The Treehouse Tales series of seven books: Aled Apple, Sally Snail, Oliver Onion, Luigi Lemon, Matilda, Oriol Orange and Anna Banana, have been developed to motivate Key Stage 1 children, (5-7 years), and encourage the love of books and consequently the love of learning. First and foremost, learning needs to be fun.

These seven books form a small part of the Treehouse Tales two year learning programme, 'The National Curriculum Through Stories', available for schools. The introductory seven books, however, can be purchased from Treehouse Tales Limited with a booklet for parents 'Helping With Your Child's Learning'.

The illustrations provide opportunities for developing your child's natural curiosity about the wider world. As his/her knowledge and understanding increases, so will the detail in your child's drawings (see Children's page) - improving thinking skills and questioning skills.

On the children's link you will find that the story characters can to be downloaded. On the printout, encourage your child to draw a background for each character. Give your child ideas by questioning, for example, Where do you want the character to be?, Is he/she in the zoo or in the fair? Does your child remember a particularly enjoyable  day out? What are his/her interests? Allow your child time to draw and colour to the best of his/her ability - encouraging concentration. Your child, having communicated through his/her artwork, will now give you an opportunity to develop his/her speaking and listening skills. Ask open-ended questions, for example, 'Why' and 'How' questions, therefore developing your child's thinking skills.

Developing your child's concentration, thinking skills and speaking and listening skills are an important pre-requisite of learning to read. When your child is ready, the stories will help with your child's reading skills.