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The B on Your Thumb

60 Poems to Boost Reading and Spelling

Colette Hiller author Tor Freeman illustrator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Quarto Publishing PLC

Published:1st Sep '20

Should be back in stock very soon

The B on Your Thumb cover

"This collection of 60 poems to help three to seven-year-olds learn to read and spell is a hoot." 
The Independent
"The B on your Thumb
is clever, engaging, educational and fun. I wish I had thought of it."
—Craig Smith, author / songwriter of The Wonky Donkey
"an absolute masterpiece"
—Reading Zone

The B on Your Thumb is a book of 60 hilariously illustrated rhymes and delightful ditties to boost early reading – each poem teaches a specific sound, spelling or rule. Using rhythm and wordplay, they promote phonics awareness, thinking skills and literacy. But most of all, this book delights young readers with the fun and silliness of the English language.
 
This is a book where words like to play,
where letters get cross when they don’t get their way.
There are sounds to make and jokes to uncover.
An owl in your bowl, for you to discover.
Meet the K on your knee, who’s ready for fun,
and don’t be alarmed by the B on your thumb!


An introduction instructs grown-ups how to use the book and extensive activities at the end allow children to build on their learning. Grouped into four categories – sounds, silent letters and secrets, spellings and words that sound the same – the poems include:

  • See with Two Ees
  • The Story of Q and U
  • The Rain in the Train
  • Ridiculous Ph
  • Enough of Uff
  • Certainly a C
  • The Most ImportANT
  • Which Witch
Learning to read has never been so much fun!The B on Your Thumb is a must for every young family’s bookshelf.
 

‘The B on your thumb is clever, engaging, educational and fun. I wish I had thought of it. I can't wait to read it to my daughter.’ -- Craig Smith * Author/Songwriter of The Wonky Donkey *
'This collection of 60 poems to help three to seven-year-olds learn to read and spell is a hoot. [...] Each poem teaches a specific lesson, whether it’s mastering letter sounds or explaining that words like “write” and “right” sound the same but are spelled differently.' -- The Independent
'I remember the misery I had as a child trying to pronounce and spell words. I wish this book had been around back then, it would have saved me and the teachers a lot of grief. The illustrations are fun, every page is as colourful as a jar of smarties and every rhyme is accessible. Also, its usefulness as an educational tool can’t be underestimated.' -- Brian Patten * Poet and author *
'A charming, gentle way to get children thinking about and playing with spellings, language and words. Proof that spelling can be a whole lot of fun.' -- Jospeh Coelho * Poet and author *
'What a wonderful book! I can think of no better way to introduce children to the delights and idiosyncrasies of the English language, helping them learn to read and spell. I’m sure these joyful rhymes are destined to become beloved by teachers, parents, and most importantly, children.' -- James Clements * Education writer *
'A lovely, loony look at language!’ -- Michelle Robinson * Children's Author *
'With a range of material that spans the entirety of the primary school age range, this is a book to inspire an interest in, and love for, the English language but could also simply be a shared, joyful, bedtime reading experience.' -- BookTrust
'The B on your thumb is an absolute masterpiece. [...] it introduces children to the fun nature of poems and because of how amazingly funny they are, it undoubtedly will instill a love of reading in all children.' -- Reading Zone
'A charming, gentle play with words with delicious illustrations. This book lets go all the rules with phonetics and order and how things are and instead focuses on the bliss of rhyme, the inherent fun of language and that there is always fun to be made of words and sounds.  Hurrah for this book, every child who is learning to read should have it to hand.' -- Angels & Urchins
‘This is a magical combination of spelling, sounds and poetry.’ -- Irish Examiner
‘A collection of short, jaunting rhymes that cleverly explore how letters come together.’ -- The Daily Telegraph
A clever, useful book. * The School Librarian *
‘this book is a must for every young family’s bookshelf’ -- SLOAN! Magazine

ISBN: 9780711254589

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

80 pages

Illustrated Edition