The Pencil & The Runaway Dinner

[DuchessOfAvon]

By Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingham.

Possibly the most surreal and bizarre books I have ever encountered and DD1 (3.5 yrs) is absolutely fascinated by them. We have them on continuous loan from the library. Its something to do with the way he gives everything names.

I had never encountered them before. Are they new? Anyone else stuck on them like us?

haven't read pencil. runaway dinner we like. but there is something a bit odd in some of the words, it is trying to rhyme but doesn't and then has knowing little questions in it.

They sound facinating,I've not seen these 2 books in my library or heard of them until now, will go and have a look for them. I think my lo will enjoy them (if she does'nt I know I will).

Do you have the author name and ISBN number, if so can you post on here so I can jot it down before I go.
Many thanks!

Author is Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingham is the illustrator.

The Pencil: ISBN-13: 978-1406319552
The Runaway Dinner: ISBN-13: 978-1406305494
And I have found this too which looks fun - Previously: ISBN-13: 978-1406313505

Thank you!

The pencil is brand new as Duchess says.

Previously is rather hard-going (it took me a good while to work out what was going on! )

Got both books yesturday and read them to my lo. She loves books and interacts with me and the story, but she fell asleep half way through the pencil!!

They are weird books, I have to agree. I have read them again to myself today and have got into the story lines of both of them, but not sure about all the names given to every object, Saskia the plate and calling your sausage mervyn.

These books do make me smile.

Its the naming thing that intrigues DD1 so much. We are now naming all sorts of things.

Previously went straight over her head.....

Funny that our bedtime book today was The Pencil which we got last week and dd really enjoys, same with the runaway dinner

although at present her absolute favourites are the Gaskitt stories

Previously is in the same vein as The Jolly Postman and Each Peach Pear Plum imo

We got these as a present. The pencil one goes down well but I find the dinner one a bit long and "old" for my DSs (5.5, 3.5), they don't "get" some of it but they do like them.

'The Pencil' is one of the shortlisted titles for the UKLA Children's Book Award 2010, 3-11 year old category. UKLA is the U K Literacy Association and their book award is a national award, with the shortlist chosen by education professionals as the best books of the year for inclusion in class and school collections.

We got The Pencil from the library. Fantastic book.

adore all of these. ahlberg is a genius. ds1 is 4 and loves them too.

My dd loved 'The Runaway Dinner' so much when it first came out that we made her her own 'Mervyn' sausage from a stuffed pair of dh's old brown socks!!