Play HouseTots
Cosy chapter opener illustration

Cosy

EVERY ROOM HAS ITS PLAY

Cosy the Hedgehog Shows You Round

Cosy is a round, snuggly little hedgehog with soft prickles and the warmest smile, and Cosy LOVES the little house - because a house is made of rooms, and every single room has its own special kind of play.

“Come and see!” says Cosy, trundling happily along. “Each room is for something different. Let me show you round.”

“This is the KITCHEN,” says Cosy, in the warm room with the little stove. “The kitchen is for cooking! Stir the pot, pour the tea, bake a pretend cake.”

“And this is the BATHROOM,” says Cosy, by the little tub. “The bathroom is for splashing! Wash, scrub, blow the bubbles.”

“Here’s the BEDROOM,” Cosy whispers, by the soft little bed. “The bedroom is for sleeping. Tuck in, snuggle down, say goodnight.”

“And THIS,” says Cosy, beaming, in the room full of toys, “is the PLAYROOM. The playroom is for building! Stack the blocks, roll the ball, make a tower.”

“Every room, its own kind of play,” Cosy says happily. “Kitchen for cooking, bath for splashing, bed for sleeping, playroom for building. A whole cozy house of things to do!”

That is Cosy’s warm, homely idea.

Every room is for its own kind of play - cook in the kitchen, splash in the bath, snuggle in bed, build in the playroom.

A grown-up can play too! Walk round your OWN home together and name the rooms. “This is the kitchen - what do we do here? This is where we sleep - what do we do here?” Every room has its own kind of play. Which room shall we pretend in first?

When the tour is done, Cosy curls up in a soft, snuggly ball right in the middle of the cozy house, happy as can be. “Every room a little different,” she hums, “and all of them warm, and all of them home. That’s what makes it cozy.”

A house of rooms, each with its play. That’s Cosy.

Reading together with a grown-up? A card for the grown-up

For the grown-up: ask one question, then wait. When they answer, add one word to what they said. Tap the button when they have said something — that is one turn each, a circle. Nothing is recorded or kept.

Let them finish it

Say “Cosy says: every room is for its own kind of play - cook in the kitchen, splash …” and stop. Let them finish it.

Then say the whole line together: “Cosy says: every room is for its own kind of play - cook in the kitchen, splash in the bath, snuggle in bed, build in the playroom!”.

Now wait. Count slowly to five in your head. Their answer is worth the quiet.

Circles together: 0

The HouseTots ensemble

Cosy is one of the friends in HouseTots. Each friend shows you one idea by how they act; meet them all and you have the whole subject.