Told in such a humorous and charming way with repetitive rhythms and funny illustrations, it's easy to see why it made such a lasting impression on me. Allan Ahlberg has published over 100 children's books and with his late wife Janet, created many award-winning children's picture books.

Funnybones: Skeleton Crew - "Zzz!" The three skeletons enjoy a holiday on their little boat. But what happens when a PIRATE comes aboard? Moon Man: The Crescent-moon-shaped character who was always the narrator in each episode. Unlike other characters, he was also not a skeleton. Funnybones’ can be used in the classroom in several ways. In English lessons for example, children can learn to appreciate the use of rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, punctuation, speech and simple sentences. Pupils could explore the beginning of the story to help them write their own creative story with a repetitive refrain. In KS1 classes, the teacher could also use the book as a point of reference to explain how speech marks are used as well as other relevant punctuation. Dog is having his favourite dream, the one about a big, juicy bone. After Dog wakes up from his favourite dream he chases after other animals that have got the big, juicy bone including Cat. The story begins with lines that we are all familiar with. ‘On a dark dark hill there was a dark dark town. In the dark dark town there was a dark dark street…’Mr. Bonehead: The skeleton owner of the pet shop (who wore a bigger hat called a flat cap with a pencil and an apron), who Big and Little took Dog into with a view to swapping him for another pet etc. in the episode "The Pet Shop" and everything else in other episodes. They then visit the skeleton zoo and meet many skeleton animals. And at last they decide to frighten one another before returning home. Bumps in the Night is one of the titles in Allan Ahlberg's iconic children's picture book series about skeletons, Funnybones. Despite being set in a dark dark house, this brightly coloured book is perfect for early readers!

In the first book of this now classic series, we are taken down the dark, dark street to the dark, dark house and into the dark, dark cellar in which the skeletons live. Funny Bones" we are taught to call our elbows if they're bumped. I did it this morning. I called out "Funny Bone" and the pain soon fox trotted off. Some rituals are worth not forgetting. They're the spells, like kisses, which work.Children will love poring over the contrasting illustrations while joining in with the repetition. A great book for sharing together" - Book Trust They live in a dark, dark cellar of a dark, dark house on a dark, dark hill and so the word repetition continues through this lighthearted story for early readers. The skeletons venture out of their cellar one night to find someone to scare, but everyone is in bed, so they amuse themselves by scaring each other and playing with the skeleton animals that live in the zoo. Teaching Ideas and Resources: English