Magnificently, the boot does not match his other one. But he is delighted with it, and so are we, because now Mister Magnolia is free to roam no matter the weather. Return to the Home state Mister Magnolia has many things, such as an old trumpet that goes rooty-toot, some fat owls, who are learning to hoot, a big purple dinosaur, who's a magnificent brute, two sisters who play the flute, and even a swimming pool with chute! But he still only has one boot! Quite briefly, Mr Magnolia is the story of a lovely man who has a lot going on for him in life- he has a trumpet,two lovely sisters,a pond with frogs,parakeets,some very fat owls,lots of friends,a chute and a dinosaur ,but Mr Magnolia has just one boot all throughout the book.It seems really unfair that such a nice person as him has just one boot and cannot even ho utside outside on a rainy day.When he eventually finds a new second boot at the end of the book you can't help but be genuinely happy for him. Mr Magnolia’s trumpet goes ‘rooty-toot’. Can you think of different types of sounds that instruments make? How are these sounds made?

Mr Magnolia’s dinosaur is ‘magnificent’ can you make up a mnemonic to help you remember how to spell this word? Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and read English at Cambridge, before attending Chelsea Art College. He has won many major prizes for illustration, including the Kate Greenaway Medal (1980) and the Red House Children's Book Award (1981) for Mister Magnolia. He is also the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and in 1990 was voted 'The Illustrator's Illustrator' by Observer Magazine. A tireless promoter of children's literature – and a long-time collaborator with roald Dahl – Quentin Blake was awarded the OBE in 1988 and in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to Children's Literature. In the most recent New Year’s Honours list he has been knighted. What sort of man plays with other people’s children in the park? I personally rail against the idea that men playing with kids in children’s books should be avoided to spare those particular feelings of discomfort in adult gatekeepers. Men need to be more involved in childcare before equality is achieved, and if kids themselves grow up thinking that men are not the natural playmates of kids, that’s a problem for the next generation of fathers, step-fathers, uncles and male teachers. Fun builds! A fun picture book will very likely have a carnivalesque story structure, so that’s what I’m using here to analyse the story. What forces are taking place when Mr Magnolia rides his scooter or when he slides down into his pool?Avoiding the climactic joke, the romp in this book ends with a girl gifting Mister Magnolia a boot. Quentin Blake slows down the pace and builds up suspense as Mister Magnolia slowly opens his gift. (That’s why we wrap gifts in the first place, right? Suspense!)

The book can be read at circle time as early as Foundation stage.It can be very useful in teaching and revising the long vowel diagraph oo, because it is repeated frequently and spelled in many different ways throughout the story.Children have most likely seen a homeless person in the streets before, and this book can help them to realise that even though homeless people have nothing for themselves, they are still human and have feelings even though some precautions should be taken. It would be worthwhile talking to children about being grateful for what we have because we could lose it all one day. Mister Magnolia is a picture book written and illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake. It won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1980, and the Red House Children’s Book Award in 1981. This story is an excellent lesson in simplicity. Even the rhyming is simple; everything rhymes with ‘boot’. Boots And Scooters Can you plan an investigation to find the best surface for scooting / sliding on? Which one has the most / least friction? Think of some questions that you could ask the author if you had a chance to interview him. Could you role-play some of the responses that he might give? Watch this video to find out some information about him:

Blake was educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. His English teacher, JH Walsh, influenced his ambition to become involved in literature. His first published drawing was for the satirical magazine Punch, at the age of 16. He read English Literature at Downing College, Cambridge (1953-6), received his postgraduate teaching diploma from the University of London, and later studied at the Chelsea School of Art. He gained another teaching diploma at the Institute of Education before working at the Royal College of Art. Mister Magnolia is shown having lots of fun. He scoots through the park with children clinging onto his leg and so on and so forth. The fun of this book derives from watching Mister Magnolia have fun. He is more fun than a child figure because of the comical juxtaposition: Like a hat wearing a dog, grown-ups don’t normally have this kind of fun. Appearance of an Ally in Fun Notice how seldom characters are depicted in long shots minus only their feet. Very seldom. In general, it’s not recommended. It’s not a typical shot at all, and the super careful reader will know even before opening the cover that something’s going on with the guy’s feet. It’s not something we notice consciously, though. Find out about the author / illustrator, Quentin Blake. What other illustrations has he drawn? Can you try to create a picture in a similar style / using similar techniques? Watch these videos for some ideas:

Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy

Although the magnolia is a well-known flower, it’s not all that common. That describes Blake’s Mister Magnolia character, right? Well-known in the neighbourhood, but beautifully unusual. What I really appreciate about stories Quentin Blake has both written AND illustrated himself: They are kinder than the stories he illustrated for Roald Dahl and Roald Dahl’s chosen successor, David Walliams. For instance, Roald Dahl was hard on fat people. (This despite being an irrepresible sweet tooth and tobacco addict himself.) But in Quentin Blake’s Mister Magnolia, we are told that Mister Magnolia has two lovely sisters. And they are not both slim! One is large, the other small, and they are BOTH lovely. This simply would not happen in a Roald Dahl story, with the exception of the Grandmother figure in The Witches. (Grandmothers are exempt from female beauty standards, and the grandmother of The Witches does not conform to feminine expectations of behaviour.) The Every Child wishes to have fun.

Make up a rhyme / story which explains what happens to the matching boot that Mr Magnolia is missing. Don't miss out on the amazing free Quentin Blake Exhibition at Weston Museum, running 4th March to 3rd June 2023. In this wittily rhyming picture book, Mr Magnolia has a full and happy life except for one serious omission – a boot. But one day, he receives a mysterious parcel, and at last, Mr Magnolia can splash in the puddles with everyone else! Teaching Ideas and Resources: English Read the story aloud, talking together about the pictures as you do. Encourage children to guess what the rhyming word will be by leaving space for them to join in. They can find clues in the pictures, too. Join in Mr Magnolia’s owls are learning to hoot. Think about the sounds that different animals make. Why do they make different sounds?Read the story again and leave spaces for children to join in with the story. They can add their own responses to the dramatic events. Tell the story