Tag Archives: Shopping

Let’s Go Shopping, Grandma! By Sharon Giltrow — a review – #readilearn

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Today it is my pleasure to review the hilarious new picture book Let’s Go Shopping, GRANDMA!, written by Sharon Giltrow, illustrated by Dhwani Gosalia and published by Dixi Books. This post is part of a Books on Tour promotion.

About author Sharon Giltrow

Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. Sharon is a children’s author who writes humorous and heartfelt picture books and speculative, adventure-filled middle grade books. Since 2020 Sharon has built a collection of literary work including BEDTIME, DADDY! and GET READY, MAMA! LET’S GO SHOPPING, GRANDMA! is her third picture book. A fourth, LET’S GO TO THE BEACH, GRANDPA! is due to be released in 2024. Her debut early middle grade book SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILITY BELT – Book one in THE UTILITY BELT series was released in July 2023.

Sharon can be found at her website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Let’s Go Shopping, GRANDMA!

For ages 3 – 8

Published by Dixi Books

A hilarious tongue-in-cheek role-reversal story, following the success of Bedtime, Daddy! and Get Ready, Mama!, Sharon Giltrow has done it again!

The blurb

Taking Grandma shopping can be tricky! She will dawdle to the bus, ask to push the trolley and plead for chocolate. But with cuddles, a few deep breaths and a piggy back ride, you and your grandma will get the shopping done!

Let’s Go Shopping, GRANDMA! is an essential guide for anyone who has ever had to take a grown-up shopping.

What I like about Let’s Go Shopping, GRANDMA!

Let’s Go Shopping, GRANDMA! is such a fun book. I was immediately captivated by the bright vibrant colours of the cover illustration. The characters appear to be having a lot of fun while they shop. Though I do wonder if that’s a little frazzle I see around Grandma’s edges, she has an armful of chocolate so it can’t be all bad.

The story is engaging and fun through the whole shopping experience, from the initial invitation to shop to the recuperation afterwards. The story is told from the child’s point of view, having to keep a check on Grandma’s behaviour throughout the shopping process. Adults and children alike will recognise and identify with behaviours that are explored. Other than a misbehaving trolley, there are not too many events that couldn’t be interpreted from either’s point of view. But it is the twist, telling the story from the child’s point of view, that really accentuates the humour in what can be a challenging situation if we let it. If we can expect, accept and laugh at the things that happen when we’re out shopping, like stopping to talk to friends, wanting treats at the checkout, having to pee halfway through the shop, etc,

Continue reading: Let’s Go Shopping, Grandma! By Sharon Giltrow — a review – readilearn

20 suggestions for maintaining reading momentum during the school holidays

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The school year in Australia is over and the long summer holidays have begun.

Parents often wonder how they will keep their children entertained during the long days with few structured or timetabled activities.

When returning to school after many weeks without the formal practice of skills taught during the previous year, teachers often lament that children’s reading fluency and level has fallen.

What is one way of addressing both these issues?

The answer might just be in a book!

Well in reading anyway.

Here are 20 suggestions for keeping your children entertained while maintaining their reading skills.

I’m sure you can think of many more!

Please keep in mind, as you read the list, that the amount of support given, or independence allowed, in each activity will need to be adjusted to the individual child’s age and reading ability. Even young children who are not yet reading independently can be included in most activities.

  1.  Read to and with your child every day – continue the practice established throughout the year with special sharing times during the day or at bed-time — or both!
  2. Demonstrate that you value reading by making time for your own reading, or setting aside a special quiet time when everyone in the family reads.
  3. Visit the library and borrow to read, read, read!
  4. Read poetry books, song books, picture books, joke and riddle books, crossword books, information books, chapter books (these can be read to younger children, or with older children – taking turns to read a page or a chapter each) — what are your favourites?
  5. Trade books no longer read for others at a second-hand book store.
  6.  When dining out, have your children read the menu and choose their own meal.
  7. Include your child in holiday cooking and have them read the recipe – ingredients and method. Perhaps they could read the recipe book to select the meal for the day.
  8. Suggest your child read the TV guide to find when favourite programs are showing and establish a timetable for viewing, rather than haphazard watching with random flicking through channels.
  9. Provide your child with bookstore catalogues and encourage them to read book descriptions to guide their next selection. 
  10. Bestow upon your child the title of ‘Family weather watcher’ and have them consult weather forecasts in the newspaper or online to select the most suitable days for planned outings and activities. 
  11. Include your child in making decisions about holiday activities. Give them the guide, or read the guide together and jointly choose the activities. 
  12. Make the library, museums and art galleries high on the list of must-dos. Many of these offer a wonderful assortment of free holiday entertainment for children, and reading is an essential part of getting the most from each visit! 
  13. Engage your child in some craft activities which require them to follow written instructions. The ability to understand and follow procedures is empowering and requires the ability to read written, as well as visual, instructions. 
  14. Encourage your child to ask questions about every day events and phenomena. Help them to research in books at home, in the library or on the internet. 
  15. Provide eBooks as well as books in print. Good ones bring a new dimension to the reading experience. 
  16. When going out for the day, or journeying further away on a holiday, support your child in locating destinations on a map and in selecting an appropriate route. Engage your child in giving directions while en route. 
  17. Include your child when reading bus or train timetables. 
  18. When doing the family grocery shop, give your child their own list of items to look for. 
  19. Listen to recorded books on long car journeys, or have books for listening to or reading along with in bed. 
  20. Make the most of every reading opportunity that occurs throughout the day!

