It’s been a while since I did a Friday favourites post, I thought it was about time I posted one.
Title: Bananas in Pyjamas: It’s Going Out Time
Illustrator: Peter Townsend
What it’s about: The Bananas in Pyjamas are getting ready for a day out at the beach. A board book written in simple text.
Why the fairy princess likes it: It’s Bananas in Pyjamas. She loves them in any form, whether on TV or in books. Perhaps because she likes bananas.
Favourite part: She likes the book as a whole, she doesn’t have any particular favourite part.
The Captain has been requesting this book every night for the past week (he even got it read to him twice the other night– once by mum and once by dad).
Title: Funnybones
Author/Illustrator: Janet and Allan Ahlberg
What it’s about: In a dark dark cellar live some skeletons. The two skeletons and their dog go for a walk one night with the idea to frighten somebody. They play at the park and visit the zoo, but can’t find anybody to frighten. Luckily the little skeleton has an idea. The book uses repetitive language, singing and funny scenarios. The illustrations and text work together perfectly to tell the story.
Why the captain likes it: Because it has skeletons! Which makes it different to many of the other books we have, which usually have people or animals as the main characters. He also likes the interaction of the songs.
Favourite part: The song the skeletons sing when they put the dog back together:
The toe bone’s connected to the – foot bone!
The foot bone’s connected to the – leg bone!
The leg bone’s connected to the – hip bone!
The hip bone’s connected to the – back bone!
As it was Roald Dahl’s birthday this past week, I thought I should include one of my favourite Roald Dahl books. It was a tough choice deciding which one, as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda are both at the top of my favourites list, but I decided to go with…
Title: Revolting Rhymes
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
What it’s about: A collection of twisted fairytales, including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. Dahl takes the familiar children’s fairytales and turns them on their head in a wickedly disgusting way.
Why I liked it: I love twisted fairytales and I love anything by Roald Dahl. His use of language and rhyme is both clever and witty.
Favourite part: This line from Red Riding Hood has always been my favourite line of all the stories since the very first time I read it:
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
*Parental warning: For younger readers it may be a good idea to read the stories in Revolting Rhymes first before reading them to your child or letting you child read them on their own as some of the content may not be appropriate for your child. In particular, Cinderella contains a certain word that is not appropriate for younger (or even upper primary) children.
Jo's Labyrinth 