John Burningham Books

This reprint of a classic, first published in 1980, would make a brilliant addition to a library for children in Preschool or Key Stage One.

Steven is sent to the grocers with a shopping list. On his journey, he passes many notable local landmarks, before arriving and filling his basket with the things his mother needs. His journey home, however, is not so straightforward! He encounters one unexpected animal after another, all of whom want to steal items from his basket. Can he outwit them and arrive home with his shopping intact?

Burningham’s retro, quirky illustrations are the real attraction of this book, as they tell the story so clearly. Reminiscent of Judith Kerr’s drawings in ‘The Tiger who Came to Tea’, they stand out clearly against a largely white background, but are full of funny details. Even non-readers, having heard the story once, would be able to recreate the narrative from the pictures. Particularly fun are the illustrations, after each animal encounter, of the contents of Steven’s basket, so that children can work out for themselves what has gone missing at each stage of the story. These really lend themselves to counting aloud in a read-aloud environment, so that children can participate in the story as it is read to them. The story could also work really well as a jumping off point for creative writing, where children could be encouraged to write a similar story but with different shopping and obstacles to overcome.

Altogether, it’s a lovely book with loads of mileage for teaching opportunities – definitely worthy of a place in the classroom!