3 summer holiday reads for children

I regularly receive children’s books to review.

Good Dog McTavish by Meg Rosoff
When Ma Peachey decides to stop being a mum–cooking, cleaning, nagging and organising–to focus on perfecting her yoga poses instead, the Peachey’s youngest daughter Betty suggests a dog could help fill the space and persuades the family to go to the shelter to browse. There is no going back after meeting McTavish, who soon helps the family in more ways than expected. Good Dog Mc Tavish by Meg Rosoff (Barrington Stoke, £6.99) is a charming and funny story told through the eyes of wise and caring dog, and it’s the first book in the series about McTavish and the Peachey family. The chapter book is thin and features some black and white illustrations by Grace Easton, making it an easy read for the publisher’s recommended age group of 8+. A feel-good book for the holiday!

The Bolds on Holiday by Julian Clay
The summer holiday is starting for The Bolds family, and they’re heading to Cornwall to go camping with relatives. But this unique family–hyenas living as people–struggle to keep out of trouble and down in Cornwall little Bobby is mistaken for a pup. The Bolds on Holiday by Julian Clay (Penguin, £6.99), part of the laugh-out-loud funny series about the giggling hyena family, features hilarious illustrations by David Roberts and plenty of silly jokes, making it ideal for both boys and girls wanting a light-hearted beach read.

The Flat Stanley Collection by Jeff Brown
For a huge summer holiday read for boys and girls, there’s The Flat Stanley Collection by Jeff Brown (Egmont, £9.99), which is six books in one. The comical Flat Stanley books, which feature classic black and white illustrations by Rob Biddulph, follow the adventures of Stanley, a boy who turns flat after a blackboard falls over him. The collection, an edition published in June 2019, includes the books Flat Stanley, Invisible Stanley, Stanley in Space, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Stanley’s Christmas Adventure and Stanley, Flat Again. The book, which is recommended for ages 5+, could be heavy to hold and travel with, but Flat Stanley is one of the ultimate classic stories for entertaining young readers.

For more summer read suggestions for children, read about recently-published books for readers who enjoy chapter books with plenty of illustrations, in my post: 6 new chapter books for young readers.

Tags: Barrington Stoke, Beach read, Books, Chapter books, Children's books, Egmont, Penguin, Review, Summer holiday, Young fiction