Murray and Bun: Murray the Explorer

The Murray and Bun series has already proved a massive hit – well loved for its short, line-illustrated chapters, laugh-out-loud humour and endearing but hapless duo of characters. This latest adventure, which works just as well as a standalone, is an absolute gem that crosses the interest range of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and will appeal to older reluctant readers too.

Murray the cat wishes for a quiet life, but a spell accidentally creates a magic cat-flap and turns a sticky bun into a hyperactive rabbit (imaginatively called ‘Bun’). Because of this, Murray is repeatedly dragged into bonkers adventures and more than his share of trouble.

This latest outing delivers an Indiana Jones style energy, sending the unlikely friends into a perilous jungle complete with booby traps, in a race to find a magical ruby before it falls into less desirable hands. The high image-to-text ratio gives the book a race-through feel, offering reluctant or developing readers that crucial sense of satisfaction as they turn the pages at speed. Paired with charming, large-eyed character illustrations that add real warmth to the chaotic visual comedy, you can’t help but root for Murray and Bun through every hilarious stumble.

A fantastic classroom addition that will fly off the shelves and one that children will revisit over and over. Just let me warn you of one thing: you’ll never look at a sticky bun in the same way again!