Remember, Remember · Free to print · No sign-up
Free Bonfire Night picture books for kids
We’ve turned the traditional Bonfire Night rhyme, “Remember, remember, the 5th of November”, into free picture books you can print at home. The toddler book, for ages 0 to 4, is ready now: 16 pages in cut-paper collage, with one line of the rhyme on each. A crayon edition for ages 3 to 7 is on its way. No email address, no sign-up: download the PDF, print it on A4 and staple it, or fold it into a little booklet.
Guy Fawkes is a pantomime villain in these books. He sneaks, he schemes, he gets caught, and nobody gets hurt.
For ages 3 to 7: coming soon
A soft-crayon edition with more of the story on each page. It will be free here too.
What are the words to “Remember, remember, the 5th of November”?
These are the words in our books, one line to a page:
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys
God save the King!
It’s a folk rhyme, so the words shift from place to place. Some families say “I know of no reason”, and older printings have “make the bells ring”. “Three score” is sixty, though the plotters really had thirty-six barrels.
What is Bonfire Night?
Bonfire Night is 5 November. People in Britain light bonfires and set off fireworks to mark the night in 1605 when Guy Fawkes was caught guarding barrels of gunpowder in a cellar under the House of Lords. He and his fellow plotters meant to blow up King James and Parliament at its opening that day. When the news got out, church bells rang across London and bonfires were lit to celebrate the King’s escape. People in Britain have been lighting bonfires on 5 November for more than 400 years.
Who was Guy Fawkes?
Guy Fawkes was one of thirteen men in the Gunpowder Plot. The plotters hid barrels of gunpowder under piles of firewood in a cellar beneath the House of Lords, and Fawkes was the one left to guard them. Around midnight on the night of 4 November 1605, the King’s men searched the cellar and found him there. A lantern said to be his is now in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
He’s the pantomime villain of our books. There are no explosions and nothing frightening, so they won’t worry a small child who already finds the fireworks loud.
How do I print it?
Single pages: print the A4 PDF, put the 16 pages in order and staple the top corner.
A little folded booklet: print the booklet PDF on both sides of four sheets of A4. Choose “flip on short edge” and print at actual size (100%). Keep the sheets in the order they come out, fold them in half with the cover on the outside, and put two staples in the fold.
If the pages come out in the wrong order, switch to “flip on long edge”. It’s worth testing one sheet first.
How do I read it with a toddler?
- One line per page is plenty. Let them look at the picture before you turn the page.
- Holler together on the “holler boys” pages, and say “shh!” with Guy on the cover.
- Ask “Where’s the mouse?” on the barrels page, and “What’s he going to do?” when he creeps up to the tower of toy blocks.
- Read it every day in the run-up to the 5th and they’ll soon be joining in.
What do nüNERD picture books look like?
Every topic gets its own book at each reading level, and each level has its own look. Books for ages 0 to 4 are cut-paper collage, with big shapes and one idea to a page. Books for ages 3 to 7 are soft crayon, with more of the story on each page. Older children get chapter books with black-and-white line drawings.
Beowulf
Ages 0–4 · cut paper
Alfred the Great
Ages 3–7 · crayon
Machiavelli
Ages 0–4 · cut paper
Don Quixote
Ages 3–7 · crayon
Questions parents ask
What are the words to “Remember, remember, the 5th of November”?
The lines most people know are: “Remember, remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.” Our books carry on with the verse about Guy Fawkes, his capture and the bells, one line to a page.
What does “Remember, remember, the 5th of November” mean?
It tells you never to forget the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters planned to blow up King James and Parliament. People back then called it the “Gunpowder Treason”.
Why do we celebrate Bonfire Night?
Because the plot failed. Bonfires were lit across London on the evening of 5 November 1605 to celebrate the King’s escape, and the custom has lasted more than 400 years.
How do I explain Bonfire Night to a toddler?
Keep it to one small story: a long time ago a man called Guy Fawkes tried to do something very bad to the King. He got caught, and everyone was so pleased that they lit bonfires. That’s how our toddler book tells it, with no scary pictures.
Are the books really free?
Yes. There’s no email to give, no account to make and nothing to pay. Print as many copies as you like at home, at nursery or in the classroom, and share the link with anyone.
How do I print the folded booklet?
Print the booklet PDF on both sides of four sheets of A4, with “flip on short edge” and actual size (100%) selected. Keep the sheets in order, fold them in half with the cover on the outside, and staple twice along the fold.
What ages are they for?
The toddler book is for ages 0 to 4: one short line on each page, made to be read aloud. A crayon edition for ages 3 to 7, with more of the story on each page, is coming soon.
About nüNERD
nüNERD makes children’s books on history, philosophy, biography and classic literature for ages 0 to 14, from Beowulf and Don Quixote to Alfred the Great and Plutarch’s Lives. We illustrate them with AI image tools, in styles that look hand-made, like cut paper and crayon. Here’s how we use AI.