Good morning everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe!

Today, I’m sharing some books that are perfect for the younger readers in life – from books for 5 year olds to maybe 8 year olds? For being a teacher, I’m terrible at this kind of thing… I’m more of a ‘let them try it and see how they go’ kinda gal. I will say that there is NOTHING to say that these books can’t be read by slightly younger, or older children – some of my Y6s have loved these books. I won’t get into a debate right now about age limits on books and all of that jazz, ha!

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Bad Panda – Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey

Everyone thinks that Lin is the cutest panda in the world. So much so that they ship her off to the local zoo, away from her beloved brother, to be ogled at by the masses. But Lin HATES being cute, and now she will do everything in her power to prove that she’s the baddest, meanest, most un-cute animal in the zoo.

I received this recently from the publishers and it was one of those that just kept shouting at me to be read! I decided to have a bit of a reading spree with some younger fiction, and let me tell you, I really really enjoyed this. Lin, the best panda is shipped across the world to a new zoo, but all she wants is to get home to be with her brother… when she’s in her new zoo, she realises that everyone is scared of the cobra and realises that surely being bad is all it takes to get her shipped back home? Surely once people don’t like her and once people get fed up of her, they’ll get rid of her… but things don’t go QUITE to plan for Lin. I sped through this and it’s funny in all the right ways – this is going to appeal to all kinds of readers. Not only that, but it’s cleverly told in narrative and comic strip format, which I know will help to make it appeal to an even wider range of kids! The illustrations by Sheena Dempsey are spot on and I think they add so much character to the story!

Bad Panda is out on July 1st from Faber Children’s

Kevin and the Biscuit Bandit – Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

Welcome to another brilliantly quirky adventure story from creative powerhouse Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. Bumbleford has been hit by a series of biscuit thefts. All the clues lead straight to the only roly-poly flying pony in town, and Max’s best friend, KEVIN! Max and Kevin are forced to go on the run. Will they find the real culprit before Kevin ends up in pony prison?

I read one of the other books in this series a while back and remembered that it was SUCH fun, so when I saw that the publishers had sent me the newest one, I was over the moon. I know these books are super popular in our Y2/3 classes and they’ll be delighted that I have a new one to take in. This new book is such full of fun. As ever, this is full of poo, biscuits, thievery and jokes – I mean what more could you possibly need in a children’s book?! When Kevin the rolypoly pony is accused of being a criminal, can he and Max solve the crime and find the REAL criminal? Where are all of the biscuits going? I really enjoyed this – it made me chuckle a fair few times! This is one of those books where it’s all a bit silly but all so brilliant! Do you wanna meet Beyoncé the guinea pic criminal?! Look no further! I adore Sarah McIntyre’s illustrations and she keeps on proving to us all that she is just magnificent in this one!

Kevin and the Biscuit Bandit is out now from Oxford Children’s Books.

Kitty and the Kidnap Trap – Paula Harrison and Jenny Lovlie

Kitty is supposed to be looking after her friend’s pet hamster, Marvin, for the weekend, but disaster strikes when he is kidnapped! Kitty must follow the kidnapper’s trail and return Marvin to his home safe and sound, before the night is out. It’s time for Superhero Kitty to save the day!

The Kitty books are another super popular series at school – they’re a great in to reading independently for younger children because they’re brilliantly illustrated by Jenny Lovlie and the stories aren’t too complex, but enough for younger children to get their teeth into. In this instalment, Kitty and her cat friends have to come to the rescue of a frightened hamster who has been taken under the wing of some scary rats! I thought this was great – I think our Y2s will love reading this!

Kitty and the Kidnap Trap is out now from Oxford Children’s Books.

Isadora Moon Goes To A Wedding – Harriet Muncaster

Half vampire, half fairy, totally unique! Isadora is special because she is different. In this brand new adventure, Isadora is going to be a bridesmaid at her aunt’s wedding, and she’s SO excited! But with a mischievous older cousin and a bored baby sister to deal with, getting through the special day isn’t exactly going to be a piece of cake. Can Isadora make sure there’s a happy ending. . . ?

I know some Isadora Moon super fans in my life who will be delighted to have this! When Isadora and Mirabelle are left to their own devices at a wedding what could possibly go wrong? We all know that Isadora and Mirabelle is a terrible combination, and when Isadora is asked to look after her little sister at the wedding, things go very wrong indeed! What we see here is that delicious wedding cakes and magic just don’t mix! Isadora and Mirabelle are still learning a lot and they learn here that honesty is important (and cake of course!). Isadora and Mirabelle learn that temptation is a tricky bag to deal with! As ever, the illustrations are wonderful! I also love that these books come jam packed at the end with lots of fun activities to do – I think it’s just so brilliant!

Isadora Moon Goes To A Wedding is out now from Oxford Children’s Books.

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And there you go! I had such a blast reading these! A massive thank you to the publishers who sent me these books, and to my bank account ha! Thanks so much for stopping by!

What have you read recently?
What’s on your TBR?
Recommend me a book that you’ve love recently for younger readers!

S x