Shh! We Have a Plan

Product Information

One of the most exciting author/illustrators in children’s books today and this latest offering is a delight ... a lovely book for reading aloud full of expression and fun, with a final twist in the furry tail' When children hear the story several times they’ll get to know it really well. This helps them to tell it in their own words, using the pictures as prompts. Listen for the ways they use words and phrases from the story. This familiarity will help them to read the story independently and with increasing accuracy. Watch a Trailer Kids getting a notion in their head and proceeding with what they believe is a well-considered plan only to have it fail due, in part, to their own limited understanding of the real world.

One of the most exciting new voices in children’s literature, comes a new picture book about a beautiful bird, an unquenchable desire and plans gone awry' Most of the illustrations use different shades of blue. Could you try to create your own pictures using different shades of the same colour? Three friends decide to catch the bird they spot in the woods. One little friend wants to try another approach but SHH! - they have a PLAN. Not the best one either as that plan turns into falling, splashing, and running! I like that the bird is out-smarting four perfectly competent humans - he's absolutely toying with them! But I don't like so much that we need to rely entirely on the pictures; it feels like this could have been a lot funnier if the characters had a bit more variety in their dialogue. Look at the expressions of the characters in the illustrations. How are they feeling? What are they thinking at different points?

Chris Haughton: The writing process behind Shh! We Have a Plan

Make some puppets to represent the characters in the story. Could you use them to perform it to an audience? This is a beautifully produced book which will take pride of place on my bookshelf alongside Chris Haughton's other books.' My nephew quite loved the book and especially the repeating phrase Shh! We've got a plan. This was quite the giggle fest which is lovely to see on him when he is normally hurrying to finish the book so he can get to the drawing! He could still discern that it was the boy that got the bird! He loved the end where they switch from birds to squirrels and the littler guy seems resigned that they will repeat their same mistakes! The three older characters being different to the youngest is firstly recognised on the front cover. The three older characters are all very close to each other, touching bodies. Their fingers against their mouth indicating the "shh". All three of them look straight ahead towards the reader. However, the youngest is a little further away and does not use his finger to "shh". This indicates that he is not in on the plan, he does not share the same views or values as the other three. Additionally, he is not looking straight ahead but watching the other three, this gives a feeling of him/her observing the other three. That the youngest is not in on the plan is very obvious throughout the book, as he does not have a catching net like the other three. Furthermore, he never participates in the act of trying to catch the bird but is a silent observer.

Through seemingly simple but wonderfully sophisticated visual techniques, Haughton excels in his goal and in doing so, proves that even as profound a concept as achieving peace through understanding can be conveyed visually, without words' A very funny picture book . . . most of the story is revealed in the simple, expressive pictures, making it perfect for new readers'

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

The truth of one of Bornholdt’s observations – “Reading a book of pictures is still reading” – will become immediately obvious to the “reader” of Chris Haughton’s picture book Four friends out for a walk decide they must have the beautiful bird perched high in a tree. They have a plan... Trouble is, their plans don't quite work and each time they land up in a tangled heap as the bird flies off. But look more closely and you will see that the littlest one doesn't join in - he has a much better idea. Even then, things don't quite go according to plan in this almost wordless picture book which relies heavily on the clever picture to relate the story.' This is a very entertaining book about a group of four who are searching in the dark of night for something to catch. Three of the group are bigger and often tell the smallest (likely youngest) of the group repetitively to "Shh! We have a plan."