Tag: stuff to do

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2021’s World Book Day Books

In the previous blog post, I told you about what we were hoping to do for this year’s World Book Day.

I’m please to announce that these are the books you can choose from!

Remember, you can buy them with your special £1 WBD voucher, or you can buy them for a pound.
One token per child, as per the terms and conditions.
If you click on the picture by the book description, you will be taken to a sneaky-peek of the book.

 

 

 

There’s a Wolf in Your Book!

Written by: Tom Fletcher
Illustrated by: Greg Abbott
Publisher: Puffin Books

WOW!  Monster, Dragon, Alien, and Witch have made you a book! Jump in to explore the interactive adventure inside … but make sure you watch out for the BIG BAD WOLF!

Luna Loves World Book Day!

Written by: Joseph Coelho
Illustrated by: Fiona Lumbers
Publisher: Andersen Press

Today is World Book Day and Luna can’t wait. She has the whole day planned… Dress up as her favourite book character: a unicorn! Meet an author and an illustrator. Buy a new book with her book token. But – disaster! – Luna the Unicorn’s costume has ripped! Can Dad come to the rescue with a magic potato?

Celebrate World Book Day with Luna, from the Luna Loves series: Luna Loves Library Day and Luna Loves Art!

What the Ladybird Heard Play
Written by: Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by: Lydia Monks
Publisher: Macmillan

One clever ladybird, two bungling burglars… and a whole farmyard of fun!

Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are two crafty robbers with a cunning plan to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. But little do they know that the tiniest, quietest creature of all has overheard their plot, and she has a plan of her own…

The first story in the brilliantly funny What the Ladybird Heard series has been adapted by author Julia Donaldson into a fun and easy-to-read play script, with bright and distinctive illustrations by Lydia Monks — perfect for reading aloud, acting out and even putting on your very own play!

Gigantosaurus!

Written by: Jonny Duddle
Publisher: Bonnier

“I’ve made this thing I call a ‘BOOK’. I might let you three have a look. We’ll play my game called DINO-SPOT. To win, you’ll have to spot the lot!” Bonehead thinks he’s the best dino spotter. But can he find GIGANTOSAURUS?

Planet Omar: Operation Kind

Written by: Zanib Mian
Publisher: Hachette

One of Omar’s best friends, Daniel, has a little sister who goes to hospital regularly. He usually finds it easy to cheer her up when she’s there, but this time he feels he needs to do something extra special.

Enter Omar and their other best friend Charlie to help with Operation Kind! The boys try to come up with the perfect surprise for Suzy, and when they find out her favourite author is in the UK for just one day it feels like it was meant to be.

Can the boys overcome all of the ridiculous obstacles that get thrown in their path and face their fears, in a race against time to get a signed copy of the book for Suzy?

Protect the Planet

Written by: Jess French
Illustrated by: Aleesha Nandhra
Publisher: DK

Our planet is precious, and it’s up to us to take care of it. You may feel small, but your small actions can make a big difference. This book will teach you that by acting with kindness towards other people, plants, animals, and yourself, you can help to protect the planet.

The River Whale

Written by: Sita Brahmachari
Publisher: Hachette

Immy has always loved wild swimming; one day, she hopes to become a marine biologist. Tomorrow is the first step towards that goal – completing her entry level diving certificate.

But her plans for a good night’s sleep are ruined by a strange and vivid dream of a distressed whale in the river. At school she tries to shake it off, but discovers that her nightmare has leaked into reality.

Immy and her trusty friend Cosmo must head for the Thames on a mission to save the trapped river whale. Can Immy use her skills to release it from the rubbish-filled nets it’s caught in and guide it home?

Told in a mixture of free verse and prose, this is the beautiful new short adventure from Sita Brahmachari, with illustrations by Poonam Mistry.

Skysteppers

Written by: Katherine Rundell
Publisher: Bloomsbury

High above the streets of Paris live the rooftoppers, a secret gang of children who eat, sleep and tumble amongst the chimney pots. It’s a perilous life, but for Matteo and Mercedes the adventure is only just beginning. Caught up in a long-standing feud that threatens their existence amongst the stars, they find themselves on a hunt across Paris, tearing across the roofs of Versailles and the Louvre, searching for hidden treasure in a race against Henri Danglars – the enemy who would seek to destroy that which they love best.

From bestselling and multiple-award-winning author Katherine Rundell, this joyful new story of the rooftoppers of Paris is full of her trademark bravery and adventure. It’s a treat just waiting to be discovered.

Little Badman and the Radioactive Samosa

Written by: Humza Arshad and Henry White
Illustrated by: Aleksei Bitskoff
Publisher: Puffin Books

You’ve heard of Little Badman, right? No? Oh. Well. . . Doesn’t matter. You will do one day. He’s gonna be big.

