Ah, Halloween! That spooky time of year with pumpkins, sweets and BOO! Did I scare you? Well I tried. *hangs head in shame* It’s that time of the year again dear readers where we can dress up and frighten each other into giving us treats. Don’t you just love Halloween? Awesome.
I have a classic read for you today and very fitting, Funnybones By Janet & Allan Ahlberg. If you haven’t heard of the skeletal trio than I highly insist you stop what you are doing and head to your nearest bookshop to grab a copy. Seriously, GO GO GO! It’s a thrilling tale that will have you and your little monsters giggling and singing long into the dark dark night. Let’s begin!
I absolutely love this book and couldn’t wait to share it with my boys. As expected, they adore it too and now want skeleton everything! Good thing it’s October and they’re not in short supply. I do wish that they stocked Halloween stuff all year round. Pumpkins, ghosts, all things dark and gothic. We pretty much have all that kind of stuff out all year round in The Burrow. Yep, call us crazy but we are very much the Addams Family at times and I love it!
My first memory of Funnybones was in school. We were learning about body parts and the teacher thought it would be a fun read to help. By the end of the day we were all singing the song on the way home much to our parents dismay. Ironically I am now in the reverse situation with my son who is obsessed. But you can’t argue that it doesn’t get children interested in learning and that’s always worth those extra headaches. All together now! “The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone!”
The repetition in the story is perfect for little monsters. It helps them learn words, phrases and rhythm which are all important parts of language. The more children repeat things, the more it sticks with them helping to improve their memory. The boys now want their entire bedroom to be decorated with nothing but…you guessed it; skeletons. Don’t get me started on their obsession with the Nightmare Before Christmas. I love that film but we have to watch it every…single…day….
Black is a colour that is often avoided being used in children’s’ books as it’s not bright or cheery enough. However when used effectively it can really bring a story to life. The illustrations in Funnybones really pop out at you, giving you a little fright with each page turn. The bright white used for the skeletons against the dark dark black grabs your child’s imagination. It’s refreshing to see and always brings a smile to our faces.
I give Funnybones By Janet & Allan Ahlberg a Five out of Five Paw Rating.
It’s a delightful book that encourages fun and silliness. Something all children need and we need to remember for ourselves amid all the cares and responsibilities of being parents. It’s never a bad thing to have a bit of a scare. For example; what’s that behind you?…
I hope you all have fangtastic Halloween! We are dressing up, making spider cupcakes and watching films! Utter bliss. Pretty much how we spend most of our days really. Trick Or Treat!!!
Hop Hop Wiggle Wiggle
Bunny’s Pause 