Alfie Outdoors

Alfie

by Shirley Hughes

Alfie gets out and about in the garden with Dad. Seeds are planted; the carrots are going to be a gift for a special friend of Alfie's. But there are surprises in store.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2015

About the author

Shirley Hughes is the illustrator of more than two hundred children’s books and has won many prestigious awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. She is the author-illustrator of DON'T WANT TO GO! and OLLY AND ME 1 2 3. She died at her home in London on the 25th of February, 2022.

Reviews

[Andrew Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the series of Alfie books, this picture book focusses on gardening and in particular on vegetable growing. Alfie's dad creates their own vegetable patch at the bottom of their back garden, enabling Alfie to discover that fruit and vegetables don't simply come from a packet at the supermarket, but require many weeks of fertile soil, water, sunlight and tending to make seeds grow into crops. There are messages about animals, insects, the months and seasons of the year and many more for EYFS and KS1 classes to utilise and build upon; perhaps even the opportunity to use the book to support a school allotment or window box project. Perhaps the book's age limits its appeal a little, with a very traditional white family, living in a town terrace house with a back garden; and as the book isn't the first in the series, the reader is assumed to know some of the characters without explanation. Nevertheless, that doesn't prevent contemporary pupils without the fortune of their own garden space to appreciate the key themes of science and nature, especially if school can provide the opportunity to experience them first hand as well. Although the book predates modern issues surrounding organic or fair-trade farming, it's easy to see how these could be introduced at later stages in the learning sequence, providing a link to important issues about environmental protection.

[Charley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite a long story so I would suggest reading it to children of early KS2 or late KS1 so you are able to keep their attention.

It is a good book about growing your own plants and teaching children the misconception that vegetables are in supermarkets.

I think it would have been better if it focused more on the vegetables and the insects because that would have been able to teach the children more.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet