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exclamation “Oh no, George!”); and in Shh! We Have a Plan , the tension builds as the bird-catchers count “Ready one...ready two...”, followed by an equally inevitable visual mishap. These books brilliantly establish an easily followable pattern of “action equals consequence”. All together now… A few more contemporary examples of books that encourage engagement through repetition are We’re Going to Find the Monster! , a vibrant adventure in which two siblings traverse a range of imaginary landscapes to a cumulative refrain which simply asks to be joined in with: “Over the shimmering ocean... Up the huge, high mountain... Through the deep, dark jungle... We’re going to find the monster!” I also love the Green Eggs and Ham -esque Would You Like a Banana? , in which an unseen – and very patient – narrator tries to convince a hungry gorilla to have a banana, to be met with the repeated line “No, I won’t eat a banana.” Great fun to read aloud and, like Don’t Let the Pigeon... , good for exploring persuasive writing. Board books Even the youngest of readers get to enjoy the subversive humour of interactivity through the format of board books. In the Guess Who’s... series, clever optical illusions invite the reader to guess which animal is hiding behind each flap, with the patterned rhyming text providing a clue to the answer: “Who’s put on this spotty coat? Is it Cat? No! It’s...[spoiler!]” Meanwhile, Cows Are Pink! uses cut- outs to paint farmyard animals in unexpected colours; the reader must lend the exasperated narrator a hand and help put things right. And finally, the brilliant Rhyme Hungry is a verbal and visual treat filled with rhyming wordplay, and sees fold-out pages transform food items into unexpected things – a cheese toastie becomes a cheese ghostie, with friendly spirits made from melted cheese. Visit clpe.org.uk 11 We’re Going to Find the Monster! , by Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola (Puffin Books) 12 Would You Like a Banana? , by Yasmeen Ismail (Walker Books) 13 Guess Who’s Getting Dressed , Guess Who’s Going to Sleep , Guess Who’s Playing and Guess Who’s Munching , by Smriti Halls & Marta Altés (Walker Books) 14 Cows Are Pink! , by Becky Davies & Gareth Lucas (Little Tiger Press) 15 Rhyme Hungry , by Antonia Pesenti (Scribble) 1 Please, Mr Magic Fish , by Jessica Souhami (Otter-Barry Books) 2 Quiet! , by Kip Alizadeh (Child’s Play) 3 Snap! , by Anna Walker (Scribble) 4 Dig Dig Dinosaur , by Dr Anjali Goswami & Maggie Li (Nosy Crow) 5 Body Detective! Decode Your Sensory Signals , by Janet Krauthamer & Christiane Engel (Barefoot Books) 6 This Is Owl , by Libby Walden & Jacqui Lee (Little Tiger Press) 7 The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever! , by Louise Fitzgerald & Kate Hindley (Nosy Crow) 8 Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! , by Mo Willems (Walker Books) 9 Oh No, George! , by Chris Haughton (Walker Books) 10 Shh! We Have a Plan , by Chris Haughton (Walker Books) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Teachearlyyears.com 51