Twelve-year-old Humza Khan, aka Little Badman is, amongst lots of other things: Eggington’s greatest rapper, a ninja, an all-round legend. That’s all according to Humza. And, to be honest, Eggington (his home town) is quite small. He has saved the word a couple of times though – from alien slugs and evil time-travelling teachers.

They are very cool adventures, and we’ll tell you about them some time, but this story will blow your mind. Humza and his two friends, Umer and Wendy, have narrowly avoided being hit by rock from outer-space. What does get hit, though, is a box of delicious samosas, which turn . . . radioactive. The three friends wake up the next day to find they have superpowers, which is pretty cool. What’s less cool is the giant hamsters roaming the town. Looks like a job for Little Badman and his crew . . .

Football School: 20 Amazing Football Stories

Written by: Alexander Bellos and Ben Lyttleton
Illustrated by: Spike Gerrell
Publisher: Walker Books
Discover 20 mind-blowing football stories in this awesome collection created for World Book Day 2021.

Find out the true stories of the star players, top teams and game changers who have shaped football history. Stories include:

- The secret behind Lionel Messi’s success
- The footballer who pooed on the pitch
- The greatest goat in football
- The incredible story of women’s football after World War I

The bestselling Football School series explains the world through football. This collection is packed with fascinating facts and super stats, so you’ll learn loads about football, as well as other amazing subjects such as history, science and geography.

Make reading even more fun by downloading these great activities from the Football School series:

Football School Biology Activity Kit
Football School Geography Activity Kit
Football School Physics Activity Kit

Stories for Older Readers

Kill Joy

Written by: Holly Jackson
Publisher: Egmont

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not in the mood for her friend’s murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920’s fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy.

But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder. But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only case on her mind . . .

Find out where it all began for Pip in this prequel to the best-selling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood.

NB: Contains mature content. Not suitable for younger readers.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Apocalypse Kings

Written by: Derek Landy
Publisher: Harper Collins

Three ancient gods are freed from their prison with only one desire: to destroy the planet and everyone on it. 

To save us all, Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain must go undercover in a Dublin school. Skulduggery has to blend in with the teaching staff, while Valkyrie has to pass for an ordinary schoolgirl. Above all else, no matter what happens, they both must act completely and utterly normal. 

We are so dead. 

Please note: Not suitable for younger readers.

 

World Book Day logo - a bookmark with eyes in the letter Os

The Sneak-peek inside feature is called Book2Look and has been made possible by Nielsen Book, who provide a unique range of services, enabling books to be discovered by book buyers everywhere.

 

Remember to follow us on social media and tag us to share your stories  on instagram, twitter and facebook – remember to @nickelbooks and @worldbookday, and hashtag #shareastory #10minutesaday #worldbookday2021 #worldbookday #nickelbooks

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Roald Dahl Day (13th September)

Roald Dahl Day is this Sunday!

The wonderful people at the official Roald Dahl website have created a party pack for you to download and use, so you can find that by clicking here.

And yes! They’ve also made one for titchy toddlers – click here to download that one

 

 

 

There’s even more interesting activities, videos and downloads provided by Puffin Books, all based on Roald Dahl’s fabulous stories!

Here’s a video of a storytime of The Witches (an excerpt) – opens in a new tab

What about activity ideas based on Charlie and The Chocolate Factory? Click here to download that one!

This whipple-scrumptious activity pack is filled with fun inspired by Roald Dahl’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Did you know Roald Dahl used to be a chocolate tester for a rather well known chocolatier while he was at school? Perhaps that’s when he first started dreaming about oompa-loompas and chocolate rivers . . . .

This pack includes:

  • Roald Dahl book quiz
  • Inventing room challenge
  • Golden ticket maze
  • Willy Wonka’s pick ‘n’ mix wordsearch
  • Character dress up ideas
  • Top hat template
  • Golden Ticket template
  • Wonka Bar template

Or you could join Quentin Blake in drawing Willy Wonka or an Oompa Loompa!

If Matilda’s your favourite, you could download her paper ball activity, a writing prompt thinking about the future , make a newt float, or download a diary for you to fill in (this one’s big, so maybe ask your parents if it’s okay to print pages out!)

 

Puffin also created a learning pack all about George’s Marvellous Medicine – it was aimed at schools, but we’ve looked through it and there are some awesome activities in there that we think you’ll love, and can do at home!
Download that one here

 

You can print out and make some fabulous Bookmarks (print them out onto card and they’ll be sturdy)

There’s an Enormous Crocodile Word Game to make (Here’s the direct link to the Puffin website, because it’s got a lot of instructions!)

