A page for free things to make and do, from drawing and colouring to animals to wear on your head! What else would you like to see here? Let me know on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook – or show me the things you’ve made!
MONSTER CLOTHES Making Monsters activity video
Make your own monsters with this activity video I made for my US publisher, Candlewick Press, inspired by MONSTER CLOTHES. You will need some clothes cut from a catalogue or magazine (or you could just cut some clothes shapes from coloured paper), glue and coloured pens or pencils.
Train banners from I Like Trains
Like Small Dog in my latest book, I like trains! I also like to draw trains, fill them with passengers and decide what colours they should be. I’ve designed two printable trains for you to make your own: a steam train like the toy train in the book, and an electric train like the one Small Dog catches to visit Granny. The electric train is quite small (if you print it on one piece of A4), so I’ve also made a big version which might be easier for small children to draw on. You’ll need colours, scissors and a long piece of string. Pdfs below.
Instructions pdf
Steam train pdf
Electric train pdf (small)
Electric train pdf (big) print page 2 twice for extra carriages!
I Like Trains colouring
A busy station from I Like Trains to colour in. PDF here.
Naming the pigeons
In Alphonse, That Is Not Ok To Do! one thing Natalie and Alphonse both enjoy is naming the pigeons they see from their flat. I thought you might like to name a few pigeons too? I’m also keen to see what Sandra and Petrarch look like. PDF download here.
Natalie and Alphonse’s Books
From I Do Not Like Books Anymore!
In I Do Not Like Books Anymore! Natalie and Alphonse decide to make their own books, which we see on the endpapers. The only problem is, we don’t get to read the stories or find out why Eric Goes to Sea, what’s so magic about The Magic Pigeon or what exactly Natalie and Alphonse’s Emergency is!
When the book came out I ran some workshops where children made up some wonderful stories to go inside Natalie and Alphonse’s books. I made blank books (with only front covers) for children to complete, using a simple foldable template. Someone on Instagram suggested I post the pdfs online for people to download and print, so here they are! You can also download folding instructions below.
Of course I’d LOVE to see what you come up with! Find me on Instagram or Twitter or through my Facebook page.
Bears and Jelly
Natalie and Alphonse’s Emergency
Eric Goes to Sea
The Magic Pigeon
Natalie in Space
Where are all the Peas?
Tomato and the Chair
Whale goes Shopping
Drawing and colouring
Colour in Natalie and Alphonse on a bus full of reading monsters or sharing their own book with Mum and Dad (bus pdf here; sofa pdf here). These are from I Do Not Like Books Anymore! and there’s also a playground scene to colour (pdf here), from Alphonse, There’s Mud On The Ceiling!
This one from Alphonse, That Is Not OK To Do! works best if you’ve read the story: draw a new adventure for Natalie and Alphonse (and colour the monsters). Download PDF here.
Animal Headbands
From The Girl with the Parrot on her Head
When my first book, The Girl with the Parrot on her Head, was published, I did lots of workshops where children could decide what kind of animal they’d like on their heads – and then make it and wear it (above are the very excellent Girl with the Bat on her Head and Girl with the Tasmanian Devil on her Head).
I made an activity sheet with instructions, still available from Walker Books’ PictureBookParty site.