Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Sheena Dempsey Books

Pablo and Splash: Roman Holiday

Chapter book

Time-travelling penguins Pablo and Splash must fight gladiators in Ancient Rome in this hilarious full-colour graphic novel. Fans of Bunny vs Monkey or InvestiGATORS will love it.

When their penguin pal Benji won’t believe they’ve travelled through time, Pablo and Splash have a point to prove. The two travel to Ancient Rome, hoping to bring back a centurion helmet as proof of their adventures. But when Pablo and Splash meet an emperor with a passion for collecting exotic birds, only some quick thinking – and emergency time travel – can save them from the fate that awaits them in the Colosseum!

Pablo and Splash

Sheena Dempsey

Graphic novel

Join time-travelling penguins Pablo and Splash on an unexpected adventure to the time of the dinosaurs in this brilliantly funny full-colour graphic novel. Perfect for fans of Bunny vs Monkey or Dog Man.

Antarctic penguins Pablo and Splash are polar opposites and besties for life. Pablo is a home-bird and a careful planner. Splash is easily bored and hungry for adventure. Sick to her flippers of the harsh, freezing weather, Splash persuades Pablo to go on a holiday with her. But far from the luxury beach destination that Splash has in mind, the pair end up in a time-travel machine that takes them back to the age of the dinosaurs! Suddenly their icy homeland doesn’t seem so dull …

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time

Sheena Dempsey

Graphic novel

In this episode of graphic novel series Pablo and Splash, the characters plan a holiday, yet are unable to find Professor O’Brain to help them into his time machine. Bustling with jokes and plays on word, this is a joyous, easy read, which will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers. Will Artificial Technology really be able to outsmart this famous duo? Or will they successfully muddle their way through the Ice Age to rescue the Professor?

This comic-style book muddles through many mishaps, meets very questionable cave men and even comes face to face with the world’s cutest sabre-toothed tiger (hang on… aren’t they extinct?).

Both children and adults will love reading to find out whether Pablo and Splash will make it out alive, or be DOOMED in the Ice Age forever.

Bad Panda: The Cake Escape

Sheena Dempsey & Swapna Haddow

Chapter book

On EVERY PAGE you will find:
Guaranteed laughs!
Stylish two-colour illustrations!
General PANDAmonium!

Lin the panda is on a mission: to find her best friend, Fu. He’s disappeared from the zoo! Has he been stolen by the Horrid Human? Only her badness can help her find him . . .

Luckily this panda is as fearless as she is fluffy! Just don’t call her ‘cute’ . . .

Dave Pigeon

Sheena Dempsey & Swapna Haddow

Chapter book

This hilarious series is adored by its readers!

Dave Pigeon is writing a book on how he defeated Mean Cat in order to help fellow pigeons everywhere. Cats beware!

A hilarious debut for 6+ readers with black and white illustrations by the superbly talented Sheena Dempsey.

Dave Pigeon (Kittens!)

Sheena Dempsey & Swapna Haddow

Chapter book

Dave Pigeon is back and this time he and his pigeon pals are outnumbered by Kittens! This series is perfect for children who enjoy funny books.

When Aunty’s Cat comes to stay, Dave realises that their old nemesis Mean Cat is not the only feline to fear. With Mean Cat acting strangely, Dave and his pal Skipper find themselves facing new responsibilities and a new-found respect for Mean Cat as they team up to solve a multiplication problem and rid themselves of their new enemy.

Dave Pigeon is a hugely likeable character, whose hilarious facial expressions are a real credit to the illustrator Sheena Dempsey. This book, with its speech bubbles, illustrations and manageable chapters, will appeal to children wanting to build independence with their reading. Dave, our feathered friend, once again delivers on laughs, keeping children wanting to read on to find out if pigeons and cats can ever really be friends.

Wizard vs Lizard

Sheena Dempsey & Simon Philip

Fred may look ordinary, but sometimes people who look ordinary turn out to be not very ordinary at all … because it just so happens that Fred is a Wizard!

Sounds pretty great, right? Except that Fred is absolutely, completely, mind-boggingly TERRIBLE at magic. At school, he’s stuck in a class of wizards half his age, feeling like a twit among tots. At home, he’s endlessly teased by his siblings and always a disappointment to his parents. All Fred wants is to become a better wizard….

So when he hears about a competition to meet Merlin(yes, THE Merlin!) Fred knows it’s his one chance to prove to his family that he’s not the worst wizard in town. The catch? To win the competition he has to capture the tail of a terrifying, fire-breathing lizard…

From Simon Philip, author of You Must Bring a Hat and I Really Want the Cake, and Sheena Dempsey, illustrator of Dave Pigeon, comes a tale full of magic and fun.

Fred: Wizard in Training

Sheena Dempsey & Simon Philip

Chapter book

Originally published as Wizard Vs Lizard , get ready for a laugh-out-loud magical adventure from award-winni ng author Simon Philip and Sheena Dempsey, illustrator of the much-loved Dave Pigeon series!

Fred may look ordinary, but sometimes people who look ordinary turn out to be not very ordinary at all … because it just so happens that Fred is a Wizard!

So when he hears about a competition to meet Merlin (yes, THE Merlin!) Fred knows it’s his one chance to prove to his family that he’s not the worst wizard in town. The catch? To win the competition he has to capture the tail of a terrifying, fire-breathing lizard…

Bad Panda

Sheena Dempsey & Swapna Haddow

Chapter book

Are you sick of being utterly adorable? Tired of being cuddled and hugged? Fed up of having your head confused for your bottom because you just so happen to be SOOOOPER-DOOOOOPER fluffy?

Lin: If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you’re in the right book.

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.

Laugh-yourself-out-of-bed hilarious, the first in a new series from the creators of DAVE PIGEON.