It’s only three weeks until our school fete. Everyone is busy.
My class is organising the Haunted House. We’re going to have ghosts and spiders and a giant sticky web.
Our School Fete is a lovely new picture book about all the fun and chaos of preparing for a big school fete. Told through the eyes of ten-year old Charley, the book highlights the excitement of the school children as they prepare for the big event.
All the essential parts of a fete are there – cake stalls, crafts, dress-ups, rides and entertainment – but more importantly, the community and family spirit which is really the integral part of a succesful fete. Charley doesn’t mention the importance of the fete as a fundraising event and that is a highlight of the book – it is all about the fun and community spirit of the big day and of the weeks leading up to it.
Kim Gamble’s illustrations, using watercolours, coloured pencils and pastels, capture all the chaos and fun of the fete, with loads of detail for kids to discover.
Our School Fete would be great for the classroom, especially at a school planning a similar event. The end papers are also a lovely learning tool, depicting a map of the fete.
Our School Fete, by Louise Pfanner and Kim Gamble
ABC Books, 2004