Catherine Rayner is the September author for the 2021 Author Study Challenge. If you have kids that love animals then she is a great author to know. Catherine Rayner is a picture book author and illustrator that is a big favorite in our house for her gentle, lovely stories about animals. Her books are consistently stunning, graceful, and full of heart. They leave the reader with a contentment whether they immersed in her gentle humor or with others her perfect bedtime calm.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2021 AUTHOR STUDY CHALLENGE
Meet Catherine Rayner
Catherine Rayner is a British book creator of wonderful books about animals, which is how we came to know and love her in our house. My daughter adores animals and thus I’m in constant search for new titles for my little bookworm. Rayner’s books range from playful to thought provoking, but never fail to delight.
Catherine Rayner is not just a picture book author / illustrator, but also uses her artistic talents to create cards and other products. If you’re as obsessed with her illustrations as I am, you will want to check out her shop.
Learn More about Catherine Rayner on her site: https://www.catherinerayner.co.uk/
You can see Catherine’s full list of books on her website. For this author study, I focused on books that she has written AND illustrated, but if you love her art, check out that list because there are several others written by other authors that she has illustrated. The newest one is What It’s Like to be a Bird.
Follow Catherine Rayner on Instagram for sneak peeks at her illustrations.
Board Books by Catherine Rayner
Counting Stars
This is a board back inspired by ABIGAIL (below) and it’s just as darling. A fun little counting book for little ones.
Harris Find His Feet
This is an adorable book about a little bunny figuring out how to hop. I love this one for little babes learning to walk, but it’s a darling story for toddlers who are a little older too.
Picture Books by Catherine Rayner
Mini and Hardly and the Big Adventure
This is Catherine Rayner’s newest book – perfect for unicorn fans! Aren’t these the most absolutely beautiful unicorns you’ve ever seen? I’m obsessed with this cover. This is a book about being little and wanting to be big. Mini and Hardly decide they don’t want to be big to go on an adventure.
Arlo The Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep
This is the perfect bedtime story. It is breathtakingly beautiful, the words are patient and calm, and the refrain is a wonderful mindful meditation anyone struggling to sleep can use. It is the story of a lion who is having trouble sleeping. He meets an owl who, being an expert at sleeping when everyone else is noisy and the sun is beaming, teaching him her secret. ARLO THE LION is a delight.
Find Online
Abigail
This is a gorgeous quiet book. I am always mesmerized by Rayner’s delicate illustrations. She has a whole catalog of wonderful books but this is one of my favorites.
Find Online
Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit
This silly one is my favorite of her many titles to read aloud and is sure to make you laugh out loud. Ernest the moose wants to be in the picture book but he’s too big. He tries to squeeze onto the page in a variety of ways but can’t get all of him onto a picture book page. Of all the Catherine Rayner books we love, this is the funniest and definitely my favorite to read aloud.
Solomon Crocodile
Solomon is a rambunctious fellow who just wants someone to play with, but everyone is too busy. This is a playful book with great page turns to propel you forward.
Iris and Isaac
Iris and Isaac do not like each other. Unfortunately, having a friend to share things with might make life more enjoyable. This is a gently playful book. We love it because my daughter is a huge polar bear fan.
Augustus and His Smile
I love the message of this book about looking at the world around you and finding beauty and happiness. Augustus has got to be the sweetest tiger in a book.
The Bear Who Shared
All of the animals are waiting for fruit to ripen, but there isn’t enough to go around. This is a sweet story about sharing for preschoolers.
Click Here to Get the Preschool Author Study Pack
Author Study Activity Ideas
Playing with the books you read, writing and creating based on what you read, imitating an author’s style or aspects of their work is part of the fun of author studies. The options are unlimited. Usually I take some ideas from the author’s website, research others online from creative teachers and bloggers, and invent some fun ways to explore the books of my own. For activities, start with Catherine Rayner’s website which has some fun activity sheets for a lot of her books. Drawing, coloring, word puzzles, mazes and more – check that out here.
Art Ideas
- Try one of Catherine Rayner’s step by step drawing guides.
- Catherine Rayner uses Screen Printing to create her illustrations. I love this description of the process on her website and you get to see some fun behind the scenes photographs!
- Draw your pet using similar techniques to Catherine. If you’re feeling inspired, write a story about your pet.
Writing Ideas
- Take the drawing you made with the step by step drawing guides and write a new story about that character. What do you think happens to them next?
- Have a favorite animal character? Find another book at the library with the same type of animal. Compare and contrast the two characters. How are they the same? How are they different? For example, compare Abigail with the giraffe in GIRAFFE PROBLEMS by Jory John.
STEM Ideas
- Do you have a favorite character in Catherine Rayner’s books? Maybe it’s a moose or a lion or a tiger. Check out nonfiction books from the library about that type of animal to learn more.
- Take a trip to the zoo and look for all of your favorite characters from Catherine Rayner’s books.
- For more animal fun, try one of these animal learning activities.
#2021authorstudychallenge
Share your favorite books and Catherine Rayner activities on Instagram with the hashtag #2021authorstudychallenge.
