This time he notices people crossing the road when they see a green man appearing on the traffic lights. Our Book of the Month for 5+ is The Hodgeheg, a classic from the master of animal stories, Dick King-Smith. The pictures add extra charm to the book and help the children relate to the characters in the book. The Hodgeheg is an enduring classic perfect for animal-loving children, while also providing an accessible and engaging story for children just beginning to branch out in their reading – great to read alone or read aloud with parents!

Dick even presented and starred in several television shows during the '80's and '90's with his Dachshund sidekick Dodo. Dick King-Smith served in the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War, and afterwards spent twenty years as a farmer in Gloucestershire, the county of his birth. I really enjoyed this light tale for young readers, which explores the idea of a hedgehog having the intelligence to want to find a safe road crossing place for himself and his family, so they can travel safely to the local park.Despite all of this, Max does not give up and decides that, since humans cross the road during the day, he should try this too.

I think this would be suitable for either year 3 or 4 and could also be used for independent reading and curriculum support in PSHE for things such as road safety and overcoming obstacles. However poor Max sustains a bump to the head during one of his expeditions resulting in his muddled speech.Children will also be encouraged to use adjectives to add more detail into their writing, as well as generalisers to describe how many or how often. We're told at the beginning of the story that his Auntie Betty has been killed crossing the road and that the roads are becoming more dangerous for hedgehogs.