Room on the Broom

Product Information

Room on the Broom has a delightful rhyme that almost sounds like song, or music - any picture book that rhymes like this is a pleasure to read out loud. The story just flows so well, it's fun to read, and pleasurable to the ear. Doesn't stop a kid from interrupting, though! One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.

The broom broke when the frog “jumped for joy.” Was it the frog’s fault that the broom broke? Who’s fault was it? A witch and her cat fly around on a broom and the witch accidentally drops some of her things. Other animals on the ground return her items to her and ask for a ride on the broom. The witch says yes to them all, but is there room for all of these new friends? My daughter loves this book, it's short enough to keep her attention but long enough to keep her entertained (18m). I have written a Room on the Broom song though, which you can listen to on streaming platforms such as Spotify.These picture books, featuring witches, wizards and monsters, are perfect to share with little ones as the nights draw in and there's a touch of frosty magic in the air. Look at the expressions of each of the characters in the illustrations. Can you describe how they are feeling? Could you draw your own pictures which show different people’s emotions? Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary Room on the Broom considers questions about friendship, helping others, and teamwork. Love the rhymes in this book. We have the sound book which my daughter loves listening to. Fab book!

I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books. I bought this for my 2-and-a-half year son, and this soon became one of his favourites. The rhyming, repetition and illustrations keep his attention throughout the story. My son found a broom in the garden shortly after and was acting out the story using it! Great book for capturing the imagination. Read the description of the ‘horrible beast’ that rises from the ditch and use it to draw the creature.

Peter Fogarty has kindly contributed a set of Thinking Hat resources linked to the book (see Resources below). And you can never get them started on fantasy too young - good witches and bad dragons - perfect! We'll get him reading Tolkien before he's ten...

I like the story because it has lots of animals and the witch is nice and they are friends. The dragon is a bit scary.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

we have been really enjoying julia donaldson's books. this one is a story about being nice and helping out in a time of need. We are loving this book in the setting at the moment, we add our dressing up and puppets and props to make the story come alive we really love the dragon!

Julia Donaldson’s wonderful children’s book, told in rhyme, is a story of friendship, sharing, and kindness that would be great to read aloud with young children! In addition, several parts had me laughing out loud. Axel Scheffler’s illustrations greatly enhance the story too! I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him). Fantastic book, my little girl (4yr) loves the story. I think the rhyming helps her to remember the story as she can now tell it to me. Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my BEDTIME STORIES list.

Julia Donaldson Adaptations

all my kids love this book even the 10yr old and my husband loves the rhyming Julia Donaldson books as they're fun to read aloud. My son loves this book and watching the film. He loves when I use different voices for the characters. He knows the story so well he is beginning to retell the story independently. We love reading books by Julia Donaldson. A kind witch invites a surprising collection of animals to join her on her broom, much to the frustration of her cat. The gang ultimately saves the witch from a fearsome dragon, and in gratitude she rewards them with a magnificent new broom which has room for everyone. My little boy is 3 and absolutely loves this book one of his favourites. The way it rhymes makes him giggle and he joins in too. Axel was born in Hamburg, Germany. At school he was good at art, but didn't think of a career in illustration until he won a cuddly purple cow in a drawing competition. He moved to England in 1982 to study illustration at the Bath Academy of Art, and then set up home in London.