Any year 3 teachers suggest a book to read aloud to a class?

[twinsufficient]

I am doing my primary PGCE and in my first week in my school placement I will have to read the whole class a story. Ideally am looking for an interesting story where I could bring in objects from home to stimulate their interest. Also, something that would appeal to boys and girls. Ta very much!

Long or short? I always opened the year in year 3 with Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' or Anne Fine's 'Bill's New Frock'. Picture book? 'I'll take you to Mrs Cole' is fun and you can get a lot of discussion out of Anthony Browne's 'Voices in the Park' and 'Gorilla', different abilities enjoy his books on different levels, there's alot to talk around.

Seasons of Splendour: Tales, Myths and Legends of India by Madhur Jaffrey

My dd, 8 in Yr3 is currently doing this in her YR3/4 class and is absolutely loving it. It is the first thing that has grabbed her interest in the entire time she has been at school.

Very cross curricula geography, re, literacy, art etc. Excellent for introducing different cultures. Lack of Worldwide and cultural knowledge is often identified as a weak point by Ofsted for many schools

My daughter was in Year 3 last year and loved Anne Fine's Diary of a Killer Cat, which the teacher read them, so much so that she went on an Anne Fine binge and read loads more over the course of the next week or two having previously refused to look at them when I suggested she might like them.

Mr Gum - hilarious, will appeal to boys and girls.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Are the Anne Fine books picture books? If not how do you keep the class' interest?

Anne Fine are not picture books, they do need voices etc. If you're not a confident story-teller yet I recommend Anthony Browne books, lots of pictures to dicuss and lots of levels of meaning. Kids will happily point out things. Start with short stories with pictures and work up to longer 'chapter books' (as kids always call them!)

Last year DD's class started the year reading The Owl Who Ws Afraid fof the Dark as their class reader, which went down really well. DD very much enjoyed it and could tell you it by heart in the end - we bought a audio version too for the car as she liked it so much, lol.

Not sure what else they read - this one stuck in my head though.

Also in year 3 I loved telling traditional stories without a book, e.g. Goldilocks. Kids love it because it's easier to look at them and engage with faces etc. I often stomped around being a giant or a bear as I told stories or got kids up to be characters, yr 3 love the baby stuff still secretly! Ask the class teacher if she minds popping out just outside the door so you can build your confidence, it took me years to be able to do silly faces/ voices ec. in front of other adults.

Oop - you mean you to read to them?

Actually, still a nice book. All of hers are TBH.

Don't worry about non picture books. I read non picture books to Y1 (even at this early stage of the year) and the story itself keeps their interest. Y3 will be used to non picture books.

Agree with lovecheese... Mr Gum is brilliant. Very wacky and great to do character work.

I am reading my Y3/4 class "How to Train your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell. The film is based on the characters but the plot is completly different. There are 8 books in the series and they are very funny. Good for boys and girls, loads of dragons and silly Viking names - eg Gobber the Belch, Stiock the Vast - as well as a very unlikely hero!

Agree with Owl who was Afraid of the Dark.
Also, depending on class,(and school) Horrid Henry usually gets a laugh...

Dd's year 3 class have just done Esio Trot, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me. And Rotten Rhymes.