Steve Antony
Steve is an award-winning writer and illustrator of 20 picture books and best known for his ongoing ‘Mr Panda’ series which has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. His other books include the award-winning modern classic ‘The Queen's Hat’, ‘Unplugged’, ‘Amazing and Green Lizards Vs Red Rectangle’
Listen to Steve Antony retelling one of his favourite stories he has written.
Ideas to try linked to this book
English
- Retell the story from the point of view of the Queen. You could write her narration for the story or write a diary entry for her. You could also retell the story from the point of view of the corgi or one of the soldiers.
- Think of some speech / thought bubbles for the characters in the illustrations.
- If you could meet the Queen, what questions would you ask her? How might she respond?
- Make a list of the verbs used in the story. How does the author describe the movement of the hat as it flies away?
- Can you find any examples of onomatopoeia in the story? Could you come up with your own list?
- Make your own story with a similar title, e.g. The Queen’s Shoes or The Queen’s Handbag.
- Could you perform (or record) your own read-along version of this book?
Maths
- Look at the illustrations. How many shapes can you find? Where can you see a rectangle or a circle? Can you find horizontal, vertical, perpendicular or parallel lines?
- Can you estimate how many soldiers can be found in the illustrations throughout the book?
Computing
- Create a poster / leaflet (using Purple Mash) to promote London as a destination for tourists.
- Make your own animation to retell the story, using 2Animate on Purple Mash.
Art
- The illustrator has used a limited range of colours in the illustrations. Can you suggest why this is? Could you try a similar technique in your own pictures?
- Look at portraits of the Queen throughout her life. Could you look at a photo of her and create a portrait?
- A picture of the Queen’s head appears on stamps. Could you design a new stamp?
- Create your own illustrations of the places mentioned in the story.
Geography
- Make a note of the places mentioned in the story and find them on a map. Could you plot the route that the Queen takes throughout the story? ?
- Make a written travel guide about London or one of the places mentioned in the story.
History
- Make a timeline that shows the main events in the Queen’s life.
- Can you make a poster that shows the kings and queens of England.