Graphic novels for KS1 children aged 5-7

Graphic novels for KS1 children aged 5-7

Graphic novels for KS1 children aged 5-7 mix simple text, speech bubbles and lively illustrations to tell a story in an inviting way. Pictures do plenty of the work, helping children follow the plot, spot emotions and work out what is happening. For newer readers, that can make a real difference. Graphic novels can build confidence, encourage longer reading sessions and make books feel far less intimidating. This list features books by Dav Pilkey, Liz Pichon, Aaron Blabey, Jamie Smart, Daisy Meadows, Steve Cole, Luke Pearson, Laura Ellen Anderson, Mo O’Hara, and Swapna Reddy.

Graphic novels for KS1 children aged 5-7 – our recommendations

Max and Chaffy: Welcome to Animal Island! by Jamie Smart

Max has just moved to Animal Island, where he meets Orlando, Crumbs, Moose, Pedalo and a curious little creature called Chaffy. When Chaffy turns out to be lost, Max needs to discover where his new friend belongs, with children invited to help along the way. The interactive searches, bright comic panels and warm friendship story give 5-7 year olds plenty to follow without long stretches of text. Jamie Smart’s visual jokes and busy scenes reward close looking, too.

Bumble and Snug and the Angry Pirates by Mark Bradley

Best friends Bumble and Snug are Bugbops, little monsters with very big feelings. A simple picnic goes badly wrong when they get lost, discover pirate treasure and attract some furious pirates, with a giant octopus still to come. This colourful graphic adventure for 5+ year olds turns anger, listening and friendship into part of the action. Exaggerated expressions and quick dialogue also give children plenty to work out from the pictures.

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea! by Ben Clanton

Narwhal and Jelly meet for the first time in three cheerful underwater comic stories. Their initial uncertainty soon turns into friendship, aided by waffles, an expanding pod of sea creatures and Narwhal’s wonderfully blank “imagination book”. 4+ year olds can enjoy the short exchanges and simple panels while also picking up snippets about marine life. Ben Clanton keeps the humour gentle and the layouts uncluttered, making this an appealing introduction to reading a story through speech bubbles and pictures.

Press Start! Game On, Super Rabbit Boy! by Thomas Flintham

Sunny’s favourite video game pits Super Rabbit Boy against King Viking, who wants to steal Singing Dog and make Animal Town miserable. To reach the final battle, Super Rabbit Boy must survive a robot army, Robo-Crabs and lakes of lava, helped by a supply of magical carrots. 5-7 year olds can follow the action through short chapters, bold comic artwork and familiar gaming ideas such as levels and bosses. It is especially likely to click with children who already love video games.

Pizza and Taco: Who’s the Best? by Stephen Shaskan

Pizza and Taco are best friends, but that does not stop them from arguing over which of them is best. With Pizza praising his cheese and toppings and Taco defending his fillings, they ask Hot Dog and Hamburger to settle matters with a vote. The contest soon puts their friendship under pressure. 5-8 year olds can enjoy the laugh-out-loud food characters, punchy dialogue and expressive pictures while following a recognisable disagreement about friendship, competition and wanting to come out on top.

Rainbow Magic: Ruby the Red Fairy by Daisy Meadows, illustrated by Claudia Giuliani

Rachel and Kirsty cannot quite believe their luck when they meet a real fairy at the end of a rainbow. Ruby takes them to Fairyland, where the magical kingdom is in trouble and needs their help. This full-colour graphic retelling gives 5+ year olds an accessible route into the first Rainbow Magic story, replacing long passages of prose with lively panels, speech bubbles and plenty of visual action. It works particularly well for children beginning to tackle stories independently.

Hilda and Twig Hide from the Rain by Luke Pearson

A forest adventure takes an alarming turn when Hilda and Twig are caught in a huge storm and shelter inside a mysterious mound. Twig soon realises that Hilda is in danger, leaving the usually less adventurous member of the pair to find some courage and attempt a rescue. 5-7 year olds can follow the story through spacious comic panels, expressive characters and Luke Pearson’s strange, magical landscape. There is real peril here, but friendship and Twig’s growing bravery sit at the heart of it.

How to Be a Ladybird by Laura Knowles, illustrated by Steven Wood

This non-fiction graphic novel for 5-7 year olds follows Dotty from newly hatched ladybird larva to fully transformed adult. A wise grasshopper helps explain what is happening as Dotty encounters harlequin ladybirds, hungry birds and the rather confusing discovery that young ladybirds look nothing like the familiar red insects children expect. The comic-strip approach folds real information about insect development and garden ecology into a continuous story, offering an engaging alternative to a conventional minibeast information book.

