child who was swept up in the civil war in Mogadishu, Somalia. South African Jonny Steinberg befriended Asad when he was living in a South African township and two years later he wrote Asad's story following a series of extensive interviews with him. This book gave me compelling glimpses into a world to which I have no knowledge of and is a true story of resilience.

Dog - Andy Mulligan

When Tom meets Spider he knows he's found a friend for life. Sadly, the friendship doesn't run smoothly. The puppy has instincts of his own and Tom has so much on his plate: a new school, his parents' separation and some serious bullying... But when Tom and Spider become separated, they learn that they are far braver and more determined than anyone could have imagined. And in losing each other, they discover an unbreakable bond.

Dog is such a lovely, quirky story about a fantasy animal adventure. I love the way it addressed the issue of bullying both in terms of the bullying endured by Tom, but also the bullying inflicted by Spider the dog. It is a perfect book for UKS2 about friendship and identity. I loved it!

Stella by Starlight - Sharon Draper

Stella lives in the segregated south in Bumbleebee, North Carolina, to be exact about it. Some stores she can go into. Some stores she can't. Some folks are right pleasant, others are a lot less. To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn't bothered them for years. But one last night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something that they're never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come, change not welcome by any stretch of the imagination.

This story is told through the perspective of Stella and gives you a glimpse into the anguish that envelops a black community during an era when segregation was at the forefront. It is a powerful book for children about many issues which you could discuss.

Keep Stepping! - Joy Marsden

First, lead yourself. Leading yourself and others during turbulent times can be tricky, but great self-management and self-leadership doesn't come by accident, it requires focused attention. The need to manage and lead yourself is necessary if you want to consistently make the right choices and take the right actions. Mastering these skills will serve you well, both personally and professionally, and will help you to be at your best when you encounter challenges of change and uncertainty.

Just before half term, I had the privilege of listening to Joy Marsden speak for over an hour... and I wish she had spoken for longer! She was witty, comforting and relatable, but she also shared advice which really resonated with me. This book is a perfect read if you want to increase your resilience, keep motivated and engage more effectively.

 

Exit West - Mohsin Hamid

In a city far away, bombs and assassinations shatter lives every day. Yet, even here, hope renews itself, welling up through the rubble. Somewhere in this city, two young people are smiling, hesitating, sharing cheap cigarettes, speaking softly then boldly, falling in love. As the violence worsens and escape feels ever more necessary, they hear rumour of mysterious black doors appearing all over the city, all over the world. To walk through the door is to find a new life - perhaps in Greece, in London, in California - and to lose the old one forever...

I saw this book when in Waterstones over the half term holidays and felt like I needed it based purely on the cover. It is a story about migration told differently to the more common hiding on trains or chancing it on a boat, instead people use doors that can take you elsewhere. I did enjoy this book, but something about the end left me feeling a little disappointed.

The Nothing To See Here Hotel - Steven Butler

Welcome to the Nothing to see Here Hotel for magical creatures, where weird is normal for Frankie Banister and his parents who run the hotel. When a messenger arrives announcing the imminent arrival of the goblin prince Grogbah, Frankie and his family rush into action to get ready for their important guest. But it soon becomes obvious that the Banister family are going to have their work cut out with the demanding prince and his never-ending entourage, especially when it turns out the rude little prince is hiding a secret...

I read this one rainy Saturday morning and as a 27 year old I found it absolutely hilarious. There are lots of quirky characters and the illustrations are wonderful. I can't wait to share this book with my year 2 class.

The Phantom Lollipop Man - Pamela Butchart

Izzy and her friends are shocked when they find their lollipop man has disappeared! Maisie thinks he's gone to Rome but if that's true, why do they keep seeing a weird white wispy cloud around the school? And why do Izzy's legs feel cold even though she's got tights on? Could it be that the lollipop man is a phantom and he's come to spook them all?! Laugh-out-loud fun from Blue Peter Award winners Pamela Butchart and Thomas Flintham.

I absolutely love anything that Pamela Butchart creates and this is no different. I read this one Sunday morning during half term and adored it. The characters are as wonderful as ever and the story is really quite heartfelt. I put this book in my reading corner on Monday morning and it was snapped up immediately by the biggest PB fan in my class - fab read for Y2!

Illegal by Eoin Colfer

No human being is illegal.

Ebo: alone. His sister left months ago. Now his brother has disappeared too. And Ebo knows it can only be to make the hazardous journey to Europe. Ebo's epic journey takes him across the Sahara desert to the dangerous streets of Tripoli, and finally out to the merciless sea. But with every step he holds on to his hope for a new life.

Illegal illustrates the terrifying journey of twelve year old Ebo who is chasing his brother in hope of being reunited with their sister. Told through both present time and flashbacks, it shows the start of Ebo's journey nineteen months before when he manages to avoid bus fare by singing a baby to sleep. Himself and his brothers face terrifying danger throughout their perilous journey from small boats leaking to larger boats capsizing.

Illegal is a heart breaking story with stunning illustrations that have a huge effect and are desperately poignant at times. It humanises events that are so often seen on the news and would be great to share with children about a topic so often overlooked.

