The Book Family Robinson

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The keen-reading Robinsons set out to sea, their boat barely afloat with all their books, until a storm strikes down their holiday plans. Shipwrecked on a mysterious island, they gather up their soggy books and research how to survive. On this quest for survival, they accidentally discover buried TREASURE!

But when the Bloodbucket pirates arrive, and they find the Robinsons have taken their turf, it’s time to walk the plank. With only Silly Monkey Goes to the Toilet left to hand, can the Robinsons read themselves free from a watery doom?

English:

Look at the book titles on the inside covers. Could you create a page for one of these?
Look at the author names on those books and think of other funny ‘pun’ author names for fictional books.
What is your favourite book? Write a book review or a persuasive letter to encourage others to read it.
Retell the story from the point of view of one of the family members, including Juno the pet dog.
Write a prequel to this story, based on what happened to the pirates on the Evil Weevil.
Write some character profiles for members of the Robinson family and the crew of the Evil Weevil.
Rewrite some of the speech in the story using indirect speech.
Write a new story that the pirates would enjoy having read to them.
Write a sequel to this book. What adventures might the Robinsons have next?

Maths:

Conduct a survey to determine the children in your class’s favourite books.

Science:

Learn about floating and sinking. Why do some materials float and others sink?

Computing:

Design a game in which a character has to run away from chasing pirates.
Make an animation of a pirate ship sailing on the sea.
Make a simple database to sort, group and categorise different books.
Watch this trailer for the book. Can you create your own trailer for this book (or another of your favourite books)?

Design Technology:

Make a model boat for the Robinsons to use.
Design a shelter for the Robinsons to live in on the desert island.
Make a ‘pop-up’ page for one of the pages in this story.

Art:

Look at the book titles on the inside covers. Could you design a front cover for one of these?
Design a new book cover for Charlie’s favourite book, Funny Monkey Goes to the Toilet.

Music:

Sing some sea shanties together.
Create a new song that the Robinsons and pirates can sing together as they travel in the floating library.

Geography:

Create a map showing the locations in the story.

History:

Learn about the history of pirates. Our Pirates Pack is bursting with useful information to help you.

Explore how books have changed over time (scrolls, manuscripts, printed books).

Languages:

Find out the names for popular books in other languages and ask friends if they can work out the names in English (e.g. ‘Charlie et la chocolaterie’).

PSHE:

How do the family members work together to solve problems? Think of a time when you have had to work in a team.
Reflect on how the family keeps going even when things get tricky. Think of times when you have had to prove your own resilience.
Explore different family structures and what makes them special.