Encourage children to tell the story in their own words using the illustrations to help them. You might find they include some phrases from the story. Talk about the story Read the book again allowing children to join in with words they might remember such as WHOOSH! BUMP! Or ‘Whatever next!’ Tell the story Indoor picnic: Pretend you are the characters in the story. Collect items you might need for a trip to the moon, including a blanket and food for a picnic. Lay out a picnic inside and enjoy it together.

Find out about the history of space flight and the different astronauts who have landed on the moon.

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Whatever Next! is a children’s picture book by Jill Murphy. You can watch the National Literacy Trust reading the story below! Four ways to explore the story with your child Jill Murphy is a London-born English children's author, best known for The Worst Witch series and the Large Family picture books. She has been described as "one of the most engaging writers and illustrators for children in the land." Draw a picture from the point of view of one of the passengers on the plane who sees Baby Bear and Owl flying up to the moon. Could you act out the story with some friends? Which characters will you need to have? Will you use any props? Set out a picnic tea on a blanket for your child dressed as Baby Bear on the moon, children canfind a few toys to join in. Make a picture

Songs and rhymes: Sing these rhymes about space and space travel: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Hey Diddle Diddle.Use WordArt (or a paint program) to create eye-catching examples of words linked to onomatopoeia (like ‘Whoosh’ and ‘BUMP’). The story starts with a question. Can you think of other questions? How do we show that a sentence is a question? What words are usually used to start questions? Answer mum’s question… ‘Whatever Next?’ by writing a story that describes a new adventure for Baby Bear.