- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
A Day Off School
Home from school with the sniffles, Herbie has a brilliant lazy morning, then starts imagining the pirates, monsters and aliens he might be missing back in class. A joyfully daft picture book from Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Whimsical
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
When Herbie wakes up with the sniffles, staying home from school feels like a stroke of luck. There is breakfast in a couch fort, cartoons, video games and a whole morning of nobody telling him what to do. But by lunchtime the boredom creeps in, and Herbie starts to wonder what he might be missing while he is stuck at home. What if today is the day something amazing happens? His imagination gallops off the leash, conjuring extra playtime and a dog on the loose, then pirates storming the corridors, monsters, and aliens landing in the playground, until the fun he is missing sounds far too good to sit out. Oliver Jeffers and Kevin Waldron have enormous fun with the runaway logic of a bored child in this warm, riotously funny picture book about the restorative, world-building power of an ordinary dull day.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A funny read-aloud picture book for 3 to 6s, with independent readers of 5 to 7 enjoying it solo. Completely gentle and safe, it works for any listener, and the escalating imagination gags give it plenty of re-read appeal.
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- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–6
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny read aloud
- Imaginative kids
- Picture book fans
Avoid if
- Wants quiet story
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Herbie gets to stay home, build a couch fort and play games all morning, but then his brain runs away with him: what if school is being invaded by pirates, monsters and aliens right now? Watching his imagination pile up sillier and sillier is the best part.
- Adventure and freedom
- Breaking the rules safely
Why parents love it
It is a big-name picture book that reads aloud like a dream, with Jeffers' comic timing and Waldron's bold, funny art turning a bored sick-day into an escalating flight of fancy. Warm, hugely re-readable and a lovely gift or bedtime pick.
- Shared humour
- Beautiful illustrations
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
About the creators
About the creators.
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