Toys in Space

Product Information

The answer lies in a denouement in which it is necessary to read the pictures as well as the text and the boundaries between stories blur. This is a great book for my future classroom because it teaches children to always do the right thing and you can't take things that aren't yours. I enjoyed how the illustrations showed exactly where Cuddles was, bit by bit, over the course of the pages.

Toys in Space | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - CLPE Toys in Space | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - CLPE

We all know that the dish ran away with the spoon but Mini Grey's new book explores what happened to the nursery rhyme characters next. In Toys in Space, award-winning illustrator Mini Grey has created a gem of a picture book that operates on many different levels to provide an absorbing and emotionally-rich reading experience for KS1 children, as well as an inviting starting point for further work. This story deals with space, aliens, the unknown, loss, friendships, and has themes of trust, love, and fear.A tale or two might keep their spirits up, but Wonderdoll’s story is about a drooling alien known as the Hoctopize who kidnaps toys, which doesn’t really help. Look at the illustrations showing the Hoctopize’s birthday, and share memories of your own celebrations.

Toys in Space | BookTrust Toys in Space | BookTrust

It reminds me of Toy Story in a way since each toy clearly has a distinct voice and personality, portrayed with different fonts. Look at stories within stories, look at different perspectives, imagine different planets, create stories for toys and delve into a bit of physics. Teachers could also use this as a discussion to reflect on how losing a toy makes them feel, and talking about being responsible for their toys. NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. Make sure everyone understands the idea of a ‘story within a story’, and draw their attention to the way the toys help shape the tale as it happens.The toys notice that one star in the sky is shining brighter than the rest and soon discover it is not a star at all. The illustrations also enhance the different characters and their dialoges and create a well rounded story about toys in space. If you like, you can extend this by creating a name and character profile for each toy, or writing the story of how the toy came to be kidnapped by the Hoctopize. Award-winning illustrator Mini Grey uses inventive layouts and zany humour to add energy to every spread of this much-loved picturebook.

Toys In Space - Teaching Ideas

In pairs, exchange silhouettes and try to predict what each creature will look like from its silhouette alone, then compare with the original. Make wax resist pictures of the night sky using the double spread in the book as inspiration, or layer black crayon over coloured wax and scratch away.

Sharing and exploring through creative cross-curricular activities 5-10 years Adapt our activities to suit your children’s interests and abilities!