In this short, illustrated chapter book, Pedro is an endearing main character. His longing to have an adventure, and the obstacles to achieving that, will strike a chord with many KS1 children. They will be cheering him on, through danger and disappointment, to his enrolment as a fully signed-up member of the Adventuremice team.

Teachers will enjoy sharing this gentle tale in a classroom setting and children will miss out if they cannot clearly see the bright and breezy illustrations. For this reason, perhaps it’s best recommended as a library book which children – and their parents – can read at home or even on holiday. It’s a book to inspire (day-)dreams and great ambition.

A small book (a little over 100 pages) with a big heart that carries a message about humans looking after the marine environment, and about what courage and kindness look like in practice. Either, or both, could be the starting point for some interesting discussions.

The final pages – a map of The Mouse Islands, ‘How to Draw Pedro’ and ‘About the Authors’ – are a great addition to this latest book from the talented Reeve-McIntyre duo, which reflect their humour and their generosity.

An adventurous and entertaining short chapter book, ideal for fluent, recently independent readers.

Huxley (an irrepressible koala) and Flapjack (a slightly-nervous penguin) live together in a tree house. There is never a dull day for this adventurous pair. On a visit to the grand opening of a new department store, Huxley spots that there’s a thief amongst the shoppers and so the race to catch him begins. There are many capers along the way including Huxley being framed as the thief himself whilst Flapjack attempts to rein in his wild friend.

This book is ideal for newly independent readers with approximately 3-5 sentences per page and is just less than 100 pages long. It also features amusing and colourful illustrations. Themes of friendship, mild peril and adventure are explored in this story which is aimed at 6-8 year olds. The 6-year-olds I shared this book with thoroughly enjoyed the humour and daft, slapstick-style elements of the story, particularly the mishaps that happen to Huxley whilst browsing the store. I think this story is well-paced for the target age range. As the first book in a series, I have no doubt that future instalments will appeal to children as much as this one does.