"The moon and back before bath time? Whatever next! Join Baby Bear as he finds a rocket, makes friends with an owl and has a picnic on the moon"

Another lovely book by Jill Murphy for children to enjoy and adults too. It fires the imagination with possibilities of having an adventure from your own bed and travelling to the moon and back as well.

Beautiful illustrations and my grandchildren wanted the story again and again and again.
High praise from them.

A huge childhood favourote of both me and my sister :) and now my nephew too! Beautiful pictures and a sweet storyline, equally as enjoyable 30 years later x

I thought that this was a lovely story and the illustrations were perfect for the book,

The story is lovely and my five year old daughter read it to me in the evening before she went to bed. She enjoyed it that much we read it again the following night and told her nanny and grandad about the story too - so it was clearly a hit with her

A lovely way to celebrate 40 years since the book was initially published!

It is 5 stars from us for this one, loved that it was interactive and fun – very highly recommended!

This is a classic, and deservedly so. I would find it impossible not to love this story. Jill Murphy's books are always a delight and I've collected every one over the years.
Her stories of family life are always told with such love and warmth, with beautiful illustrations. It may appear, understandably, old fashioned to newer readers as it's not all-singing and all-dancing but that doesn't matter. There's room in children's lives for all sorts of books.
All the information about Jill and how she created her stories was a lovely added bonus.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Childrens Books for the advance copy.

This was one of my absolute favourite books as a child and it was such a pleasure to share this new edition with my own daughter. The illustrations and story are just as lovely as ever and the additional information about Jill Murphy and how this book was created in this special 40th anniversary edition made it even more interesting to read. Absolutely a children’s classic and one to add a touch of magic to bedtime.

Happy Fortieth Birthday for this bedtime read, of a young bear who would like to go to the moon – and manages it, and back, just in time for his bath. Or does he? Wonderful pencil colouring adds to the appeal, on the coloured pages at least, and the simple and whimsical tale is delivered really most accessibly. Added stuff for its birthday amounts to a spread both before and after the story, giving us background to its creator and some early images and behind-the-scenes matter. It's a perfectly reasonable tribute and bonus for the purchaser, but doesn't change much when all is considered – this is a mighty fine little book and has been for a long time. Four and a half stars.

I was so happy to be given this book by the publisher. It’s the original book, just re-published, yet has lost none if its charm. The pictures/story was loved by my children, with them asking for it to be read over and over. My children would recommend this book.

It is wonderful to see this classic story back in print. I have told it to so many storytimes over the years and it is still an absolute favourite.

Whatever Next! 40th Anniversary Edition by Jill Murphy, a NetGalley review. Can you believe that this book is 40 years old, wow! I grew up with my parents reading me Jill Murphy books and now I get to share them with my daughter. Baby a bear wants one last adventure before bed, he wants to go on a trip to the moon, however Mrs Bear isn’t a fan of this idea and explains how can he go to the moon he hasn’t got a rocket! However Baby Bear finds away. This is a lovely edition of the book, the story as always is a classic and my daughter loved every minute, proven by the silence as I read through the pages, a sure sign of a good book! From an adults perspective without a doubt it’s a good read, filled with child like imagination and wonder that just translates off the pages. However as a special edition it was great to learn new things about the author and the story as such behind the story. For example the fact that Jill wanted to be a writer from an early age and she taught herself to read before she went to school. Jill by the time she was 11 had written and made over 90 tiny books that she stapled together and there’s a picture of this. This fact is so endearing and heart warming, and I can relate to it on a different scale because I used to to this as a child. However what a driven child and adult Jill was and it’s facts like this was great as a adult to read. My recommendation is if you are thinking of buying this for your child, purchase this edition, especially if you are a fan of the author. This book remains a classic and will do so without a doubt in the future, not just the simplicity of the writing, a talented simplicity and there maybe few words but those words work and surly that is proven in its longevity. A big draw for me as a parent is that I think it’s the perfect length for those all important bedtime story, a story that will spark any child’s imagination. I can’t forget also the illustrations that are a perfect accompaniment for for such a sweet book, illustrations done by the author herself, it seems Jill’s talents were endless. A can’t recommend this book and others by this author enough ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a privilege to be able to review this 40th anniversary edition of Whatever Next by the wonderful Jill Murphy.
I first read this story to my daughter nearly 40 years ago and we both loved it then. It was a brilliant follow up to Peace At Last and Jill’s lovely bear family are still so endearing. Whatever Next tells the story of baby bear and his imaginative trip to the moon. With his homemade rocket and a picnic to share with his new companion, Owl, this is such a gentle story, ideal for bedtime. It is so beautifully illustrated by Jill and will feed into a childs imagination and sense of adventure wonderfully. My daughter has gone on to read these stories to her two children and I am sure that future generations will continue to be enthralled by these beautiful books.

This is such a delightful book! I have read it many, many times as a teacher and a parent and it was always a favourite, even going so far as finding a big cardboard box, wellies and a colander for the children to take turns to sit in and imagine flying into space. This 40 year anniversary edition has extra content, giving an insight into the life of Jill Murphy as well as previously unseen drawings. Highly recommend. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful story about a baby bear who wants to visit the moon. He gets his things ready and travels to the moon with his teddy and friend owl. This book shows the wealth of imagination little kids have and how powerful it can be. Illustrations are top notch too.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).

I remember reading this when I was young and am genuinely surprised that WHATEVER NEXT is 40 years old.

And the wave of nostalgia I had while reading this and pouring over the beautiful illustrations was a wonderful trip down memory lane as well as a story that shows children and adults the power of imagination.

Here's the next 40 years!

What a lovely nostalgic read, peace at last was one of my favourite books when I was a child and this one is equally as good. I absolutely adore the pictures and my daughter enjoyed it just as much as I ever did.