Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Ben Mantle Books

Bunnies on the Bus

Picturebooks

Watch out! Move out of the way! Hold onto your tails! Now in board book edition, there are BUNNIES ON THE BUS! And they aren’t stopping for ANYONE!

The bunnies have taken over the bus and they’re on a wild ride across the streets of Sunny Town! They whizz past the bus stop, swerve around corners and zoom over crossings on a non-stop roller coaster adventure! There are bunnies on the roof! Bunnies in the aisle! DO sit down, bunnies, or you’ll end up in a pile! Eventually, they come to a stop… at the train station. And what’s that they’ve spotted? A TRAIN! Uh-oh, here we go again… A hilarious romp of a book, with a fantastic read-aloud rhyming text and spectacular illustrations.

The Bestest Big Brother, Ever

Ben Mantle

Picturebook

A playful, yet emotionally honest book that shares the story of two brothers, Felix and Nano and the ups and downs of the relationship between siblings.

The well-illustrated story navigates a true reflection of family life and twists and turns between closeness and conflict, jealousy and love, space and reconnection. The story is told from Nano, the younger sibling’s point of view, who finds it difficult to understand why his brother, Felix, no longer wants to play their usual games. The perfect text to open up a conversation about family life and how our feelings towards others, including family, can change. It can also be used as a stimulus to discuss respect, confusion, needing some space and the different emotions and feelings that can be experienced as a sibling.

Dick the Delightful Duck

Ben Mantle & Kaye Umansky

Picturebook

Even the most delightful ducks can have a bad day . . . What’s the matter with Dick the Duck? He’s usually so kind and friendly!

But today Dick got out on The Wrong Side of Bed. He feels humpy and grumpy, cranky and cross. Can anyone help cheer him up?

Luckily Dick’s friends rally round and shower him with kindness, and Dick is soon back to his usual delightful self!

This magnificently funny rhyming story shows that even the most delightful ducks can have a bad day. (And that’s totally okay!)

Children will adore this hilarious rhyming story by the much-loved author of the PONGWIFFY books.

Kaye Umansky is one of the funniest children’s writers around. This brilliant rhyming story is a joy to read aloud, and has echoes of Dr Seuss.

Ben Mantle’s superb colourful illustrations bring every character to life. Each page is packed with fabulous, funny details.

Full of warmth and humour, Dick the Delightful Duck shows even the youngest children that it’s okay not to be okay, and how they can be a good friend.

Bunnies in a Sleigh

Ben Mantle & Philip Ardagh

Picturebook

The Sunnytown bunnies are back for a third picture book adventure, and it might just be their best one yet! It’s Christmas Eve and Santa’s elves have fallen suspiciously unwell (just WHO gave them all those candy canes?), so it looks like Santa needs some help. Luckily, our gang of vehicle-loving bunnies are here to the rescue. Cue chaos at every turn – hopping in and out of chimneys, getting stuck in snow, stuffed in stockings, and having the time of their lives on Santa’s sleigh. It’s a crazy Christmas, but it’s SO MUCH FUN.

The Case of the Smuggler’s Curse

Ben Mantle & Mark Dawson

Chapter book

Join ‘The After School Detective Club’ on their first adventure in the sleepy seaside town of Southwold. Consisting of Lucy, Max, Charlie and her canine companion, Sherlock, the group of children become friends one dark, wet evening when Sherlock decides to pick a fight with a mysterious stranger who appears to be signalling from some large rocks to ships at sea.

This is an exciting, fast-paced adventure story with plenty of action. The illustrations, by Ben Mantle, are liberally sprinkled throughout the text and beautifully illustrate it. Reminiscent of both Fleur Hitchcock and Enid Blyton, this series promises to be one to watch. A must-read for anyone who loves a good adventure story, this would make a great class read as there are plenty of end-of-chapter cliffhangers.

King of the Swamp

Ben Mantle & Catherine Emmett

Picturebook

McDarkly lives alone in the swamp, happily tending his neat garden of orchids in peace. But then, one day, in rides the pompous and rather rude King, who wants to turn McDarkly’s peaceful (if slightly dank and dark) home into a roller skate park!

Luckily, the young princess is a botantist at heart, and manages to win the swamp a reprieve – the King and his retinue of minions will return in ten days to see the orchids bloom. McDarkly believes that with hard work, and a LOT of shovelling, he can be ready….that is, until the orchid-munching caterpillars descend!

King of the Swamp is a lovely picture book to read aloud – the lilting, rhyming text just begs to be read out loud in a sing-song voice. The watery colour scheme of the swamp has the perfect balance of dripping weeds and big-eyed critters peeping from behind reeds and logs. With a gentle happy ending, as the swamp becomes a nature reserve, the book would link well in the classroom with units on things that grow and care for the environment. Catherine Emmett’s text and Ben Mantle’s illustrations are a successful pairing and I hope to see them working together again soon.

The Land of Roar

Ben Mantle & Jenny McLachlan

Chapter book

This story is full of imagination, adventure and excitement and makes for a perfect read-aloud choice for storytime. Land of Roar is an instantly gripping adventure where childhood games become a reality for two twins. I raced my way through it, wondering what dangers twins Rose and Arthur were going to encounter next, whilst simultaneously wanting to visit Roar myself!

Land of Roar makes for a fantastic portal story where you can’t help but be dragged into this magical land of make-believe in a story full of adventure, magic and friendship. I love the idea of childhood games coming to life and the idea appeals well to the imaginations of children aged 8 to 10 – old enough to remember make-believe games from a younger stage but still young enough to allow themselves to be swept away by imagination and magic.

Land of Roar is the kind of fantasy adventure that grips you from the first page to the last and keeps you wanting more…so it’s a good thing there’s a sequel!

Bunnies in a Boat

Ben Mantle & Philip Ardagh

Picturebook

The bunnies are back! And this time, they’ve commandeered a BOAT! Watch out, Sunnytown beach, the Bunnies are dashing and a-splashing on a speedboat frenzy. They w hoosh past the sail-boats, and zoooom across the sand, then it’s up on to the jetty where silly billy Bunnies get all covered in spaghetti! But watch out, oh no, where are the bunnies off to now? To the airport, across the tarmac … it’s bunnies on the PLANE. Here we go again…