Astrosaurs: Mission to Infinity by Steve Cole, Tobey Cole and Alex Lopez

Teggs, a stegosaurus captain of the spaceship DSS Sauropod, heads off with crewmates Ginni, Arx and Iggy to face hungry raptors, rescue endangered dinosaur eggs, and unravel strange events beneath Aqua Minor. Presented in fun, wild and wacky graphic novel form with vibrant artwork by Alex Lopez, and short adventures cleverly adapted by Steve and Tobey Cole, it’s ideal for young readers just starting to explore stories independently. Perfect for 6+ year olds.

Peanut, Butter, & Crackers: Puppy Problems by Paige Braddock

Butter the cat and Crackers the dog have settled into a wonderfully quiet life until floppy-eared puppy Peanut arrives. He does not understand stairs, dislikes the dark and brings chaos wherever he goes, leaving the older pets wishing he would disappear. When Peanut really does go missing, their feelings change quickly. This graphic novel for 6+ year olds mixes pet comedy with a warm story about accepting a new member of the family, supported by clear panels and plenty of visual humour.

Reggie Rabbit and the Metro Mice by Swapna Reddy, illustrated by Becka Moor

Reggie Rabbit, a detective in Bearburgh City, teams up with his parakeet partner Pipsquark when a mouse named Mo asks for help. Cracks in the metro tunnels are putting the Metro Mice’s homes at risk, but the mouse community is not keen to accept help from outsiders. As tensions rise underground, Reggie must earn their trust as well as solve the mystery in this accessible and clever blend of graphic novel and first chapter book. Perfect for KS1 readers, this is the fourth book in Swapna Haddow’s fast-paced and engaging detective series. If there were a checklist for less confident 7+ year old readers, these books would tick every box – and then some.

The Gumdrops: Quest for Bravery by Elissa Elwick

In a magical land shaped by stories, dreams and imaginary friends, the Gumdrops act as guardians who answer children’s requests in this charming graphic novel for 5-8 year olds. When a letter arrives from a child asking for an imaginary friend, they set off to gather the ingredients needed to create one. The reader is directly addressed as part of the quest, following the search through sequential panels and speech bubbles, and visual clues are built into the artwork to support the interactive hunt. A fascinating interactive read for KS1 children.

Dadbot 2: Rise of the Badbots! by Jack Noel

Josh and Daisy leave Dadbot at home when school starts again. Then HONEY arrives on the doorstep, a new AI home assistant that Dadbot welcomes like a long-lost robot friend. But Josh and Daisy spot subtle changes. Her voice changes, she seems to be watching them, and Dadbot starts giving her his attention instead, in this hilarious, fast-paced graphic novel for 6+ year olds, part of a popular series adored by less confident readers.

Cats on Cats on Cats by Maddie Frost

Beatrix worries that Granny will be lonely between visits, so she decides the perfect answer is a cat. This funny and distinctive graphic-novel-style picture book for 5-7 year olds turns one well-meant gift into a spreading cat catastrophe as misunderstandings multiply and Bea and Granny wonder just how many cats are too many. Highly recommended.

Squid Squad: Nothing to Sea Here by Aoife Dooley

Ollie the vampire squid and Zing the sea bunny live in the deep-sea town of Nowhere, surrounded by peculiar neighbours including Blob, Hypno-snail and Thornelius the thorn-shooting sea slug. Four short adventures involve a missing sea anemone, a mysterious noise and even a magical portal toilet. Ideal for KS1 children, the episodic format keeps things brisk, while snippets of real marine-life information sit alongside gloriously silly jokes. Aoife Dooley’s bold artwork makes the underwater cast instantly distinctive.

Blue, Barry and Pancakes 2 by Dan Abdo, Jason Patterson

Blue, Barry, and Pancakes are back, and this time, Pancakes has built a balloon rocket – and an entire planet. Naturally, she talks her friends into checking it out. But their fun detour takes a turn when they run into Balloon Kong, and suddenly, escaping becomes priority number one. Packed with humour and fast-paced action, this graphic novel from Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson delivers another wild ride which 5+ year olds and less confident readers will love.

Blue, Barry and Pancakes 3 by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson

Every 5+ year old’s favourite frog, a bunny, and a worm dive headlong into a sundae contest, all in search of the perfect chocolate ice cream. Along the way, things rarely go to plan, but the three friends stick together through the vibrant full-colour cartoon chaos. With comic-strip panels and plenty of mishaps, the engaging, fun-filled story lets young readers tag along for every silly challenge and team triumph. This early graphic novel series is bound to be popular in KS1.

Agent Moose by Mo O’Hara, illustrated by Jess Bradley

Something decidedly suspicious is happening around South Shore, where animals have been disappearing without a trace. Agent Moose, the Big Forest’s enthusiastic but not always competent secret agent, investigates with his considerably more sensible sidekick Owlfred. When an important witness goes missing, finding a missing turtle becomes urgent. This comic mystery combines detective-story clues with slapstick and colourful cartoon artwork. Moose and Owlfred’s contrasting personalities keep the jokes moving even when their investigation takes another unexpected turn.

Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey

Li’l Petey, Flippy and Molly set up a comic club for twenty-one lively baby frogs, who quickly discover that making stories involves mistakes, experiments and plenty of persistence. Their creations appear inside the main narrative in an assortment of styles and materials, from drawings and poetry to photographs, collage and model-making. Much of the fun comes from seeing how differently a comic can be made. The result is funny, and unusually good at encouraging children to create stories of their own.

Pablo and Splash: Roman Holiday by Sheena Dempsey

Penguins Pablo and Splash have already travelled through time, but their friend Benji refuses to believe them. Determined to return with proof, they head for Ancient Rome in search of a centurion’s helmet. Unfortunately, an emperor with a fondness for collecting unusual birds takes an interest in the visitors, and the Colosseum suddenly looks much less tourist-friendly. This graphic adventure for 6+ year olds combines fast comedy and time travel with Roman details, offering plenty of historical flavour without slowing down the story.

Bird & Squirrel: Bird & Squirrel (book 1 and 2 bind-up) by James Burks

Carefree Bird and extremely nervous Squirrel make an unlikely travelling pair, especially once a hungry Cat joins their journey south for the winter. This bind-up continues into a second adventure after Bird and Squirrel crash-land at the South Pole, where a penguin village and a hungry killer whale create an even bigger problem. 5+ year olds get two full-colour stories packed with chase scenes, visual comedy and contrasting personalities. Underneath the chaos, the friendship between bold Bird and cautious Squirrel keeps everything together.

Amelia Cheeseheart Investigates: Mummy Mayhem by Cat Weldon and Nene Lonergan

Daring mouse aviator Amelia and her clever spider friend Webster have a mystery on their paws. Objects keep vanishing, only to reappear in the Ancient Egyptian exhibit. Their prime suspect? Cleo, the Cat Mummy. As they navigate the museum’s secrets, Amelia is determined to crack the case. Packed with comic-style illustrations and historical fun, this adventure blends page-turning mystery, fast-paced mischief, and a dash of Ancient Egypt for 5+ year olds. Highly recommended for less enthusiastic readers.

Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli

Baloney the pig shares the spotlight with three very different friends: sympathetic Peanut the horse, practical Bizz the bumblebee and permanently grumpy Krabbit. Three short stories and three mini-comics take in questionable magic tricks, feeling miserable and finding the courage to face the swimming pool. This early graphic novel is pitched at children becoming more independent with their reading, with concise dialogue and uncluttered artwork.

Twig Friends by Andrew McDonald, illustrated by Ben Wood

Red, Ziggy, Noodle and Stump are four tiny friends in a world that seems enormous when you are made from twigs. Across three comic stories, Red accidentally wrecks a snail zoo, Ziggy and Stump investigate what might be a volcano, and Noodle searches unsuccessfully for blue paint in nature. 5+ year olds can enjoy the miniature adventures while picking up ideas about teamwork, creativity and problem-solving. Instructions for making a twig friend of their own add a pleasing hands-on finish.

The Squid Squad by Aoife Dooley

Meet Ollie the vampire squid and Zing the sea bunny – probably the oddest duo in the town of Nowhere. Alongside hypno-snails and thorny slugs, they tackle disappearing pets, weird sounds, and the mystery of a rogue portal toilet. With four fast-paced stories full of visual gags and deep-sea weirdness, this vibrant graphic novel is a splashy treat. It’s great for less confident 5-8 year olds who love quirky characters, quick laughs, and short, punchy adventures.