 

As always, we’d love to see what you’ve been up to, so please hashtag #RoaldDahlDay #nickelbooks and @nickelbooks mention us on social media!

And the websites we’ve used for the links are: www.roalddahl.com, www.penguin.co.uk/puffin and https://www.puffinschools.co.uk

 

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Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities

How to make Very Hungry Caterpillar paper chains

A perfect cutting-and-sticking activity for Very Hungry Caterpillar fans, these paper chains will brighten up a rainy day!  You could even use them to decorate for a Very Hungry party…

You will need:

• A piece of green paper or thin card

•  A piece of red paper or thin card

•  A piece of yellow paper or thin card (although this isn’t 100% necessary)

•  A purple felt-tip pen

•  A pencil

•  A ruler

• Some scissors (grown-up use only)

• Some double-sided tape

• Some blu-tack or glue

Step 1. Divide your piece of A4 green paper into 6 even-size strips using your ruler and pencil.  Then carefully cut the strips out using your scissors.

Step 2. Add a small piece of double-sided tape to the top of each green strip and peel off the tape-cover so that the sticky bit is exposed!

Step 3. Bend the first green strip into a circle and stick it in place using the double-sided tape.  You will now have one green card circle.

Step 4. Now, take the second green strip and loop it through the first circle.  Bend this second strip into a circle and stick in place using the double-sided tape.  This is the start of your chain!

Step 5. Repeat with each strip of card until you have a green paper chain.

Step 6. Now it’s time to make your caterpillar’s face.  Cut out some yellow ovals for the eyes and use a felt-tip or pencil to draw some pupils inside the eyes.

Step 7. Cut a circle out of the red paper or card.  This will be your caterpillar’s face!  Using blu-tack, stick the eyes onto the face, and use your felt-tip to draw the caterpillar’s nose.

Step 8. Using a purple felt-tip, draw and colour in some antennae and cut around those too.  Attach them to your caterpillar’s face with the blu-tack.

Step 9. Finally, use the blu-tack to attach your caterpillar’s face to the front of the paper chain to transform it into the Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Step 10. Give your caterpillar a name and display him with pride in your home!

 

 

 

 

Paint your own Very Hungry Caterpillar

Crawl into spring with this Very Hungry Caterpillar-inspired egg painting tutorial. Little egg munchers will just love getting their hands messy with this fun craft, inspired by the classic Eric Carle story.

 

 

You will need:

• An egg

• Acrylic or poster paints

• A paintbrush

• Some card or thick paper

• Some glue

• Scissors

How to make: 

1. Place your egg in a pan of water, and boil until hard, for around about ten minutes. Remove from the water and leave to cool, until cold to touch. (note: little ones should always do this with the help of a grown-up!)

2. Using different mixes of green, paint your egg in bright, caterpillar-like stripes. Once it’s dry, add some red for the face, and then leave to dry again

3. Using some yellow paint, add the features to your caterpillar’s face

4. Cut out some long, caterpillar-like antennae from your card or thick paper, and then paint them purple and leave to dry

5. Using glue, gently add the antenna to the top of the caterpillar’s head. Careful now, you wouldn’t want him to break!

Now your Very Hungry Caterpillar Easter egg is complete. Why not take him egg rolling, and see if you can spot some beautiful butterflies!

 

Make a Very Hungry Caterpillar inspired butterfly painting

Inspired by the moment when Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly, this simple craft will delight toddlers and help them learn about colours, patterns and symmetry.

 

 

You will need:

• A piece of green paper or thin card

• A piece of A4 white paper or thin card

• Some colourful poster paints – whichever colours you would like!

• A pencil

•  Some coloured card (any colour you would like)

• Some scissors

• Some glue

• A felt-tip pen of any colour

Step 1. Take a plain sheet of white paper or thin card and fold it in half horizontally – push down to create a ridge.

Step 2. Unfold the paper again – now you can see a fold line which will be the middle of your butterfly!

 

 

 

 

Step 3. Using a pencil, draw a big triangle from the top right-hand corner of your page to the bottom right-hand corner of your page and across to the very middle point of your page.  It doesn’t need to be neat, this will just be a guideline. Then, take some poster paints (any colours you like).  On the right-hand side of your paper, fill your triangle with rough splodges of colour.  These can be anywhere inside your triangle and in any formation you like – let your creativity run wild!

Step 4. When you’ve finished liberally splodging paint onto the right half of your paper, fold the left half on top of the right half along your fold line and gently press together.

