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Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door
A tiger in the back garden! A bird-eating spider in the cupboard! Elmo and his sister love playing in the jungle house next door, that is until mean old Mr Birdsnest moves in. But when it appears that Mr Birdsnest has kidnapped the children's grandma they must sneak back in to rescue her.
74 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Julia Donaldson
1,231 books1,924 followersGrowing up
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 3, 2019
bir yetişkinin de sıkılmadan çocuğuna okuyabileceği sevimli bir kitap
October 4, 2015
This book has been written by the award-winning author of ‘The Gruffalo’. Julia Donaldson explores the themes of adventure, imagination, displacement and first impressions. Elmo and his sister must move house to accommodate Granny as she keeps ‘getting into muddles’ quite often. They settle into the house next door, the ‘jungle house’, but Elmo and his sister are not happy. One day as the two explore their new surroundings, they come across the garden of the ‘jungle house’ where they find all sorts of insects and even a ‘bird-eating spider’! They set up a den in the ‘monkey bedroom’ (in the ‘jungle house’) until their play is disturbed by the mysterious new Mr Birdsnest. Elmo and his sister do not warm to Mr Birdsnest at first and are in a panic when they see Granny in his house! The duo set out on a mission to save Granny but to their surprise Mr Birdsnest is actually quite welcoming. Much to their delight, he even builds them a new tree house!
This was a fantastic read as it incorporates childhood play and misconceptions. It is also very humorous at times because of the child-like tendency to create nicknames for people based on first impressions. Mr Birdsnest, for example, is given this name due to his large beard and the children’s imagination. I also like this book as it deals with the idea of moving house and all the feelings and emotions associated with it. It could be used in the classroom to prompt a discussion about moving house and the effects of doing so.
This book would appeal to young readers in upper KS1 and early KS2 readers as it is an early chapter book. Hannah Shaw’s beautiful and comical illustrations would also appeal to a young audience to aid a child’s understanding of the written narrative. There is a good balance between the text and the illustrations with a few short paragraphs on most pages. The range of humorous animal jokes printed on the inside cover of the book would also interest children in KS1 and KS2.
‘Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door’ can be used in many interesting ways in the classroom. The book can be used for ‘story time’; the vivid and adventurous cover certainly aids predictions about the story. For guided reading, the book can be used to teach the four comprehension strategies (i.e. predicting, summarising, clarifying and questioning). It is important to remember that language comprehension is one of the two dimensions of ‘The Simple View of Reading’ and is emphasised in the National Curriculum. In terms of other links to the curriculum, the story could be used as a starting point for creative writing about moving house or exploring new surroundings. Pupils could also paint their own jungle house as part of an Art display. For Geography and Science, children could explore different animals and their habitats.
This was a fantastic read as it incorporates childhood play and misconceptions. It is also very humorous at times because of the child-like tendency to create nicknames for people based on first impressions. Mr Birdsnest, for example, is given this name due to his large beard and the children’s imagination. I also like this book as it deals with the idea of moving house and all the feelings and emotions associated with it. It could be used in the classroom to prompt a discussion about moving house and the effects of doing so.
This book would appeal to young readers in upper KS1 and early KS2 readers as it is an early chapter book. Hannah Shaw’s beautiful and comical illustrations would also appeal to a young audience to aid a child’s understanding of the written narrative. There is a good balance between the text and the illustrations with a few short paragraphs on most pages. The range of humorous animal jokes printed on the inside cover of the book would also interest children in KS1 and KS2.
‘Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door’ can be used in many interesting ways in the classroom. The book can be used for ‘story time’; the vivid and adventurous cover certainly aids predictions about the story. For guided reading, the book can be used to teach the four comprehension strategies (i.e. predicting, summarising, clarifying and questioning). It is important to remember that language comprehension is one of the two dimensions of ‘The Simple View of Reading’ and is emphasised in the National Curriculum. In terms of other links to the curriculum, the story could be used as a starting point for creative writing about moving house or exploring new surroundings. Pupils could also paint their own jungle house as part of an Art display. For Geography and Science, children could explore different animals and their habitats.
March 23, 2014
A family moves house. The two children dislike their new home and its creepy neighbour.
I loved the humour in the book. It was quite naughty at times, but I think most children will feel the same as I. The various nicknames such as 'Mr Crocodile' also made me laugh, and children will surely relate to this feature also. The themes of the book (adventure, animals, escape) are classic childish yearnings, while mean grown-ups also feature prominently. Moving house, often a traumatic experience for children, is also explored. I would use this book in Key Stage 1 to develop the imagination. What would you do in such a wild garden? etc.
I loved the humour in the book. It was quite naughty at times, but I think most children will feel the same as I. The various nicknames such as 'Mr Crocodile' also made me laugh, and children will surely relate to this feature also. The themes of the book (adventure, animals, escape) are classic childish yearnings, while mean grown-ups also feature prominently. Moving house, often a traumatic experience for children, is also explored. I would use this book in Key Stage 1 to develop the imagination. What would you do in such a wild garden? etc.
January 20, 2020
A beautiful book full of imagination and charm; kinda like the way Mr Crocodile describes the houses except this is not false. A great read for emerging readers stepping into chapter books or K-2 read a loud. You will enjoy it, as is usually said about Julia Donaldson.
December 6, 2020
A fun read for children gaining confidence in reading independently. Produced in dyslexia friendly format, off white paper, clear font, good spacing between the lines and paragraphs to reduce visual stress.
January 13, 2022
We love Julia Donaldson books at our place and so we were excited to find this early chapter book at our local library! My 6 year old chose it for bedtime and we had to read till the end. It has just the right amount of words per page and cute illustrations to accompany this story about adventure.
December 4, 2023
Donalson er god til å skrive, det er ett lett språk å følge. Jeg liker de litt fysisk større bøkene med mindre tekst og mer rytme mer enn disse, som er for lesere litt høyere opp. Helt ok, men ingen høydare!
September 5, 2025
Engaging narration
Ms. Olivia Colman could do no wrong. This was a fun listen and it follows a mini adventure of siblings to the house next door. I may have drifted off a bit and missed that ending, but listening to the narration was a bit relaxing to me.
Ms. Olivia Colman could do no wrong. This was a fun listen and it follows a mini adventure of siblings to the house next door. I may have drifted off a bit and missed that ending, but listening to the narration was a bit relaxing to me.
January 17, 2019
Will be reading this to my own children.
January 3, 2015
Read this in Swedish. Very nice and easy to read book about a family choosing a new house to move into so their grandmother can move in. The children want an exciting jungle house, but their parents pick the boring house next door. The kids use the jungle house as a sort of fort until it's sold to some beardy guy who they call Herr Fågelbo (or Mr. Birdsnest), thinking he must have a beard full of birds. The text is large and unintimidating, the illustrations are fun and full of details, and it's just a nice story for kids who like animals and hiding out (which would be all kids?)
March 16, 2013
Mr. Birdsnest and the House Next Door by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Hannah Shaw - really loved reading this lovely early chapter book with my son in one reading time together... It thoughtfully introduced a grandmother moving in with a family and the impact of moving to a new home, exploring property area, little mystery elements, and fun adventures. Really loved the book...
February 15, 2014
It was brilliant. With a helpful tip of how to draw a bird under a flap hee hee hee wait till you read it!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!! Ha ha ha hee hee hee. Bye bye.
August 13, 2014
This book was a really quick and easy read which was very enjoyable
January 27, 2025
i really couldnt care less about this book
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews