Books like Bunny vs Monkey — picked by fans

One morning Natalie wakes to find her nose goes oink whenever she speaks. Her doctor says she isn’t ill, a pig has simply trotted up it in the night. A riotous story with a novel idea played to the full. The matter-of-fact way Natalie’s parents handle the news contrasts perfectly with the chaos of Natalie’s classmates attempting to extract said pig. Its constant oinking ruins their game of hide and seek and completely puts them off their ham rolls. A pot of pepper finally does the trick until Natalie wakes the next day with… but that would be telling.

Readers will love the whacky ways classmates try to rid Natalie of her pig, and the unexpected ending will delight. There will be animal noises in your house for days!

“Arrrh! No pigs on pirate ships!” growls Captain Wibblyshins when Rufus, a perky little pig with a backpack full of books, tries to board the Scurvy Dog. If you enjoy puns and fun-to-say phrases (like “pigs play on the poop deck” and “picnic in the crow’s nest”) as much as I do, you’re going to enjoy this book. Kids of all ages will root for Rufus as he creatively convinces everyone that he’s an excellent addition to the crew. Ink and watercolor illustrations are entertaining and endearing.

I have vivid memories of my voice getting louder and more hysterical, and my kids literally jumping up and down on their futon bed, laughing and clapping with delight, as I would read through the exciting ending of each of these charming, hilarious adventures about an adorable buttered-toast-loving pig and the group of humorous, sharply-drawn characters around her.

No gimmicks, no space aliens or magic amulets or evil supervillains, just great, well-paced, laugh-out-loud stories in which everyone always gets their perfect comeuppance. In terms of series with great, funny short stories, we also love Ivy and Bean and the Frog and Toad series.

Forget everything you know about the horror genre. This book is one of the most overwhelming, disgusting things I’ve ever read, and physically gagged multiple times while reading it. If you’re not familiar with extreme splatterpunk, brace yourself. Nothing can prepare you for the all-out gore, guts, and absolutely insane depravity found in this book. There’s one scene in here that will never leave me. You’ll know it when you get to it. Oh, and it’s kind of about a pig. 

This book is not currently available.

A Mother for Choco is a classic in the world of adoption books. Told through the lens of a bird looking for his mama, children learn that not all family members look alike! So many foster and adoptive children (and even the children of multi-ethnic birth families!) struggle to identify their place in a family that looks different from them. This story helps to shape the idea that family members can have different hair color, skin color, height, and other varying features from the parents or siblings of the home—and still be family. This is so powerful and important for kids developing their sense of identity and belonging, regardless of their origin.

Fires in Australia in 2019 and 2020 killed billions of animals in a climate disaster. The numbers are impossible to comprehend.

In this beautiful, elegiac book, Dr. Celermajer grieves the losses by telling of one of her beloved pigs. She moves outward to reflect on how individual stories allow us to remember enormous losses. She refuses to tell this story of a climate catastrophe by telling of a few wrongdoers.

In one powerful reflection, she concludes that it is essential if almost impossible to say ‘it is I, it is I’ when speaking of who brought these losses. 

This charming story showcases kindness pared down to its most basic: Kindness feels great to both the giver and the receiver, and it’s easily passed from one person (or, in this case, animal) to another.  Hen is kind to Pig, who in turn is kind to Rabbit, and so on, until the circle is complete. The simple, repetitive text and joyful, brightly-colored illustrations make me smile—and make this book an ideal choice for sharing with very young children.

A fast-paced, action-adventure tale for young readers. 10-year-old Pearly is concerned after receiving a strange phone call from her parents. They belong to a top-secret group. She believes her parents are being held on a ship bound for Antarctica but realises that they are not there, and she becomes the one in trouble. How will this young adventurer solve what is happening? It's something to do with a great hairy beast that is believed to dwell in the icy landscape-a creature her parents would have liked to prove exists. Whilst Pearl is a worrier, she steps into the frame and exhibits newfound bravery and nerve, doing what she can to find her parents. An encouraging example to be brave in difficult circumstances.

My kids loved Richard Scarry—they enjoyed the details to look for in the good-humored pictures, but especially the heedless characters. In this slapstick-filled storybook, Mr. Rabbit gets stuck in gooey tar because he’s reading a newspaper as he walks. Pa Pig buys a new car. Every time he makes a stop, he drives off in someone else’s vehicle, working his way up to a power shovel. Another old favorite is Scarry’s book with animals driving a fanciful variety of vehicles. Even though the cover has fallen off, we’re keeping it.

This is a super adventure, which, whilst fiction, at its heart tackles some serious issues via the means of its five animal Superheroes: Simon, Catt, Patty, Freddy, and Bash. Issues such as bullying, not fitting in, being without a family, missing animals, and neglected children. I felt a real connection and empathy with the characters, who work as a group to solve a mystery and make the world a better place. Young readers will enjoy this tale where good wins over all obstacles and dishonesty. There are strong emotional moments, that many children experience in their lives. Well recommended, especially for the 8-12 age group.