Two brilliantly, funny books feature in my evening! Both are wonderful stories featuring the ultimate characters, wolves and bunnies, foxes and woodland critters. Both have been successfully read aloud to children with a hugely positive response from the audience.
Great Bunny Bakes is written and illustrated by Ellie Snowdon. The world of baking bunnies and a talented wolf is brought to life with stunning illustrations full of exceptional details and light, pastel colours.
Quentin is a wolf who loves baking. Sadly, there is no one to share this talent with until a letter arrives inviting him to a bunny bake off. Think Great British Bake Off for Bunnies…..amazing recipes, highly decorated cakes and the show stopper! One problem though… Quentin was not a bunny!
Disguising himself as a rather large bunny, Quentin manages to make it through round after round of impressive baking skills when the worst happens.
Poor Quentin! However, when you are kind and help others, they too will offer their help when needed and so bunnies and wolf come together in friendship and a shared love of chocolate cake! A glorious story…the children in Year 5 and 6 loved it, perhaps even more than their younger friends.
Moving from true friendship to reformed characters brings us to The Terribly Friendly Fox written by Susannah Lloyd and Illustrated by Ellie Snowdon. Ellie’s brilliant illustrations are instantly recognisable but there is a darker colour palette to compliment the darkness of the story.
It was the night of the Annual Woodland Creatures Ball and everyone was there celebrating and having fun until in walked the Wiley Fox. Having changed his name and his choice of diet, he was welcomed into the fray.
Our esteemed host notices absent friends but thinks nothing of it, all the while the reader can see Wiley Fox getting fatter and fatter. A deliciously dark tale of Fox and Foe…. what could possibly be happening to all mouse’s friends?
Gerald is the life of the party, performing magic tricks, playing musical chairs and dancing!
This book was met with thunderous laughter and applause at we finished reading it! Children love a dark and twisted tale, especially as we can see what is happening right in front of Mouse’s eyes!
I am so pleased to have both of these books in my personal collection and I plan to take them to other schools for more story times!
Great Bunny Bakes was Published by Simon and Schuster in 2018. The Terribly Friendly Fox has just been published this week, again by Simon and Schuster.
My Shelves Are Full 