The thieves ‘crept’ into the farm. Think of synonyms which describe how people can move. Can you demonstrate each one (e.g. sprint, crawled, paced). Write a character profile about Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len? what kind of people are they? Where do they live? Gather lots of leaves and try to arrange them to make a picture. Look at the work of Andy Goldsworthy to find more examples of how nature can be used to make art. Use these as inspiration to make your own.

Think about the different sounds that animals make. How do we write these (e.g. miaow, purr)? Can you think of any other examples of onomatopoeia? Are there any other examples in the story? Can you make up a song which includes lots of examples of animal sounds? Get some ideas by watching this performance of a song by the author and her husband:Can you sort the animals in the story using Venn or Carroll diagrams? Which ones have two legs? Which have four legs? Which ones have a beak or a nose? How many other ways could you sort them? Look at the vocabulary used to describe how the thieves are planning to steal the cow. What other direction words can you think of?

I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. The animals on the farm are always making noise, all apart from the ladybird. When the farm is under threat from thieves, the ladybird - the quietest animal on the farm - overhears the robbers' devising their plan. In turn she then devises her own cunning plan to foil their attempt. What ensues is amusing and uplifting! What The Lady Bird Heard is a great book. It is also really great to introduce rhyme and patterns into a book, There is a nice repetitive structure to the book with a good natural flow, making it easy for children to follow and spot the patterns and rhymes. Look at the pictures of the farm at the start and end of the book. Can you describe how they are different?Identify the rhyming words used throughout the book. Can you make your own rhyming dictionary, adding other rhyming words for the ones found?

Think of some speech bubbles to show what the ladybird might be thinking at each point in the story.Draw a map of the farm on the coordinate grid (see Resources below) and use the coordinates / compass directions to show somebody how to move from one place to another.