Pip and Posy, by Axel Scheffler

We found this series after leaning into our (mmm…okay…my) obsession with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books. I saw one at the library and thought it was one we hadn’t read yet. While Julia Donaldson is not a contributor to the series I’m sure all Gruffalo fans will still love these sweet stories.

The ‘Pip and Posy’ series is very much aimed at a younger audience. My kids seemed to be able to follow them from about 2 years of age and grow out of them at around 4 years old. The stories revolve around difficult situations or emotions a preschooler would face, such as fear, toilet training, loss and sharing toys. 

As such the main characters, who are a pair of friends, Pip (a rabbit) and Posy (a mouse), seem to be preschoolers themselves. Pip and Posy like to play together with things your 3 year old probably loves to do: painting, playing babies and going to the park. During their playtime they encounter situations which enable them learn to help, forgive and apologise to their friend.

For example in one book, ‘The Super Scooter‘, Posy feels jealous and snatches, Pip feels cross, Posy falls and gets hurt, Pip still helps his friend, Posy apologises and the friends play together again. It is a pretty simple story, but for a preschooler it is perfectly presented. I have found my kids get so engaged in the story they sometimes don’t want to face the next page, or they want to skip the ‘bad’ parts, like when the balloon pops. 

These are great to have on hand at bed time. I find we can read one in around 5 mins, the younger kids love them, and I still like reading them too, even after so many re-runs.