Recommended Children's Books For Christmas

Why not take a trip to your local library or bookshop and pick up a Christmas tale over the festive season? With so many out there to choose from, here are just five we recommend...

 

 

Frank Lampard's 'Frankie Saves Christmas'

Frankie and his team love playing football. There's always time for a game - even at Christmas! It's two nights before Christmas and Frankie, Charlie, Louise and Max are having a sleepover. But in the middle of the night they are magicked away to Lapland, where Santa tells them that a sack of Christmas presents has been stolen! The team set off to find them, but first have to face challenges from a naughty elf, a rogue reindeer and an abominable snowman...Can Frankie find the presents - and save Christmas?

 

 

The Jolly Christmas Postman

It's Christmas Eve and the Jolly Postman is delivering greetings to various fairy-tale characters - there's a card for Baby Bear, a game appropriately called 'Beware' for Red Riding Hood from Mr Wolf, a get-well jigsaw for hospitalised Humpty Dumpty and three more surprise envelopes containing letters, cards, etc. Everyone's favourite postman keeps on peddling his bicycle up hill and down dale ...and into everybody's hearts.

 

 

Santa is Coming to Essex

Join Santa as he makes his way across Essex delivering presents!

 

 

The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas

Danny wants everything for Christmas. But what he gets is a dinosaur, a very hungry dinosaur. Danny's new dino eats up all of Christmas, but as we all know, what goes in must come out...Danny is about to have the most EXPLOSIVE Christmas of his life! There's poop, presents and prehistoric creatures in this festive feast!

 

 

The Snowman

Everyone's favourite snowman by Raymond Briggs. One winter's night, a snowman comes to life and an unforgettable adventure begins. Raymond Briggs' favourite classic is a true piece of Christmas magic - narrated entirely through pictures, it captures the wonder and innocence of childhood and is now recognised throughout the world.

KS1 Spinebreakers' Competition - Winners Announced

Our KS1 Spinebreakers met last week to judge the entries for their 'Scarecrows' Wedding' competition. It was a difficult decision, but they finally chose the two worthy winners. Here they are are with their winning entries...

 

 

Well done Brooke and Sky, the Spinebreakers were very impressed with the amount of time and effort put into each scarecrow!

New Spinebreakers For Palm Class

Sandra and Daniel have been chosen to act as Spinebreakers for Palm class for the rest of the academic year. We hope they enjoy this exciting opportunity and continue to share their love of reading with their peers.

 

Returning Books Raffle - Winners Announced!

The winners of the Returning Books Raffle were announced earlier in the week. All six children have chosen the books they would like to receive and will be rewarded with them on Friday. A big congratulations to Teighan from Nursery, Phoebe from Apple, Arya and James from year one, and Libby and Kimberley from year two who are the winners for this term.

 

The raffle will return in the Spring term, to be in with a chance of winning, simply return your book each week you visit the library. For every book you return you will receive a ticket for your class box. After six weeks a winner will be chosen from each class box, the winners can each choose a book of their choice to keep. The more times you return your book the more chances you will have of winning! 

Around The World With Wally - Competition Starts January!

The National Literacy Trust have teamed up with Walker Books to create an exciting writing challenge for children 9 years and under. The competition will take place from 5 January to 2 April 2015.

 

 

How the competition works:

Using Where's Wally? scenes as inspiration, pupils will imagine they are Wally themselves and describe a new setting that he has found himself in. Each child will receive a postcode where they will be able describe the setting. On the front they can choose to attach a photo or a picture of the scene they have described. You can choose to design your own setting or use one of the scenes displayed in the library.

 

 

Plenty of prizes up for grabs!

One grand prize winner will receive a Where's Wally? book pack, £50 in book vouchers and a winner's certificate. The school of the winning pupil will win an afternoon of storytelling performances and workshops, a collection of £100 worth of Walker Book titles for the library, and a Where's Wally Wall! 10 runners-up will each win a Where's Wally? book pack.

 

The winners will be chosen at random. To be in with a chance of winning, pick up a postcard from the library in January!

December's Issue Of Aquila Magazine

The latest issue of Aquila is now available to read in the library. December's issue has a story telling theme with articles including;

 

- Hans Christian Andersen

- Match of the Century

- Create a Winter Woodland Diorama

- A Christmas to Remember

 

 

This issue is packed with christmas activities, competitions and puzzles.

If there is an article that you are interested in then I am more than happy to photocopy it for you so you can take it home.

Paddington Bear Trail

On Friday our Spinebreakers visited London to take part in the Paddington Bear Trail. More than 50 bears, designed by musicians, politicians, film stars and presenters, have been placed around London to celebrate the release of the new Paddington film and to raise money for the NSPCC.

