Our Village by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake

John Yeoman and Quentin Blake have created an entire village, filled with interesting, eccentric and endearing characters. It is essentially a book of descriptive poems describing each of the main characters in this village. There is Mr Crumb the Baker, Mr Pruce the Postman, Mr Henry Arkwright who loves his penny-farthing bike, Little Miss Thynne the school teacher, two elderly citizens...Lily Bins and Elsie Crumb and many others.

The use of rhyme keeps the readers walk through the village lively and anticipating the next character. Farmer Trotter is quite memorable:

Old Father Trotter has five pigs,

All fat and pink and white;

He scratches at their backs until

They're grunting with delight.

Quentin Blake is one of my favourite illustrators whose quirky and comical drawings I came to know well though his illustration of Roald Dahl's books. He also illustrates for more recent author, David Walliam's. The maps provided of the village on the end covers of the book make for useful reference points.

Roll Over Pavlova compiled by June Factor

Australian rhymes and chants, riddles, and wordplay are just a few of the things covered in this book compiled by June Factor. It contains common expressions you may well hear Australian children singing, chanting or just talking about. There is even a section for adults. Here is one I can remember chanting as a child although we used to sing pencil-case instead of pillow-case:

Fatty and Skinny had a race

Up and down the pillow-case,

Fatty said it wasn't fair

Because he lost his underwear.

and then there is this one:

Naughty child

Angry Mum

Wooden spoon

Sore bum.

Now for some insults, taunts and threats:

Ice-cream and jelly

And a punch in the belly.

Don't look so sad, don't look so blue,

"Cause Frankenstein was ugly too.

Liar, liar, pants on fire,

Nose as long as a telephone wire.