“Show me one without the token animal.” came the request in the book shop where I work the other day. Whilst it wasn’t a vegan making a literary stand, it was a fair point. When it comes to Early Readers/Chapter Books/6-9 year olds, the choice is limited if you are wanting to avoid an animal protagonist. Unperturbed we give you our five best books for early readers that are animal free.
Bad Nana by Sophie Henn
From the author of Where’s Bear comes the fabulously named Bad Nana (a title my 8 year old thought hilarious). It’s eye catching, it’s funny and it’s brilliantly illustrated by Henn.
“Jeanie’s Grandma is BAD. Not bad like a vampire or a gangster or anything, more like . . . up to no good. Sometimes she can be a bit embarrassing but most of the time she’s REALLY fun, especially when she gets Jeanie involved in her mischievous schemes. Everyone says she’s old enough to know better . . . but she doesn’t seem to care one bit. In fact, Jeanie thinks she might quite like it!”
Sam Wu is NOT afraid of ghosts by Katie & Kevin Tsang
This first in the series features the bravest ever scaredy cat Sam Wu and is loosely based on the experiences author Kevin had as a boy. Not only is it animal free it features a hero of Asian descent with a very diverse section of friends.
“Sam Wu is NOT a scaredy-cat (except he is). When a trip to the Space Museum goes terrifyingly wrong, Sam begins a mission to prove to the school bully, and all of his friends, that he is a fearless space adventurer. “
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters by Andrea Beaty
Get to grips with the title and you have this book sorted. Written by the creator of the Questioneers it’s a celebration of STEM, perseverance and passion. Warning, read this and you will want to become an engineer!
“Rosie Revere is no stranger to flops and fails, kerfuffles and catastrophes. After all, engineering is all about perseverance! But this time, Rosie has a really important project to tackle one that feels much bigger than herself.
Rosie’s beloved Aunt Rose and her friends, the Raucous Riveters a group of fun-loving gals who built airplanes during World War II need help inventing something new. And Rosie is just the engineer for the job!
After one flop . . . then another . . . and another . . . Rosie starts to lose hope. But thanks to some help from her fellow Questioneers Iggy Peck and Ada Twist, Rosie gets the job done. And, along with the Riveters, she rediscovers the meaning of home.“
Special Delivery by Jonathan Meres
Sometimes kids don’t want to read about magical dragons or flying unicorns. Sometimes they want something a bit relate able, a bit heartwarming. Special Delivery is that. Delivered by Little Gems this dyslexia friendly book is printed on specially coloured paper in a font proven to be easier on the eye.
“All Frank wants is a new bike, but bikes cost money … So he better start saving! When he settles on helping his sister, Lottie, with her paper round, the last thing Frank expects is to meet an old lady wearing a cowboy hat and boots – she’s not like anyone he’s ever met before. But Frank’s new friend seems a bit muddled, and when she needs help, he’s the only one there to lend a hand. A gentle exploration of Dementia and a touching tale of forging friendships across generations.”
Amelia Fang and the barbaric ball by Laura Ella Anderson
Sometimes escapism might be just the ticket so how about visiting a vampire ball? The first in the series about this plucky little vampire features awesome illustrations from Witch Wars illustrator Laura Ella Anderson.
“Welcome to the world of Nocturnia, where darkness reigns supreme, glitter is terrifying, and unicorns are the stuff of nightmares! Amelia Fang would much rather hang out with her pet pumpkin Squashy and her friends Florence the yeti (DON’T CALL HER BEAST!) and Grimaldi the reaper than dance at her parents’ annual Barbaric Ball.
And when the King’s spoiled son Tangine captures Squashy, Amelia and her friends must escape the party to plan a daring rescue! In their race against time, they begin to realize things in Nocturnia may not be quite what they seem . . .“
These are our favorite animal free early readers books. But we would love to hear what yours are.