Meet the Mubbles by Liz Pichon

The Mubbles live on the colourful Isle of Smile, home to singing Earworms, Wibbles, the Slug of Knowledge and the mysterious Uncertain Curtain. The curtain regularly delivers unexpected visitors, but this time an odd-looking ball appears, complete with a button clearly labelled “Don’t Touch”. Naturally, trouble follows. This graphic novel for 6+ year olds introduces Bash, Dash, Cheery and their friends through Liz Pichon’s exuberant artwork, wordplay and visual jokes, with themes of teamwork and acceptance.

The Mubbles: When Berry Met Terry by Liz Pichon

When Berry Met Terry takes readers back to the Isle of Smile in the second fun-filled graphic novel of the Mubbles series. Mischievous dog Terry throws island life into disarray, leaving Berry torn between friendship and tackling the mayhem it brings. QR code extras add another layer, with crafts, songs, and activities that expand the Mubbles world and keep 6+ year olds engaged well beyond the page. It is ideal for less confident readers.

Tiny Hercules – Golden Cabbage Chaos by Jon Lock, illustrated by Nich Angell

Tiny Hercules must find the elusive golden cabbage, but Tiny Zeus has sent the Tinytaur, Minidusa and the Grifflet to stop him. Meanwhile, Jeff is using facts, figures and charts to save his local supermarket, and the two missions soon collide. A lively full-colour comic adventure, this second Tiny Hercules story combines mythical monsters, visual jokes and an unusually mathematical battle against disaster.

Evil Emperor Penguin: Antics in Antarctica by Laura Ellen Anderson

Deep beneath the Antarctic snow, Evil Emperor Penguin is plotting nothing less than world domination. Sadly for him, being an evil genius and being good at evil genius are not quite the same thing. His assistant Eugene and octopus butler Number 8 do their best to help, while rival Evil Cat creates additional trouble. KS1 readers can enjoy a rapid succession of comic schemes, gadgets and disasters in this collection of strips originally published in The Phoenix, with failure proving every bit as entertaining as success.

The Bad Guys 1 Colour Edition by Aaron Blabey

Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark have a terrible reputation, but Mr Wolf has decided it is time to become good. His first plan is spectacularly ambitious: break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound. Unsurprisingly, not everything runs smoothly, particularly with Mr Snake still inclined to swallow Mr Piranha. This full-colour edition combines a heist-style plot with slapstick, quick dialogue and deliberately exaggerated characters.

InvestiGators: Ants in Our P.A.N.T.S. by John Patrick Green

Crime-fighting alligators Mango and Brash face a particularly strange case in their fourth adventure. Brash is recovering after being swallowed by a giant waffle, so Mango is partnered with Robo-Brash just as giant ants, an evil astronaut and a rampaging triceratops begin causing havoc. This comic adventure runs on puns, visual gags and increasingly ridiculous complications, but teamwork and problem-solving still matter.

Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this graphic novel list for KS1 children, as well as class sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org UK. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or your classroom library.

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Graphic novels for KS1 children aged 5-7 resources for teachers

• BookTrust has an excellent practical guide to using comics in school, covering panels, gutters, captions, speech bubbles and visual storytelling. It includes ideas specifically for 5-7 year olds, such as designing superheroes and experimenting with different kinds of speech bubbles.
• Hachette Schools provides free KS1 activities based on Mark Bradley’s Bumble and Snug graphic novels, including drawing activities, a make-your-own monster task, comic strip tutorials and a free book extract.
• PhonicsPlay Comics offers free decodable comics that children can read online or print. The short comic stories cover phonics from Phase 2 to Phase 5 and provide an enjoyable way for children to practise recently taught sounds and blending skills.
• The National Literacy Trust has produced free guidance on using graphic novels in primary classrooms, with ideas for reading for pleasure, inference, expressive reading, dialogue and using the relationship between words and pictures to inspire children’s own writing.
• Beano for Schools features free downloadable lessons and activities using comics to support literacy and PSHE. The resources offer plenty of scope for exploring characters, jokes, vocabulary and visual storytelling with younger primary children.
• Scholastic UK’s Dav Pilkey activities include free comic-making resources, story starters, character creation sheets, drawing guides and a make-your-own Flip-O-Rama activity inspired by Dog Man.
• iLearn2 provides a free Year 1 comic creation resource that links comic-making with the KS1 computing curriculum. Children can combine backgrounds, characters and text, add speech bubbles and explore how pictures and words work together to tell a story.
• The Comics Club site is packed with free comic-making ideas, worksheets, blank comic pages and creative challenges. Activities explore everything from sound effects and character design to wordless comics and three-panel stories.

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