What are your favourite ways of incorporating reading into everyday activities?

When I was a child, I loved receiving books as gifts. I still do! Books are among my most treasured possessions.

I remember the delight when, on awaking in the dark of an early Christmas morning, I would reach down to end of my bed and discover a book there. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel the smooth glossy cover and the familiar roughness of the pages. I would lift the book up and breathe in the rich, delicious smell which promised so much pleasure I almost wanted to devour it. I knew that something delightful was in-store for me, and as the dawn’s soft glow began light the room, I watched the colours, pictures and words slowly take form and reveal themselves to me. What joy!

I am forever grateful to my parents for encouraging my love of reading.

The love of reading is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child.

So, here is #21, it probably should have been #1!

21. Give books as gifts!

Read! Read! Read!

You are welcome to download and distribute the 21 suggestions FREE from my TEACHERSpayTEACHERS store.

You can read another post on this topic by Nanny SHECANDO by clicking here.

Searching for meaning in a picture book — Part A

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Do you recognise this book?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Chances are you do.

According to the website of the author Eric Carle, since its publication in 1969 it has been published in over 50 languages and more than 33 million copies have been sold worldwide. It ranks highly in the Wikipedia List of best-selling books.

Most primary schools, preschools and kindergartens would have numerous copies in their libraries with a copy in most classrooms as well as in teachers’ private collections. Most homes with young children would have a copy in their storybook collection.

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In addition to the books, many of those schools, classrooms and homes would have some of the associated merchandise; including toys, games, puzzles, posters and colouring books, which are now available.

When I typed ‘the very hungry caterpillar’ into the Google search bar about 5,640,000 results were listed in 0.33 seconds!

 Google search the very hungry caterpillar

There are activities, lesson plans, printables, videos, and advertisements for merchandise. There is a plethora of suggestions for using the book as a teaching resource, including counting, days of the week and sequencing.

I think you would be hard pressed to find someone that hasn’t at least heard of the book. That is quite an impact, wouldn’t you say?

For a book to have done so well, it must have a lot going for it. And it does.

There are many things I like about this book, including:

  • The bright, colourful, collages with immediate appeal
  • The natural flow and rhythm of the language making it easy to read, dramatize and recall
  • The sequence of numbers and days encouraging children to predict and join in with the reading and retelling
  • The match between the illustrations and the text supporting beginning readers as they set out upon their journey into print
  • The simple narrative structure with an identifiable beginning, a complication in the middle with which most children can empathise (being ill from overeating) and a “happy” resolution with the caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly.

Reading to children

 Nor and Bec reading

Sharing of picture books with children from a very young age has a very powerful effect upon their learning.

There are many benefits to both parent and child of a daily shared reading session.

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It can be seen as a special time of togetherness, of bonding; of sharing stories and ideas. It can be a quiet and calming time; a time to soothe rough edges and hurt feelings; a time for boisterous fun and laughter; or a time for curiosity, inquiry, imagination and wonder.


Whatever the time, it is always a special time for a book; and all the while, children are learning language.

8-12-2013 7-38-33 PM

© Bernadette Drent. Used with permission.

They are hearing the sounds and rhythm of their language. They are being exposed to new vocabulary, sentence structures, concepts and ideas. They are learning important understandings that will support them on their journey into literacy e.g. they are learning that the language of a book differs from oral language and that the words in a book always stay the same.

They begin to realise that it is the little black squiggly marks that carry the message, and they may even start to recognise some words.

Robert 2

Many of these, and other, features make “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” suitable for incorporation in an early childhood curriculum, for example:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

  • Literature appreciation – love of language, knowledge of story, interest in books
  • Reading – the clear, simple and predictable text make it an easy first reader
  • Maths – counting and sequencing the numbers, sequencing the days of the week
  • Visual arts – learning about collage and composition of a picture
  • Philosophical inquiry —sharing interpretations and discussing feelings about the story, asking questions raised including the ‘big questions’ of life

ryanlerch_thinkingboy_outline

Eric Carle, in an interview with Reading rockets, describes it as a book of hope. He says:

“You little, ugly, little, insignificant bug: you, too, can grow up to be a beautiful, big butterfly and fly into the world, and unfold your talents.”

He goes on to explain that,

“I didn’t think of this when I did the book, but I think that is the appeal of the book.”

But I’m not going to let him have the last word!

While “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has always been one of my very favourite picture books, I do have some misgivings about the impact that this book has had.

In future posts I will share what I consider to be some limitations of the text, and what I consider to be the most powerful use of all.

What do you think?

What appeals to you about this book?

What questions does it raise for you?

Please share your ideas. I look forward to hearing what you think.