Step 5. Carefully peel the two halves of your paper apart and…

Step 6. Voila!  You have some beautiful butterfly wings!  Leave them aside to dry for 20 minutes or until the paint is dry to the touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 7. Take your piece of coloured card and, with a pencil or your felt-tip pin, draw a long, thin sausage shape onto the card.  This will be the body of your butterfly.  Make sure you add some antennae and a smiley face!

 

Step 8. Carefully cut around your butterfly’s body.

Step 9. Once your butterfly wings have dried, glue the body right in the middle of your paper to complete your colourful butterfly.  You might like to choose a name for your completed butterfly, too!

Activities devised by the Penguin/ Puffin team. The originals can be found at www.penguin.co.uk
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Jacqueline Wilson Activities

If you’ve been inspired by Jacqueline Wilson’s stories, then we hope you’ll enjoy these activities!

Dress up as Tracy Beaker

Dress up as the feisty and laugh-out-loud funny Tracy Beaker from Jacqueline Wilson’s well-loved books, using this easy DIY costume hack.

You will need:

•  A black curly wig

•  A red jumper

•  Blue trousers (or skirt)

•  A copy of the book!

Now you’ve everything you need to transform yourself into everyone’s favourite heroine. Time to have some crazy adventures, just like Tracy!

Draw Hetty Feather with Nick Sharratt

Get your pens and paper ready – it’s time to learn how to draw Victorian heroine Hetty Feather with illustrator Nick Sharratt.

Create your own Hetty Feather Christmas tree decorations

In Hetty Feather’s Christmas, Hetty is entranced by the beautiful Christmas tree at the Rivers’ house. Why not have a go at creating some wonderful decorations for you own tree?

You will need:

•    A printer

•    A4 paper

•    Tracing paper

•    Card

•    Some string

•    Colouring pens or pencils

•    Scissors (always ask a grown up for help when cutting out)

Download Decoration Templates

How to make it: 

1. Find some tracing paper and trace around the bauble shapes on the downloadable pages – or if you have a steady hand, see if you can simply copy them onto a piece of card.

2. Colour them in and ask a grown up to cut them out carefully

3. Pop a little hole at the top to attach string so that you can hang your baubles up, and have a very Victorian Christmas, just like Hetty!

Bake some Hetty Feather Christmas gingerbread

People have been baking gingerbread for more than a thousand years! But the Victorians (like Hetty Feather) loved gingerbread as a special festive treat.

Here’s how you can make your very own gingerbread biscuits – wrap them as gifts for your friends, thread them with ribbons to add a sweet touch to your Christmas tree or munch them all away with a glass of milk and a good book.

You will need:

•    50g plain flour, plus a bit extra for dusting

•     1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

•     2 tsp ground ginger

•     1 tsp ground cinnamon

•     125g butter

•     175g brown sugar

•     1 large egg

•    4 tsp golden syrup

Optional, for decorations:

•    Icing in whatever colours you like!

How to make them:

1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 (make sure you ask a grown-up for help when touching hot things).

2. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and butter, and whizz in a food processor or rub it in with your fingers until you have a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs.

4. Stir in the sugar.

5. Beat the egg and golden syrup together and add to the mixture. Stir or whizz again until the mixture clumps together.

6. Tip the dough out onto a clean surface. Knead until smooth, wrap in clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

7. Roll the dough out on a surface lightly dusted with flour, so it about a centimetre thick.

8. Using cutters, cut out shapes in the dough. Place carefully on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them. If you want to thread a ribbon through, make a small hole in one point of the shape.

9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

10. When cooled, you can decorate your gingerbread with icing. Then wrap them in cellophane to make a lovely gift, thread with a ribbon for a Christmas decoration or enjoy them as a tasty festive treat.

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Make your own Diary of a Wimpy Kid Costume

Zoo-wee-mama! Dress up in your best DIY Wimpy Kid outfit with these fun printable Greg and Rowley masks.

You will need:

•  A Greg or Rowley mask, printed

•  A pair of scissors

•  A piece of elastic or string

•  For added effect: A white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, black shoes and a black backpack for Greg, or a bright t-shirt with ‘Zoo-wee mama!’ written on it for Rowley

Dress up as Greg Heffley

  Download Greg Mask

Or his best friend Rowley Jefferson

  Download Rowley Mask

 

How to make it:

1.  Print out your favourite mask on A4 paper

2.  Carefully cut out the mask and each of the eyeholes

3.  Cut out the holes for the string and thread through the back of the mask

4.  Tie a knot at each side, and put your mask on for some frightening Halloween fun!

Complete your look with a copy of your favourite Diary of a Wimpy Kid book! Now you should have everything you need to look like Greg or Rowley, for the perfect Wimpy Kid inspired outfit.