35 years of Winnie and Wilbur

A beautiful hardback, anniversary edition of Winnie the Witch arrived last week. With it came photo props, a photo frame, bunting and a design a birthday cake activity sheet.

I took this in to read to a Reception class and they were enthralled. Some had read Winnie and Wilbur stories before but for a couple, this was an introduction to a new character and series. For those children, we made sure to find some of the other stories featuring this dynamic duo and they were promptly borrowed.

This class also spent time designing birthday cakes and taking photos with the props. They loved the fun of sharing in a celebration of a story.

Getting an extra copy of the book, I took it into another school and read it to several classes of children. What I loved and noticed most was the keen reaction to share their favourite Winnie and Wilbur stories. There is a shared, collective appreciation for this franchise. Even the school staff were recalling memories of reading these to their own children or remembering when the stories first published.

I love that so much time, energy and love has been poured into these characters and the publication of the original story in a hardback is perfect. It is a treasured part of both schools and will be borrowed constantly.