This is our fourth bingo at kbc, starting when Neil was 4yrs old to now at 7 years of age. He has a well defined taste in books – must involve an element of adventure or be funny, but thankfully he will read almost anything if I co-read with him. He still enjoys his picture books, but reads a healthy dose of chapter books, however the books must be illustrated else they are rejected! Here is our list of some of the illustrated, early chapter books (average length 120 pages) that we have loved in the past few months.
1. The one with magical adventures and dogs- Genie and Teeny: Make a Wish by Steven Lenton
We are big fans of Steven Lenton, and his illustrations (of How to grow a unicorn fame). So when I saw a book authored by him, I knew I had to get it, and it did not disappoint. A genie who is banished from genie land, and then makes a tea pot his home and a dog his friend. What happens when they get kidnapped by an evil, dog show loving Lavinia and Genie has to grant her three wishes? Neil loved the illustrations, which are probably the best I’ve ever seen in a chapter book. This is also one of the only chapter books that makes it interactive in some places like on page 51, and asks the reader to turn the page, shut out quickly etc! Absolute laugh riot!
There are other magical books in this series.
2. The one with (cute) ghosts- Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol: The Haunted House Next Door by Andres Miedoso
Kids can be terrified of ghosts but a good way of helping them deal with the fear of ghosts is reading a ghost story that isn’t scary! This is a story of a boy named Andres moving into a new house that turned out to be Haunted, but he gets help from a boy next door named Desmond Cole. Neil’s favorite part is how they together deal with the ghost – it involves lots of lasagna and slime!
There are other cute books that help in overcoming different kinds of fears in this series.
3. The one with Dragons (lots of it)- Dragon Masters: The rise of the Earth Dragon by Tracey West
This is a branches book with black and white illustrations, and therefore this acts as a perfect transition book for those who insist on illustrations and you are looking to coax them into black and white from colored! The story is about a group of children who have the power to connect with and control particular Dragons, and the adventures they go on. The major attraction for Neil is the fact that it’s a series! The underlying theme of the series is friendship and teamwork.
There are other books and booksets in this DRAGON MASTER series.
This book and other Dragon Master books can be ordered from Scholastic India via our kbc storefront as well. Scholastic India always has special offers on.
4. The one written in rhyme- The Adventures of Swashbuckle Lil: A Pirate’s Life by Elli Woollard and Illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson
Imagine a chapter book written entirely in rhyme, about a girl pirate and her pet parrot named carrot! Sounds incredible right? What is even more awesome is that the author of the book is the same as one of our much loved picture books The Giant of Jum, and the illustrator is of the awesome “I don’t want to be quiet” fame! Swashbuckle Lil goes on many adventures including saving her (not so nice) teacher from Stinkbeard and recovering stolen treasure! The black and white sketches on each page will inspire every child to pick up their pencils to scribble something! This book includes 4 different short stories – each a chapter book in itself.
There are other books in this series.
5. When you can’t decide between unicorns and pigs – Unipiggle: The Unicorn Pig by Hannah Shaw
An Usborne book with gorgeous colored illustrations on every page and paper quality that makes you want to touch the pages again and again! Princess Pea was supposed to have a unicorn as her royal companion, but ended up having Unipiggle instead, which is good because they love going on adventures together! This year there is supposed to be a grand snow ball in Twinkleland, but the festive fairies (much like Santa Claus and his sleigh), have not reached yet with their decorations. So Princess and Unipiggle decide to go search for them and show them the way. Their journey involves shrinking candy canes, and a lot of fun.
There are other Unipiggle books as well!
6. When you are feeling really adventurous – Bear Grylls Adventures: The Earthquake Challenge by Bear Grylls
Fatima is out camping with her friends when after a blackout, she finds herself transported to a mall in a city that has been hit with an earthquake. Everything in and around the mall seems to have been destroyed, but thankfully there’s someone who has come to help guide her out safely – Bear Grylls! You learn all the tricks to keep you safe in times of a quake, including some really clever ones about making a fire and staying alive! The book doesn’t have too many illustrations so I wasn’t sure if Neil would like it, but it is so thrilling and full of back packing survival tips, that he loved it!
There are other books/booksets in the Bear Grylls Adventures.
7. When you want to be silly and laugh your heart out- Stink and the great guinea pig express by Megan McDonald
This is a hilarious story of Stink and his friends trying to find homes for 101 rescued guinea pigs! With mutant underwear and plans to visit the place where the biggest ham is, there is enough in the book to keep the little ones giggling throughout – and the hilarious factor is what Neil loved the most. Of course, the illustrations are amazing too, and if the written word doesn’t make your stomach hurt, the funny illustrations definitely will!
There are lots of hilarious books in the Stink series!
