I didn’t realise that my choice for this Thursday was first published in 1974 and won a Esther Glen Award in 1975.  I have only been reading it for story times for about 15 years but it is definitely in the Throwback Thursday category.

My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes

By Eve Sutton

It was quite a few years back…around 15 years ago at least that I happened upon the book ‘My cat likes to hide in boxes’.  It wasn’t the illustrations drawn by the talented Lynley Dodd that caught my eye, their simplicity a good edition to the story.  However it was the flow of the story that I liked best.  When reading the book to a group, it flows seamlessly with repetition which assists with children speech and reading development.

If I was to compare it with another book it is like Mem Fox’s ‘Boo to a Goose’ which happens to be another of my favourites.  ‘Boo to a Goose’also has a repetitive nature, inviting the user to add spontaneity to the story through voice and action.  Both books are well suited to group sessions.

In a story time situation I like having fun with the words, this encourages the children to join in.  For example there is a line in the book that says…”The cat from France likes to sing and dance”; I always say this line in a sing song voice.  There are usually children that join in with me with their high pitched voices and a giggle.  Also, when reading the repetitive bit as we go through each country and action (which is a simple geography lesson) I like to pretend I am out of breath and use an exasperated sigh at the end.  There is so much scope with this book to add to the fun of the story and engaging with children.

It is one of those books that are timeless and it will continue to be read for many years to a new generation  of children, this makes it hard to believe it has really been around since 1974.