 

Our Spinebreakers started their search as soon as they boarded bus 23 from Liverpool Street. The first bear was found in front of The Royal Exchange.

 

 

R; G; B

Architect, Zaha Hadid designed this Paddington using bright colours to represent the whirlwind of options available in London.

 

When we departed the bus at Charing Cross Station we headed for Trafalgar Square. As we made our way to Nelson's Column we spotted Paddington on the side of a London bus!

 

 

Bear number two was found just at the top of the steps near the entrance of The National Gallery.

 

 

 

 

The Bear of London

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has designed this Paddington to display a few of London's iconic landmarks and figures.

 

The next place on our map to visit was Leicester Square, where we found bear number 3. This bear was placed just outside the Odeon cinema.

 

 

Blush

Oscar-winning actress, Nicola Kidman, has created this Paddington. She brought him to life with this elegant, luxurious and beautiful design.

 

The next Paddington was located just near Ridley's Believe It or Not, Piccadilly Circus.

 

 

Paddington the Explorer

Natasha Crump, general manager at Ripley's Believe It or Not wanted this Paddington to represent Robert Ripley's love of exploring the world in the search for the 'unbelievable'.

 

The next bear was hidden away in Regent's Streets' Hamleys store.

 

 

 

 

Bearer of Gifts

Author of the Paddington stories, Michael Bond, bought a teddy-bear from Selfridges on Christmas Eve 1956 and gave it to his wife Brenda as a gift. They named the bear Paddington because they lived near Paddington Station. Michael went on to write many stories about Paddington's life.

 

Despite the rain, we carried on our hunt along Regent's Street up to Oxford Street, where we found our last bear. We were surprised to find our bear surrounded by a steelpan band, who were raising money for the children's charity, NSPCC. The music was brilliant, and lifted our spirits after a short down-pour. Ramone and Adam enjoyed themselves as they danced along to the music!

 

 

Bear Humbug

This bear was designed by 'I'm a Celebrity' presenters, Ant and Dec. They used black and white to represent the colours of their favourite football team, Newcastle United.

 

Our search for Paddington is complete! If you would like to see what Paddingtons you can find take a look at the Visit London web page to download the maps. There are four trails in total - The Christmas Trail, Royal Parks Trail, Paddington in Paddington Trail and River and Historical London Trail. There are over 50 bears to find, but they won't be around for long, the bears will be removed and auctioned to raise money for the NPSCC from the 30th December 2014.

Spinebreakers Competitions - An Extra Week To Enter!

Our Spinebreakers are out tomorrow searching for Paddington Bears across London so they are giving you an extra week to take part in their Scarecrows' Wedding competition. They will judge the entries on Thursday 11th December, so make sure you have handed your beautiful creations in by then. They will announce the winners on Friday 12th December. Good luck!

Spinebreakers' Competition Ends Next Week!

Years 1 and 2!

If you have a spare hour this weekend, why not enter the Spinebreakers' competition? Read the blogpost and watch the video to see how you can enter...

 

http://broadfordlibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/ks1-spinebreakers-challenge-scarecrows.html

 

The closing date is Thursday 4th December, if you would like to enter drop your work into the library or pass it on to your class Spinebreakers. Good luck!

Premier Reading League Winners - Autumn 2014

After twelve weeks of collecting points for reading and reviewing books the winners of the Premier Reading League have been announced!

 

The team in 1st place, with a total of 335 points, are The Boss with team members, Uthman, Success, Hakeem, Bailey and Daniel. With just a difference of 7 points, in second place are Prince, Leo, Bryan, Natalie and Lucy, who make up team, The Purple Hand Gang.

 

The two remaining tickets went to Samson who earned a total of 84 points and Endurance who collected 75 points. The twelve winners will be rewarded with a trip to Upton Park in January where they will watch West Ham play against Hull.

 

Well done to all the teams who participated in this term's competition. Look out for the reading challenge when it returns in the new year.

Book Club's Trip To See Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical

On Wednesday 12th November the Book Club took a trip to London to watch the Charlie and the Chocolate Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Here they tell you about their favourite parts and characters...

http://audioboom.com/boos/2664951-charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-the-musical-review

Premier Reading League - Winners To Be Announced This Week!

You have until Thursday to collect as many points for your teams as possible. So far, you have collectively earned over 1000 points!

 

The winners of the reading challenge will be announced on Friday. As previously mentioned, the prize of a trip to West Ham's home-ground has been delayed until 17th January 2015 when West Ham play against Hull.

More Children Enter The Spinebreakers' Competition!

Callum has created a wonderful piece of art for the Spinebreakers' competition. Well done Callum!

