We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Quentin Blake is probably most well known for his illustrations in Roald Dahl stories but his own book is a definite classic. Ergo, I think this book would be a great opportunity to not only introduce rhymes, but to also extend open-ended questions for young children.

It would be worthwhile talking to children about being grateful for what we have because we could lose it all one day.

I personally rail against the idea that men playing with kids in children’s books should be avoided to spare those particular feelings of discomfort in adult gatekeepers. I think that this would be a perfect book for years one and two as it would provide excellent opportunities to extend learning through questioning and would be great for speech and language activities, as it would really spark imagination and discussion. The book is best read aloud and appealing colourful illustrations include lots of details that children love to pick out when the story is being read. He and his siblings desperately wanted kick scooters, which were all the rage in New Zealand, despite having been invented in Germany way back in the early 1800s.

This simply would not happen in a Roald Dahl story, with the exception of the Grandmother figure in The Witches. Reception really enjoyed this during Serial Days and the teacher particularly immersed themselves into generating a Receptive Context - she even dressed up as Mr Magnolia with one boot and rode around the school on a scooter! The jokes have been drip fed to us all through the story, and although this is an excellent rhyming read-aloud which encourages the reader to keep turning the page, the repeat-reading joy comes from really studying the humorous details of the story in subsequent sessions.Don't miss out on the amazing free Quentin Blake Exhibition at Weston Museum, running 4th March to 3rd June 2023.