Kevin

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Uh-oh – Sid Gibbons is in trouble again! Time to think fast…

When Sid makes yet another mess, and his mum is at the end of her patience, Sid does what every quick-thinking kid would do – he blames it on his big, furry, vanilla-and-pink friend Kevin!

And while it seemed like a good idea at the time, Sid gets an unexpected surprise when he finds out that Kevin and his world might not be so imaginary after all – and while his friend might be make-believe, his feelings are very real.

English:

• Look at the front cover and make some predictions about the book. Who (or what) is Kevin? How do the two characters know each other? What might the book be about?
• Write a paragraph that explains how Sid’s dinner ended up on the floor before the start of the story.
• Make a collection of the rhyming words used in the story.
• Write a diary entry from Kevin’s point of view.
• Write a newspaper article that might appear in Dad’s newspaper.
• Look at the illustrations and think of some speech / thought bubbles to accompany them.
• Make a collection of descriptive words and phrases that are used to describe the things that Sid sees after he climbs through the hatch (e.g. leaves made of jelly, a grassy carpet of mint-green and yellow).
• Look at the pages that show the beasties that live in Kevin’s world. Choose a creature and describe it to a friend. Can they guess which one you are describing?
• Write an apology letter from Sid to Kevin (or to Sid’s family).
• Write a sequel to this story that describes a new adventure that Sid and Kevin might have together.
• Record your own read-along video based on this book. Here is an example:

Computing:

• Look at the furry KEVIN lettering on the front cover of the book. Could you design a new font?
• Use graphics software to create your own picture of Kevin (or another imaginary creature that lives in his world).
• Design a poster or website to promote this book to others.
• Could you make an animated book trailer using Canva, PowerPoint or an animation tool? Here is an example for this book:

Design Technology:

• Could you create a model of Kevin?

Art:

• Create your own pictures of an imaginary friend. What might they look like?
• Retell the story in the form of a comic strip.
• Look at the style of the illustrations before and after Kevin arrives. How are they different? Could you tell a story using a similar technique?
• Create a card that Sid can give to Kevin to apologise.
• Follow this draw-along video by the author / illustrator of the book:

Geography:

• Draw a map that shows the different places in Kevin’s imaginary land. Remember to add a key and labels.

PSHE:

• Have you ever had an imaginary friend? If so, what were they like? What did you do with them?
• At the start of the story, Sid blames Kevin. Why does he lie? Have you ever told a lie? How did it make you feel? Did people eventually find out the truth?
• What does it mean to be honest? Why is it important?
• How did Kevin feel when he became an imaginary being? If you became invisible for a day, what would you do?
• How did Kevin feel when he got the blame for Sid’s naughty tricks? How might Sid have felt about this?
• Make a list of all of the emotions the characters feel in the story. What events cause each of those emotions?