- Graphic Novels
- Ages 6–10
- Comedy
Bunny vs Monkey: Machine Mayhem!
Book 6 of 11 in Bunny vs MonkeyView the full series
A machine-filled sixth Bunny vs Monkey collection that brings Metal Eve into the woods and gives Skunky's inventions even more comic power. It is ideal for readers who like slapstick, robots, visual chaos and fast, low-friction reading.
- Best for6–10
- FormatGraphic
- Length256 pp
- Read aloud~2 hr
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Absurdist
- Irreverent
- Exciting
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The woods have survived Monkey, Skunky, Ai and the Maniacal Badger, but now Skunky has created something even more unpredictable: Metal Eve, a robot who needs to learn everything there is to know about life. Unfortunately, her teachers are Bunny, Monkey, Weenie, Pig and the rest of the forest gang, which means lessons quickly become disasters. Machine Mayhem keeps the series' full-colour, gag-rich comic-strip format, but the robot and invention theme gives this collection a slightly more mechanical, sci-fi-flavoured twist. Jamie Smart's pages are packed with movement, shouting, exaggerated expressions and quick visual punchlines, making the book highly accessible for reluctant readers and children who respond strongly to pictures. It is broadly episodic, easy to dip into, and best enjoyed by readers who already know the noisy rules of the woods.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 6–10
- Read aloud · 5–10
- Independent · 6–11
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- 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
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Dog man fans
- Looshkin fans
- Phoenix comic readers
- Silly humour
- Visual readers
Avoid if
- Prefers calm books
- Needs clear plot
- Dislikes shouting
- Needs low visual density
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Neurodiversity or learning differences
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Pure reading-for-pleasure fuel and a brilliant reluctant-reader hook — a forest comic kids race through, and a strong bridge into independent graphic-novel reading.
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 Skunky's robot — Metal Eve, learning everything about life from the worst possible teachers (Bunny, Monkey, the rest of the gang). The whole volume is the joke of a brand-new character being taught the woods' actual rules. Smart's robot-chaos drawings are some of his best.
- Adventure and freedom
- Breaking the rules safely
- Having a nemesis
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Bunny vs Monkey for a child obsessed with robots and machines — Skunky's robot Metal Eve learning life from the worst possible teachers, with mechanical chaos drawings that are some of Smart's best. Reliable mid-series volume; works fine as a standalone for new readers.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Indie gem discovery
In the series
Bunny vs Monkey.
11 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Jamie Smart.
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.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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