- Graphic Novels
- Ages 6–9
- Comedy
Bird & Squirrel on the Run
Book 1 of 7 in Bird & SquirrelView the full series
The setup is irresistible: a terrified squirrel and a recklessly optimistic bird thrown together by a cat chase. Bird & Squirrel on the Run is a perfect first graphic novel, high energy, very funny, and short enough to finish in one sitting.
- Best for6–9
- FormatGraphic
- Length112 pp
- Read aloud~53 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Suspenseful
- Warm
- Absurdist
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Bird is adventure-hungry and completely unbothered by danger; Squirrel is anxiety-ridden and convinced that everything is trying to kill him (because in this book, a cat largely is). The odd-couple pairing does exactly what it should, every joke and setback flows naturally from who these characters are rather than from plot contrivance. The anxiety deep theme tag is not a sensitivity flag: the book is kind and funny about Squirrel's fearfulness, treating it as his core trait rather than a flaw to overcome. The peril is comic-book danger, pitched perfectly for 6–9s who want genuine excitement without genuine threat. An ideal entry point to the graphic novel format for children graduating from early readers, the panels are clear, the action moves fast, and the characters are immediately loveable.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 6–9
- Read aloud · 5–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Reluctant readers
- Laugh out loud
- Exciting adventure
- Gift book
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
- Struggling with reading
- Anxiety and worry
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny, fast-moving friendship-adventure comic series — a reluctant-reader favourite and classroom-library staple.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the odd couple — Bird recklessly cheerful, Squirrel convinced everything will kill him, a cat chasing them both. A six-year-old just starting graphic novels gets the funniest possible introduction to a friendship between opposites. Short enough to finish in one sitting.
- Animal companions
- Adventure and freedom
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The Bird & Squirrel opener — perfect first graphic novel for the six-to-nine shelf. Bird-and-Squirrel odd-couple dynamic locked in from page one, gentle peril, big visual gags. Short enough to finish in one sitting; reliable gateway for early-reader graduates.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
In the series
Bird & Squirrel.
7 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
James Burks.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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