Many innocents die as a result, their loss of life often unknown and unrecorded. In 2015, more than a million migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea to enter Europe. The United Nations has described the situation as a "colossal humanitarian catastrophe" and it is still going on.

 

Toppsta review by 2AP: The Lost Penguin

The Lost Penguin is about a penguin that runs away from the zoo. Oliver and Ruby are friends but fight a lot when they are trying to find the penguin. They both want to keep Patch for them self! We loved this book because it is all about friends and we love our friends.

It reminded us of a book that our christmas elf gave us. It was called Penguin by Polly Dunbar. If you like The Lost Penguin then you would really like that.

This story would be great for children in Year 1. It has nice and bright pictures and the story is easy for them to understand. We are going to share the book with our friends in Year 1 now.

Thank you Toppsta for letting us review one of your books. We loved doing this review and talking about the book together. We hope we can do some more soon!

By Hajra, Mawia, Aliza, Kareena and Oliwia

Weekly reads in 2AP

As an adult who loves books, I'm thrilled that my year 2 class love books just as much. They will happily read independently, with a peer, on Active Learn during golden time or listen intently to our class book. The children love to share books they have read with the rest of the class and are brilliant at making links between different books we have read. They also absolutely love the interaction they can have with authors on twitter.

Like every class in the country our timetable is busy busy busy, but we make time daily to read. This could be as part of our English lesson, Phonics lesson, daily mindfulness time or our end of the day class read.

Here is a round up of our weekly reading in 2AP from 29th January - 2nd February.

Wigglesbottom Primary: Toilet Ghost by Pamela Butchart

Life at Wigglesbottom is often lived on the edge. A class talent show becomes a thing of great mystery, a broken tap in the boys' loos becomes the story of the Toilet Ghost and an ant farm brought in for show and tell results in an itchy carpet curse.

My class adore the Wigglesbottom Primary books and the illustrations by Becka Moor are brilliant. They are an absolute joy to share at the end of the day as a class read and when finished, the children love reading them independently. After a lovely reading lesson this afternoon, we may have gone onto Amazon and Shark in the Pool may be arriving tomorrow.. We shall see!

Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jons

Izzy Gizmo is a girl who loves to invent, but her inventions never seem to work the way she wants them to. And that makes her really cross! When she finds a crow with a broken wing, she just has to help. But will she be able to put her frustrations to one side and help her new friend to fly again?

I shared this book with my class back in September when we were discussing one of our learning power tools - perseverance. There is a strong message about resilience and trying again which is wonderful for young children and particularly important in our class.

For the past two weeks we've been lucky enough to read it again and link our writing to it. The children adore Izzy Gizmo and have loved the interaction they've had with the author, Pip Jones, on twitter. It resulted in fantastic writing results, from character descriptions to diary entries.

Everybody's Welcome by Patricia Hegarty

Wouldn't it be great if you could build a home that opened its doors to everyone - tall or short, fat or thin, rich or poor... Well, perhaps if everybody pitches in to help, one little mouse can achieve that dream. 

Everybody's Welcome is a lovely story about empathising with others and helping them in their hour of need. Mouse shows compassion and kindness towards many different animals and it led us into a class discussion beautifully. A beautiful story of tolerance and diversity, with equally beautiful illustrations (my class adored them!).

The Squirrels who Squabbled

Two greedy squirrels learn to share. Greedy squirrels Cyril and Bruce both have their sights on a very special prize: The very last nut of the season! As the nut bounces crazily through the forest, the squirrels race after it, between the trees, over boulders, down the river and - ARGH! Right to the edge of a waterfall. Working together might be the only way to save themselves now...

My class absolute love books by Rachel Bright and this one is no different. It highlights the pointlessness of squabbling and how wonderful friendship is. A perfect book to share as part of circle time or a PSHE lesson on friendship, which is just what we did :-).

Don't Leap, Larry!

Larry Lemming is unlike all others, he has a mind of his own. Whilst all the other lemmings are making burrows ready for winter, Larry goes sledging with puffins, eats pizza and wears hoola skirts.

This is a beautifully illustrated and amusing story to share with children, which will remind them that it is ok to think independently. My class really enjoyed the story and the illustrations. We had a wonderful discussion about being individuals after reading it, which led into a very calming mindfulness art activity. Super!

The Chocolate Monster

Breaking news: a chocolate monster is on the loose! Keep watch, and close all cupboard doors. No chocolate bar's secure. If left at large, The Chunk will turn at your house, for sure. And worse still this fiend will make sure you take the blame! 

This is the perfect book to share aloud with children. The rhyming text is fun and my class adored the illustrations. I even caught some children during golden time that week turning me into a chocolate monster and creating wanted signs.... 😂

Little Red Reading Hood

Little Red Reading Hood LOVES reading books and making up stories of her own. When she meets a cunning wolf while on her way to the library, he convinces her to stray from the path and read for a little while. But hasn’t she read this in a story before? Perhaps it’s time she came up with a new ending . . .

I absolutely loved this from the moment it arrived on my doorstep. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the rhymes are wonderful. An incredibly imaginative story which had my class inspired. A week on and I spotted some children looking through the book today and creating their own imaginative journeys. How lovely!