Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich

So far it is proving to be a very hot summer, so we have spent most of our time in our paddling pool or hiding away from the heat inside, reading and watching movies. Gotta love school holidays!

One of the books we read this week was Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich by Lorraine Francis and illustrated by Pieter Gaudesaboos.

Sammy was so hungry that he could eat the biggest sandwich in the world! So the industrious little boy sets about building one. Layer upon layer the sandwich grows until Sammy needs to use some inventive methods for reaching the top, like a trapeze swing, a remote control plane, and finally a crane. 

This is such a fun read aloud story and the retro style illustrations are a visual feast. Full of beautiful colour and intricate detail, Gaudesaboos' illustrations take this story to the next level. Highly recommended for ages 3+

Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich is one of three debut titles from Book Island, a new publisher based in New Zealand, specialising in translating foreign language picture books into English.

James' Review:

"He was really hungry Mum! It was really good. I liked the crane picture because the sandwich is so big he needs a crane to get to the top."

Our book inspired activities:

• We played with our wooden sandwich toys which includes wooden bread and fillings that connect with Velcro. After assembling the sandwich we practiced cutting the sandwich with a toy wooden knife.
• We had a fun discussion about our favourite sandwich fillings. This discussion then morphed into a game where we had to take turns suggesting the craziest sandwich fillings we could think up, like worms with Vegemite or mud with sprinkles (Yummy!) Lots of giggles!
• Santa gave Mummy a bread maker this Christmas so we made our own bread for sandwiches. Nothing beats freshly baked bread.
• James and Emily also made their own sandwiches.

Our first step was to discuss the sequence of making a sandwich, mostly for Emily's benefit, as James has made his own sandwich before. I then laid out all the ingredients (bread, butter, Vegemite for James and peanut butter for Emily) and gave them a knife to spread with. Then the fun began.

James spent a great deal of time spreading the butter on every little bit of the bread. He wanted it to be perfect. He was, however, a little over zealous with the Vegemite and thus an important lesson was learned when he ate his sandwich!

As you can see, Emily was concentrating really hard on making her sandwich too, as evidenced by her tongue sticking out! She was so excited about making her own sandwich and very proud of herself once she had the finished.

This was a wonderful activity to not only tie to the story but also to provide the kids with some valuable life skills. I will definitely be doing this more often.

What is your favourite sandwich filling?

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of the book for review by the publisher. No payment was received for this post. All comments, as always, are my own.