Tag / Oliver Jeffers

by jo

The Hueys in None the Number by Oliver Jeffers

Two things – we LOVE Oliver Jeffers books, and we LOVE The Hueys series too. H likes them as her grandad in Australia is nicknamed Huey, so while the story is nothing to do with him, it’s a memory, an association. The newest book The Hueys in None the Number is a slight change to the usual story.

The Hueys in None the Number

The Hueys in None the Number is a Counting Adventure by Oliver Jeffers, the third in the Hueys series from Harper-Collins Kids.

‘the thing about the Hueys was that they loved numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3…. Wait! Is ‘none’ a number?’
Which is the basis for this story. See, we are all taught the numbers starting from 1, but when it comes to ‘none’, what exactly is it? It’s a counting conundrum, that’s what!

In true Oliver Jeffers fashion, The Hueys in None the Number is something you work out for yourself – and at the end of the book there’s a little bit on what ‘none’ actually is. In the meantime, throughout the book there’s plenty of examples of what numbers are – ‘but when you take them all away…. you get NONE.’ There is less story for this one, but it provokes a lot of thinking which I think is a good thing now H is reading fluently at school.

The Hueys in None the Number

H enjoys reading this one – another she’ll happily take away and read in her head. I asked if I could read it to her, and she said she’d prefer if I read it in my head! Fair enough. I’ve caught her a few times reading it, and have now asked the question ‘is ‘none’ a number?’

She says no. I think we’ll be reading the book together again, and the discussion will probably continue into the night! It’s a good discussion point – especially as she’s doing a lot more thinking with numeracy as she heads into Year 1.

The Hueys in None the Number is available now from all good booksellers.

We were sent our copy for the purpose of review – all opinions are our own and honest. The link is an affiliate one.

by jo

Up and Down the Stage Play – a new Theatre Experience

The Ga Ga Theatre Company are a new company who have adapted one of Oliver Jeffers books into a show for children. Yesterday we headed to Clapham Picturehouse to see Up and Down the Stage Play – and had a lovely time!

Up and Down the Stage Play

‘Up and Down’ is one of H’s favourite books and the sequel to ‘Lost and Found’. It’s fun to read and a fine story about the value of friendship – the penguin wants to fly, finds a way, loses the boy, realises penguins aren’t meant to fly and realises that he’s happiest with the boy anyway.

So how do you make this into a great stage show?

Keep it simple – lots of plain dialogue – “up”, “down” and occasional questions – a parachute over the audience that the adult help move as the boy and the penguin play while staying faithful to the book. Both actors were excellent, great facial expressions and straight away you knew it was the boy and the penguin, I didn’t feel like it took time to get used to it.

There are just the two actors and a simple musical score. Questions such as “Have you seen the penguin?” encourage the children to join in and point or shout which way they saw it go. There’s lots of waving and including the children in the show which had H overcoming any shyness she might have initially had. I liked the attention to detail – things in the book which are seen in passing feature, and of course there’s a game of backgammon in there!

‘Up and Down’ has a really simple set – boxes which have various props or convert into the boy’s plane, and in the background the artwork from the book projected onto the screen.

Up and Down the Stage Play

‘Up and Down’ the stage play lasted about 40 minutes without an interval, and mixing live theatre with projections and original music worked really well. It’s suitable for babies and children up to the age of seven. Under 2’s go free.

‘Up and Down’ is showing right now at the various Picturehouse venues around London until early November. The Ga Ga Theatre Company are planning to do more shows like this, so keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter pages – they have a Pinterest board too which I hope are ideas for future shows!

Up and Down the Stage Play

We were given tickets to review the show, all opinions are our own. Apologies for the quality of the photos, I didn’t want to take many so we could sit back and enjoy it! 

by jo

The Day The Crayons Quit

The Day The Crayons Quit is out now, and appeals to my sense of humour.

The Day The Crayons Quit

The Day The Crayons Quit is by Drew Daywelt with pictures by Oliver Jeffers – straight away we knew we were probably on to a winner.

In a nutshell, the crayons have (mostly) had enough. So they send a letter to Duncan, their owner.  Beige is fed up of playing second fiddle to brown, blue is tired, and pink is feeling neglected. Green is a bit worried about yellow and orange as they’re not talking to each other, whereas peach has a terribly embarrassing problem.

I found the book possibly a little advanced for H which isn’t a bad thing – she’ll grow into it, and she got why each crayon had an issue, but didn’t really ‘get’ why – that will come. I love the book and found it funny, and Oliver Jeffers illustrations give it a great character too.

The Day The Crayons Quit

Drew Daywalt, the author is an award-winning writer and director of film and tv, and of course Oliver Jeffers has written many books which we love.

Now I’m wondering what the chances are this will end up on stage – I give it a couple of years…

You can get ‘The Day The Crayons Quit’ at Amazon for £9.09 at Amazon currently – I’d highly recommend!

We were sent the book for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own. The Amazon link is an affiliate link.