Best Graphic Novel Series for 5 and 6 year olds

One of the toughest challenges for young readers transitioning from picture book reading to independent reading is breaking away from heavily illustrated, full-colour pages.

Supporting visual readers is no different to the journey of any other child leaning into chapter books for the first time: we just have to find books that excite them! Graphic novels are one of our favourite reading options. With full-colour illustrations throughout, they offer a seamless transition into independent reading, with visual cues to follow the story across each page and mostly dialogue rather than long-winded descriptions.

Mix this with familiar characters and ongoing adventures to come back to again and again over the course of multiple books, and we've got a winning formula to grow young readers! Here are our favourite graphic novel series for readers aged 5 and 6.

Georgina Atwell

Toppsta

2026-03-14

2024-03-21

Best Graphic Novel Series for 5 and 6 year olds

Ricky Ricotta Series

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot is a brilliant full-colour graphic novel series for readers aged 5+ from the creators of Captain Underpants. In each book, a cute mouse called Ricky Ricotta must use all his whit and cleverness to send off evil villains trying to conquer the planet, from giant mosquitos from Mars to evil penguins from Pluto. With the help of his Mighty Robot friend, Ricotta always wins the battle for the safety of the solar system, using lots of Flip-O-Rama action scenes and insect battles that children will love. The books are all so very funny, with a message of friendship and helping those in need at its core.

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The Gumdrops Series

Perfect for little ones aged 5+, this is a graphic novel series that encourages readers to use their imagination and believe in the magic of their dreams.

The books are set in a magical land looked after by the Gumdrops! Here you might meet Imaginary Friends, your favourite characters from a story, or creations from your dreams... We love the imaginative approach of this series to a magical world, and the themes of friendship, loyalty and bravery shining through the Gumdrop's actions. Children love these books even just for the illustrations, which are bright and engaging, keeping them pointing their little fingers on the pages!

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Bad United Series

From the brilliant author-illustrator Louise Forshaw comes this hilarious comic-book series for readers aged 6+, all about a unicorn and his unique football team. This graphic novel series is a firm favourite for young readers gearing up for independent reading: it's got big, bold text and black-and-white illustrations throughout. The books follow the many football adventures of Hoof the Unicorn, who joins the Bad United team. The team is made up of so many interesting characters, including a skeleton, dinosaur and cheetah, who work together with all their strength, skill, speed (and stench!) to show everyone what they've got...

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Bumble and Snug Series

The hilariousness of Bunny Vs Monkey meets the emotional world of Inside Out with this full-colour graphic novel series for readers aged 5+ all about little monsters with BIG feelings going on hilarious adventures together! Bumble and Snug are two very close but very different friends who go on incredible adventures. Each book deals with different emotions while introducing some of children's favourite fictional characters: we've got ANGRY pirates, EXCITED unicorns, SHY ghosts and JEALOUS giants.

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A Narwhal and Jelly book Series

Narwhal and Jelly might not have a lot in common, but they do they love waffles, parties and adventures. The Narwhal and Jelly books are perfect for new readers aged 5+, with their short comic-strip stories and silly jokes, making them a great bridge in between a graphic novel and a picture book. The adventures of the cartoon narwhal and jellyfish exploring the ocean together are all about the power of imagination, friendship and positivity. There are even some narwhal facts in the books too!

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Press Start! Series

This is the series for all video game lovers and Minecraft Books fans aged 5+, with full-colour video-game-style illustrations on every page. In each book, the protagonist Sunny Zaki is playing his favourite video games with, of course, his favourite character, Super Rabbit. Each game is a new adventure, and in each one, Super Rabbit has a lot of challenges to overcome. These books are a fantastic way to make reading time fun for the game-obsessed, and is perfect for fans of Dog Man, Captain Underpants and The Bad Guys.

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Peanut, Butter & Crackers Series

For all pet lovers aged 5+, we've got a fantastic full-colour graphic novel recommendation! Perfect for fans of Secret Life Of Pets and the Dogman books. The books feature three furry friends: Butter, a very relaxed cat who loves his peace; Crackers, an excitable dog, and Peanut, a brand new puppy that always seems to get in trouble. In each book, these three hilarious characters will overcome so many different challenges together.

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Happy Hills Series

From the author of Bad Nana and the Pizazz books comes this hilariously funny full colour graphic novel series for readers aged 5+, with a superhero UNICORN as its main character! Each book in the series is jam-packed with episodic mini-stories linked by a narrative arc, in which a friendly unicorn called Ace stumbles across the land of Happy Hills. If you're looking for a series that reads like Bunny Vs Monkey, Dog Man and Tom Gates, definitely pick up these snot-inducing, funny books too!

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Max and Chaffy Series

This is a cosy full-colour graphic novel series set on a small animal island, where each book is a new fun adventure, and readers aged 5+ are about to make a whole bunch of new friends. When Max moves to Animal Island, little does she know she's about to make friends for life. Soon enough she meets Orlando, Crumbs, Moose, Pedalo and a very special creature called a Chaffy. Together, they will go on adventures, solve cupcake mysteries, search for more Chaffies and even go on treasure hunts!

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Max Meow Series

This is a fantastic full-colour graphic novel series if you're a newly independent reader and love cats, superheroes and ACTION! Max is just a regular cat in Kittyopolis ... until he accidentally takes a bite of an RADIOACTIVE SPACE MEATBALL at his best friend, scientist Mindy's, SECRET LAB. Then before you can say MEOWZA, Max becomes ... The CAT CRUSADER! Together with Mindy, Max will take on the role of crime-fighter for Kittyopolis, and there's a LOT of crime in Kittyopolis. His adventures will take him across town, to outer space and even across the ages. The series is so very funny – perfect for family time and bedtime reading.

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MORE TO EXPLORE

Agent Harrier by Ben Sanders (Little Tiger)

Agent Moose by Mo O'Hara and Jess Bradley (Feiwei and Friends)

Blue, Barry and Pancakes Series (Oneworld)

Bumble and Snug by Mark Bradley (Hachette)

Far-Out Five by Olaf Falafel (Puffin)

Happy Hills by Sophy Henn (Simon & Schuster)

Max and Chaffy by Jamie Smart (David Fickling)

Narhwal and Jelly by Ben Clanton (Harper)

Peanut Butter and Crackers by Paige Braddock (Nosy Crow)

Pizazz by Sophy Henn (Harper)