Mister Magnolia: Celebrate Quentin Blake’s 90th Birthday

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Talking together about the book builds children’s interest in the story and they are keen to turn the pages to find out more. This book has a rhyming pattern throughout with each sentence only being a few lines long – this will make it easy for children to read in particular early years, KS1. It is surprising to discover so many possible rhymes for 'boot', with such a variety of spellings - flute, newt, suit, salute, etc. What I really appreciate about stories Quentin Blake has both written AND illustrated himself: They are kinder than the stories he illustrated for Roald Dahl and Roald Dahl’s chosen successor, David Walliams. If the cover showed him wearing only one boot, that would ruin the surprise of the opening page… in which we are told he wears only one boot.

It would be worthwhile talking to children about being grateful for what we have because we could lose it all one day. Children have most likely seen a homeless person in the streets before, and this book can help them to realise that even though homeless people have nothing for themselves, they are still human and have feelings even though some precautions should be taken. Mister Magnolia has many things, such as an old trumpet that goes rooty-toot, some fat owls, who are learning to hoot, a big purple dinosaur, who's a magnificent brute, two sisters who play on the flute, and even a swimming pool with a chute!Mister Magnolia may be a child archetype but he is not the EVERY child by dint of him being an eccentric. But he is delighted with it, and so are we, because now Mister Magnolia is free to roam no matter the weather. Quentin Blake is probably most well known for his illustrations in Roald Dahl stories but his own book is a definite classic.

When he eventually finds a new second boot at the end of the book you can't help but be genuinely happy for him. We at Penguin Random House Australia acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians and the first storytellers of the lands on which we live and work. He has an old trumpet that goes rooty-toot – And two lovely sisters who play on the flute – But Mr Magnolia has only one boot. It can be very useful in teaching and revising the long vowel diagraph oo, because it is repeated frequently and spelled in many different ways throughout the story. Encourage them tell it to you in their own words, with some words or phrases from the story, using the pictures to help them.

Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours. During his time in the role, he celebrated children's books and children's book illustration with a range of projects and exhibitions, and conceived the idea for the House of Illustration, the world's first centre dedicated to the art of illustration in all its forms. This is magnificent, because children will identify with the frustration of being stuck inside because of inclement weather. As well as illustrating the books of others, including Roald Dahl and Elizabeth Bowen, Blake has written numerous books of his own.

I love reading this book with my children for the simplicity of the story - he is a happy person doing things with his friends, such as playing the trumpet and taking his friends out for a scoot. A wonderful rhyming tale about Mister Magnolia, a man with a trumpet that goes rooty-toot (but only one boot)!

To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. It’s not a typical shot at all, and the super careful reader will know even before opening the cover that something’s going on with the guy’s feet. The rhyming text features of this book add to the flow of reading and help create a wonderful read-aloud text. So, the message that small thoughtful gifts are enough to make someone happy would be especially useful at Christmas and birthdays, even more so to children from lower income households that may feel guilty for not being able to afford presents for their friends. The story builds to a wonderful finale when Mister magnolia receives a package with a (mismatch) boot, but it doesn't matter to him, he now has two boots!

Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. This is a lovely picture book with a combination of illustrations and text which accompany each other perfectly. The jokes have been drip fed to us all through the story, and although this is an excellent rhyming read-aloud which encourages the reader to keep turning the page, the repeat-reading joy comes from really studying the humorous details of the story in subsequent sessions. He taught at the Royal College of Art for over twenty years, and was head of the Illustration department from 1978 to 1986.

Print the game sheet and cut out the cards to play a matching game – you can print two copies to make more cards. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. I think that this would be a perfect book for years one and two as it would provide excellent opportunities to extend learning through questioning and would be great for speech and language activities, as it would really spark imagination and discussion.