Publisher: Tate Publishing

The High Street by Alice Melvin is a beautifully crafted lift-the-flap picture book that captures the essence of a quintessential British high street through its engaging rhymes and intricate illustrations. The story follows young Sally as she ventures down the high street with a list of ten unique items she needs to purchase. Each item on her list, from a Persian rug to a stripy jug, leads her to a different shop.

This book is great to introduce themes such as community, shopping, and money management but is also a great tool to support language development. The rhyming verses are catchy to aid developing phonemic awareness in young readers. Alongside this, the interactive flaps add an element of surprise as readers lift to peek inside each shop, revealing delightful surprises and charming details that encourage children to make predictions and enhance their inference skills. The illustrations are rich in detail and whimsy, capturing the charm of a bustling high street, providing ample opportunities for vocabulary building and discussions about everyday life.

Each page is a treasure trove of visual delights that can keep children engaged as they explore the shops alongside Sally. The High Street is an excellent resource for various educational activities and also lends itself to creative arts activities, such as designing a high street or crafting items from Sally’s list.

The High Street is a perfect blend of engaging storytelling and charming illustrations. It’s a must-have for any primary classroom, offering endless possibilities for interactive and educational fun.