8. When you love fairy tale characters but imagine different stories with them- Little Legends: The Spell Thief by Tom Percival
Jack (of the beanstalk fame) lives with his talking hen and gang of friends including Hansel and Gretel (who complete each other’s sentences), Rapunzel (who doesn’t need a prince to rescue her but uses her long hair to her advantage several times) and many other favourite fairy tale characters in Tale Town. Tale Town had a unique Story Tree which sprouted a new branch with a leaf that recorded every story that was told under its shade. However, what will happen when a troll, normally believed to be evil, arrives at Tale Town? How will the characters handle the new arrival? Written by master storyteller, Tom Percival, the book deals with emotions like only he can, and tells a story of how misunderstandings can be cleared easily while making new friends.
There are other Little Legends books in this series that address different issues.
9. When you want to deal with school worries in a fun way- The Worries: Sohal Finds a friend by Jion Sheibani
Everybody has a worry, and they keep growing if you don’t acknowledge them. However, it is possible to realise that you are worrying about something, and learn how to deal with them, exactly how Sohal does when his worries suddenly come to life one day and decide to tag along with him to school! Neil loved the fact that the book deals with worries arising from myriad reasons – hurt, failure etc, all of them made relatable due to the school setting. The blue-green illustrations, and words in different font sizes make the book very attractive!
There are some more books in THE WORRIES series by this author that address different issues. If you have an anxious child, this series is a must have!
10. The one with a detective dog- Rider Woofson: The soccer ball monster mystery by Walker Styles
As a three year old, Neil loved reading “The Detective Dog” by Julia Donaldson, and I believe that that book is part of the reason why he loves this series. The mascot of the Pawston Dynamos is missing and it is upto Rider Woofson and the PI Pack to find it if they want to save the game. But will they be able to find it in time? With lovely black and white illustrations on every page, and a large font, this book will take you on an adventurous (yet hilarious) ride.
There are lots of other pawesome books in this Rider Woofson series. Some that get ordered often are: The Big Bad Woof.
11. The one with the lovable pig- Mercy Watson: Something Wonky this way comes by Katie DiCamillo
If your child prefers colorful illustrations, and a funny storyline – do get them the Mercy Watson books. The font and illustrations make them easy to read while the cute and funny story will leave them roaring in laughter, and asking you to get them the next book! This title is about Mercy Watson’s adventurous and hilarious outing to the movies? Does she get enough butter popcorn?
There are lots and lots of other Mercy Watson books! It’s a very popular series are rightly so!
12. The one for Science lovers – The Magnificent Makers: Riding Sound Waves by Theanne Griffith
This series is special with each book involving Violet and her friends being transported into the Maker Maze where Dr Crisp lays out some puzzles for them, that helps them understand certain science concepts. This particular book is about how the ear works, including how minor problems in interpreting sound waves may lead to neurological problems and cause different behaviour like in the case of one of their friends. Neil absolutely loves reading these books again and again, and wonders whether there might be a real life maker maze he can visit!
The Magnificent Makers is also a series!
13. Another one for Science lovers – Craftily Ever After: Dream Machine by Martha Maker
Does your child ever doubt themselves? So does Bella, even though she is brilliant at science. So when there is a robotics competition, she wants to take part, but she doubts whether she can do well especially after she fails to do well in the simple balloon powered race! Will all of her research and effort pay off? Neil loves the fact that Bella refuses to give up and keeps trying, even though she feels anxious and overwhelmed at times. The black and white illustrations are lovely, and the large font makes the book easy to read. I want to add, the book is very well written with scenarios that children this age can relate to very well. Their reactions, their feelings, how their thought process flows – all have been captured so well that there is an immediate connection to the reader.
Craftily Ever After has many more books on many relatable themes that both girls & boys will enjoy!
14. STEM on Steroids – Data Set: A Case of the Clones by Ada Hopper
Dr Bunsen is a brainy scientist and when he overhears his Data set friends complaining about their never ending chores, he decides to create their clones. He was just trying to be helpful! But, the clones end up creating more chaos like throwing all their favourite snacks in the guise of cleaning! How will the data set deal with the problem of clones! Neil loves this series, especially the fact that it’s all so funny!
Data Set is a fun series with lots of other books!
15. The one with a dinosaur detective- Dino Detective and Awesome Possom Private Eyes: The Case of the Nibbled Pizza by Tadgh Bentley
When the pizza is found with all the pepperoni eaten off, Dino detective and awesome possum find themselves trying to solve the case of the nibbled pizza. Could it have been the potted plant, grandma, dad? How are they going to solve this very important case? This book is designed to engage early readers with interactive illustrations and it had Neil jotting down points trying to solve the mystery on his own.
This is a series as well.
Neil is insistent on adding a few more must read series as he doesn’t want anyone to miss out on those. We will be adding those to this listicle soon.
You can read Neil’s previous bingo listicles here – 2021 at 4 years, 2022 at 5 years, 2023 at 6 years.
We’re adding & updating this listicle with some of Neil’s other new faves:
The Super Sidekicks: No Adults Allowed for 5-8 years (144 pages). There are other books in this Super Sidekicks series by Gavin Aung Than.
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