 

Sydney has worked so hard at home to make a fantastic scarecrow with a straw filling, hat, scarf and hand-made clothes! Excellent effort Sydney!



Our First Scarecrow!

Sky has been very busy at home this week making a scarecrow for the Spinebreakers' competition. Well done Sky!

 

 

The Spinebreakers are looking forward to seeing more of your scarecrows so don't forget to hand them in at the library or pass them onto your class Spinebreaker. The closing date for the competition is Thursday 4th December 2014, to find out more click here.

New Books - Paddington Bear Collection

 

For more than 50 years, stories of Paddington Bear have been loved by children (and adults) all over the world. Read Paddington's adventures by borrowing the latest books we have to offer.

 

Picture books suitable for younger children;

 

Paddington

The very first story in the series, this book tells the story of how Paddington came to meet Mr and Mrs Brown at Paddington Station.

 

Paddington Goes for Gold

This book was released to celebrate the London Olympics in 2012. Paddington joins the Brown family on a local sports day, but no matter what Paddington does nothing goes quite as planned!

 

Paddington and the Christmas Surprise

Paddington visits the Christmas Grotto at their local store. Their journey through the Winter Wonderland is full of surprises but the biggest surprise of all is Paddington's present from Santa.

 

 

Paddington in the Garden

The nicest thing for Paddington about living with the Brown family is sharing their wonderful garden. There are some unexpected results for Paddington during National Garden Week. 

 

 

Paddington and the Grand Tour

Paddington is prepared for the day ahead, with a suitcase packed with marmalade sandwiches and Mrs Bird's umbrella in case in rains. He sets off for a day trip across London with his friend, Mr Gruber.

 

 

Paddington at the Carnival

Paddington enters the Busy Bee Adventure Trail hoping to win a boat trip for two. He discovers that he is very good at spotting things beginning with the letter B, but he is not the only one with his eye on the prize.

 

Story books for confident readers in year 2 and above;

 

Bear Called Paddington

The Browns meet a small bear at Paddington Station whilst waiting to collect their daughter Judy. They decide the best thing to do is take the little bear home, but they soon discover that ordinary tasks like taking a bath or travelling on the underground can turn quite extraordinary when a bear is involved!

 

 

More About Paddington

Paddington causes chaos as he attempts home decorating, detective work and photography.

 

Paddington Helps Out

Even when trying to be help the Brown family, Paddington still manages to create chaos!

 

Paddington Abroad

Paddington is organising a trip abroad for the Brown family, but Mrs Brown worries that, with Paddington in charge, there is no knowing where they will end up!

 

With Paddington appearing on the big screen in less than two weeks, why not visit the Paddington website to find out more about the creator, Michael Bond and the watch the trailer for the film.

www.paddington.com

Hand Your Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Reading Logs In Today!

Well done to everyone who took part in the National Literacy's 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Magical Reading Tour'. A combined total of 190 hours of reading were completed by 19 children from years 1 to year 6!

 

Well done to Summer-Rose Trew, Paige McGeoghan, Thomas Brown, Sergiu Babaianu, Alisha March, Abyan Abidin, Sienna Nickson, Teni-Adu, Georgia Brooks, Sofia Ehihon, Harry Vincent, Suada Cacaj, Chloe Trew, Razvan Gabreanu, Sophie Nickson, Tahani Towe-Enu, Terrika Wright, Emma Groom and Ella-Louise Floyd! 

 

If you have a completed reading log then please drop it into the library by the end of the day.

Premier Reading League - Change To West Ham Game

The fixture has now changed for the game we had planned to watch on Saturday 6th December to the Sunday, as this may make the trip more difficult for some children to attend we have reserved tickets for the West Ham game against Hull on Saturday 17th January 2015. The competition will still continue as planned, with the winners being announced on Friday 28th November.

KS1 Spinebreakers Challenge - The Scarecrows' Wedding

Following their trip to Waterstones (see blogpost), our Key Stage One Spinebreakers have come up with an exciting challenge for Years 1 and 2 to take part in. The competition is linked to the book Lilly chose, The Scarecrows' Wedding. Here the Spinebreakers tell you more about their competition and how to enter...



So to remind you...

To enter you will need to create one of the following;
1. Draw your favourite part or character from the book
2. Create a scarecrow from card, play dough, sticks, fabric... just make sure it fits in your school bag!
3. Design an invitation for the Scarecrows' wedding

The closing date for this competition is Thursday 4th December, the Spinebreakers will giving away a copy of the book, along with a certificate, activity pack and stickers to the two children who they think have been the most creative.

Please drop your entries into the library or pass them onto your class Spinebreakers.
GOOD LUCK!

KS1 Spinebreakers Interview Leigh Hobbs

When Leigh Hobbs visited Broadford, our Key Stage One Spinebreakers took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his work...



