Books in Collins Big Cat Shakespeare series

Everything about Mr Big is big. And ordinary pens just won’t do; every time he tries to write, Mr Big’s ordinary sized pens break. So Mr Big drives to the shop in his big car to buy a big pen. But size is not the only suprising thing about Mr Big’s new pen.•Blue/ Band 4 books offer longer, repeated patterns with sequential events and integrated literary and natural language.•Text type - A fantasy story.•A storyboard on pages 22 and 23 provides a pictorial summary of the story in eight frames, an ideal cue for further discussion and activity.•Curriculum links - Numeracy: Shape, space and measure.• This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery.

More interested in computer games than he is in school, Raheem is tired of being told off by his mum for fooling around in class. He just can’t understand what the big deal is with learning, or why he should care about Martin Luther King. But that all changes when Raheem falls asleep and wakes up in 1963 …• Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.• Text type: A playscript• Curriculum links: History, Citizenship

Who ate the cake? Tec the detective follows the crumbs to find out. Children follow Tec as he trails his suspects, until he finds the vital clue that leads him to the guilty party! Martin Chatterton’s colourful illustrations bring the characters of Tec and his faithful hound vividly to life, and provide lots of talking points throughout the story.• Red A/ Band 2A books offer predictable text with familiar objects and actions, combined with simple story development.• Text type - A story with a predictable structure and patterned language.A simple pictoral summary at the end of the book provides an opportunity for the children to recap and check understanding.

The survival of the white continent’s most famous inhabitants is the subject of this beautiful book. The beauty of Antarctic and the enchanting secrets of its penguin population is brought to life with a delightful series of photographs by the Big Cat Diaries team of Jonathan and Angela Scott.• White/Band 10 books have more complex sentences and figurative language.• Text type - A non-chronological report.• A poster on pages 30 and 31 advertises the highlights and attractions of the magical land of Antarctica, providing opportunities for speaking, listening and writing activities.• Curriculum links - Geography: Where in the world is Barnaby Bear? Passport to the World.

There were a lot of changes in Britain between the departure of the Romans in 410 and the Norman invasion in 1066. In this book, find out who ruled the many British kingdoms in that time, and what life was like for the ordinary people living on farms and in towns and villages. • Ruby/Band 14 books give increasing opportunities for children to develop their skills of inference and deduction. • Text type: An information book • Curriculum links: History

Rebecca went to the funfair with mum and dad. She didn’t like the hall of mirrors, and the rollercoaster made her turn green – but when she won lots of prizes on a stall, she decided that she liked it after all! The funny illustrations show Rebecca’s gradual change of opinion, and include lots of details for early readers to talk about.• Yellow (Band 3) books offer varied sentence structure and natural langauge. This book is told in rhyme.• Text type - A story with a familiar setting.• A map of the fair is included on pages 14 and 15 which can be used to check comprehension.• Curriculum links - Maths: Shape, space and measures.• This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery

Mr Cat’s carrying a big bag. His friends, Mrs Bear, Mr Fox, Mrs Duck and Mr Mouse are all very interested to find out what he has inside, but Mr Cat will only give them one answer: “Wait and see!” This sweet story is written by ten-year-old Collins Big Cat 2011 Writing Competition winner Louisa Kelly, with quirky illustrations by Julian Mosedale.• Ideas for Reading provide practical support and stimulating activities.• Text type: A story with patterned and predictable language.

A colourful retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s The Elephant’s Child, this fable explains how the elephant got its long trunk. As the elephant journeys through the jungle it admires the features of the other animals, until he gets a bit too close to one of them … This sweet and funny story has been written and illustrated by Charlotte Middleton.• A colourful retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s The Elephant’s Child, this fable explains how the elephant got its long trunk. As the elephant journeys through the jungle it admires the features of the other animals, until he gets a bit too close to one of them … This sweet and funny story has been written and illustrated by Charlotte Middleton.• Red A/Band 2A books offer predictable text with familiar objects and actions, combined with simple story development.• A story map on pages 14–15 allows children to recap the story and discuss each stage.• Text type: A traditional tale• Curriculum links: Citizenship: Animals and us

Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped as a child from his village in Africa and shipped to America to begin life as a slave. This book recounts his amazing journey to freedom and how he eventually helped to put an end to slavery. The text and pictures graphically portray his life aboard ship, on the plantations and later life in the English gentry.• Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts.•Text type - A biography• There is a useful glossary and a timeline of Olaudah's life to help children recount the information.• Curriculum links - Citizenship : to realise the nature and consequences of racism; Geography: To recognise how places fit together within a wide geographical context.

Everyone looks forward to their holidays. In this book you can learn how holidays began, and what they are like today.• Orange/Band 6 books offer varied text and characters, with action sustained over several pages.• Text type: An information text.• Curriculum links: History: "how people’s lives have shaped this nation."• A timeline on pages 22–23 allows children to see the history of holidays in one neat summary.