Synopsis – A little old lady is not content with the size of her house, when a wise old man decides to help her, she thinks he has a curious plan. Will his plan work, or will her house still be a squash and a squeeze?

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My thoughts – I really enjoyed this book, I generally enjoy books by Julia Donaldson, I think she is a great children’s author. I also adore the illustrations by Axel Sheffler, they always suit the book perfectly.

The book has a really good flow to it when reading, because there are lots of rhymes throughout the book. It is also quite repetitive, meaning that the children can join in with the book, and anticipate what will happen next. There are a few words that the children may not be familiar with, such as curious or poky, but it would help to expand their vocabulary.

Classroom ideas – You could do some drama and recreate scenes from the book, or do a small world version of it. The children could add another page to the book, where another animal is added to the house. The children could design or create a house big enough for the old lady and all the animals. You could look at synonyms, and change words around in a paragraph using synonyms.