October and November Issues of Aquila Magazine Now In!

We have the latest issues of Aquila Magazine on display in the library.

 

What's in October's Issue...

- Battling with Bacteria and Fungi

- Growing King Oyster Mushrooms

- Can Mushrooms Save the Planet?

- Make 25 words or more from FUNGOPHOBIA and you could win a copy of Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe

- Win a Laser Pegs Helicopter by spotting the made-up helicopter name

 

What's in November's Issue...

- The Science of Sound

- Make a Designer Diddley Bow

- The Truth About Dyslexia

- The Sound of a Fairground

- Win a copy of Write and Draw Your Own Comics by creating a comic strip of no more than three frames - you decide on the subject

 

Look out for Word Morphs, Anagrams, Spot the Differences, Jokes and Brain Feeders in both issues.

 

They are to be read in the library and not to be taken home. If you would like a copy of any of the featured articles or games and puzzles then please let me know and will make you a copy.

New Books For Key Stage One!

We have two new books for our Key Stage One children to enjoy...

 

 

Once Upon an Alphabet, Short Stories for all the Letters, from writer and illustrator, Oliver Jeffers.

This books contains 26 short stories - an adventure from A to Z. Oliver Jeffers introduces a host of new characters, from Edmund the astronaut with his awkward fear of heights to the new dynamic duo that is Owl and the Octopus.

 

Blown Away, by Rob Biddulph

This penguin travels will thrill and delight! Be taken on a unexpected journey with a fearless blue penguin and meet the friends he makes along the way. A captivating and gloriously illustrated story about good ideas and homesickness.



Premier Reading League - Just Four Weeks Until The Competition Ends!

There are twelve weeks left until the Premier Reading League comes to an end. Over one thousand points have been collected in the last eight weeks from the twelve teams that are taking part! Don't forget for each book you read you will earn one point and for each book review you complete you will be rewarded with three points for your team - the league table is up in the library so take a look to see who is at the top next time you visit.

 

In three weeks the league table will be taken down and for the last week points will be collected in secret, the winning teams and individual players will be announced on Friday 28th November, with their prize being a trip to watch West Ham play against Swansea City on Saturday 6th December 2014. 

Chtitty Chitty Bang Bang Reading Competiton Ends Soon!

 

Next week the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang competition will come to an end, if you have a completed reading log to hand in then please do so before Thursday 13th November. If you haven't yet picked up a reading log and would still like to enter there is plenty of time left.

 

To complete the reading log you need to read for a total of 10 hours - that's just an hour a day if you pick up a sheet today - you could break the hour up during the day by reading for twenty minutes before school, twenty minutes during school and then twenty after school. 

 

For completing the challenge you will be awarded with a certificate and be entered into a national prize draw where you could win an eReader, book vouchers, a copy of the full Chitty Chitty Bang Bang series, original artwork from the Chitty illustrator Joe Berger and a school makeover for the library (£500 worth of books from Macmillan Children's Books).

KS1 Spinebreakers - Trip To Waterstones

 

On Monday our Key Stage One Spinebreakers visited Waterstones in Romford to choose a selection of new books for our school library.

 

 

Ramone chose 'The Queen's Hat', a story to celebrate the Queen and the new royal baby. He also went for 'The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past' - he thought the children in his class would find this one very funny!  

 

 

Being a huge fan of Julia Donaldson's 'The Singing Mermaid', Emily wanted to choose another story by the author so went for 'Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox'. Emily thought 'Winnie's Dinosaur Day' would be another good choice!

 

 

Cruz was blown away by the amount of fantastic books on offer, in the end he went for 'The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water' and 'A Shark in the Bath'.

 

 

I was very pleased Lilly chose 'The Scarecrow's Wedding' as I am sure it will be a firm favourite with our younger readers. Lilly couldn't resist a fairytale (with a twist), so chose 'The Fairytale Hairdresser and Snow White'.

 

 

Adam decided on two dinosaur books, 'Gigantosaurus' and 'The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet'.

 

 

With so many books to choose from, Paige finally picked out two that she thought would be good for her classmates, 'Pip and Posy' and 'The Fairytale Hairdresser and Rapunzel'.

 

 

Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter's series of dinosaur books proved popular, with Arya also choosing one from the collection. With Christmas quickly approaching he chose 'The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas'. His second choice was from a series of books that have been around for many years, 'Meg, Mog and Og'.

 

 

Syndey's choices were 'What the Ladybird Heard' and 'Marmaduke, the Very Different Dragon'. Both excellent choices Sydney!

 

As an extra treat the Spinebreakers enjoyed hot drinks with marshmallows, flakes and muffins in Costa...