Funny books

This story welcomes the reader to Yummy Gummy Land as the Gumdrops say hello directly to the reader!

Maya is a budding influencer and plans to use her French exchange trip to Paris as a treasure trove of content for her page. However, her trip does not get off to a great start when she finds out she is paired with grumpy Levi. They have nothing in common; he doesn’t even have social media! Well, they do have one similarity. They both have a physical disability: Levi is a wheelchair user, while Maya is an amputee and wears a prosthetic leg. This book allows for two very important conversations to unfold – the issue of social media addiction and the stereotypes surrounding disability.

This picturebook takes a clever spin on traditional number books to introduce both concepts of sharing and personal space. The ant at the centre of this story is not really enthused about the idea of sharing her space. Her answer to the question ‘How many animals can fit in this book?’ is only one – and that would be herself, thank you very much!

Bella decides to build a robot but things don’t go quite to plan! Bella soon realises that there’s one thing her amazing robot cannot do; play pretend. Riley, her new next door neighbour, joins Bella and together they build an even better robot, but soon they run up against the same problem again – Red Robot has no imagination either! Finally, Bella thinks of something the robots can do; build a wonderful treehouse where the children can have magical adventures.

From the luminescent cover lighting up a border of plants to the deer stalker wearing dog detective, this junior comic is colourful, charming and amusing. Detective Stanley and the Green Thumbed Thief is the sequel to Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum; this time the self-effacing introverted Stanley (named after Stanley Bay in Auckland) uses his knowledge and skills to ponder on the mystery of a disappearing orchid.

The second novel in the Clem Fatale series opens with Clem and her friend Gilbert walking along on a summer’s day. Laden down with ice cream cones, talking about their favourite singing act who they are going to see in the London Palladium, when they are suddenly kidnapped off the street the action of this 1950s London adventure begins!

It is a fact of life that readers love libraries, and so, they are bound to adore this sweet story set in the world of one such library. Rida and her grandfather are instantly recognisable as the friendly, local librarians many of us know and love, with their daily micro-missions of pairing somebody with the perfect book.

This collection of Irish stories is a delightful read that uses a simple yet engaging rhyming scheme to bring the richness of Irish folklore vividly to life. Featuring some of Ireland’s most famous figures, the collection both educates and entertains young readers who are curious about Irish legends.

As the rain starts to fall, Mouse sets out to find their way home during the storm. The reader is rooting for Mouse from the moment they set off on their adventure, carefully wrapped gift clutched firmly in hand.

This wonderful rhyming picturebook tells the story of four friendly dragons looking for adventure and getting into all sorts of funny scrapes along the way. The dragons take part in a race, attend a grand ball at the palace, and meet a witch and a giant along the way.