The Diddle That Dummed

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The Diddle that Dummed is another great picture book by children's author Kes Gray and has the same style and repetitive pattern as his 'Oi Frog' series. It's this pattern that helps young children re-tell the story, which in turn supports their understanding of the story format. Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child... Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12... As an adult sharing this book with a young audience, you will need a good level of literary patience and expression; there are an awful lot of 'diddles' in this book! That said, I am sure that you will be suitably rewarded by an equal number of 'giggles'. The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children...

Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... The Diddle that Dummed is a funny story about a man called Flinty Bo Diddle, a composer who wants to write a tune for his fiddle; however, one of his notes just won't behave! As poor Mr Diddle gets more and more frustrated, it really is hard not to giggle. Flinty tries changing the tune and the naughty note still won't behave. Eventually, Flinty gives up writing a tune for his fiddle and tries the drum instead, surely a note that 'dums' instead of 'diddles' will behave for a tune played on the drum?

Be warned, there are a lot of diddles to be read aloud, but this can work well in a class if you divide the children into five groups, each group reading a line of ‘diddles. The fifth group will need to remember to end on a dum -, or the whole class could join in to read the final note in unison. Vary the reading by asking each group to read their notes in a specific way, e.g. happy, sad, grumpy. While illustrating musical notes doesn't leave much scope for creativity, Fred Blunt has most certainly brought Mr Diddle to life with his amusing illustrations. Flinty's unruly red hair most definitely infers a fiery temperament and this is exactly what we see when the naughty note refuses to play. Ideal for young readers to better appreciate the composer's frustration when the dum refuses to diddle. Flinty Bo Diddle is writing a new tune to play on his fiddle. The notes are perfect ‘diddles’ until he reaches the end of the paper. The last note is a rogue ‘dum’. Flinty tries everything to coax the dum to change into a diddle with increasing exasperation. Nothing works. Eventually, the little notes need to go to the toilet where they treat Flinty to a perfect piddle…