Meet Susie Slug in If you knew Susie
If you knew Susie is a rhyming picture book about Susie Slug, who loves to slither in the mud. After the rain carries her adventure a little too far, her friend Joe helps her find a gentler way to see the world. P.E. Burns wrote the original story, later retold by her granddaughter Gemma Day and published by Gemma Day Publishing (ISBN 9781739345105).
Reading with toddlers and young children
Share the pictures at your child's pace. Before turning a page, ask what Susie might do next. Talk about how she feels when she loses her way and what makes Joe a helpful friend. You can pair the story with a free A4 Susie and Joe colouring sheet.
Download the free A4 PDF ↓Why children notice slugs
Slugs live at child height. They appear on paths, beneath pots and among leaves, turning an ordinary garden into a place of discovery. A story gives children a friendly character to remember when they next meet the real creature.
Stories open the door to science
Reading about Susie's woodland adventure can lead naturally to questions: Is a slug an insect? Why does it leave a trail? Where does it go when the sun comes out? Fiction and facts work beautifully together.
Try a story-and-explore afternoon
Read a minibeast story, then take a gentle look outdoors. Keep creatures where you find them and wash hands afterwards.
- Look after rain or in cool, shady places.
- Take a photograph or make a sketch instead of collecting animals.
- Count legs: insects have six; slugs have none.