- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
Colin's Monster
Part of Colin'sView the full series
Part of the Colin universeOpen the collection
A forthcoming third Colin and Duck story that sends the pair into the castle dungeon after a mysterious noise. It looks like the spookiest entry so far, but still in a comic, low-scare picture-book register.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Suspenseful
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Colin and Duck are back at the castle, and this time something is making a very strange noise. They search from top to bottom, discovering rooms they have never seen before and probably several they wish they had never entered. Eventually there is only one place left to look: the dungeon. But Colin and Duck have never been inside the dungeon, and nobody knows what, or who, is waiting there. Colin's Monster continues Holly Swain's funny, visually busy Colin and Duck series, turning a spooky castle setup into a comic mystery for young children. The premise has suspense, monsters and dungeon imagery, but the series' established tone suggests more giggles than genuine fright. It should work especially well as a Halloween-season read-aloud.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–6
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny read aloud
- Halloween but not scary
- Comic mystery
- Monster story
- Series continuation
Avoid if
- Has not read earlier books
- Very sensitive to monsters
- Needs post publication validation
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm, funny picture-book series — a lovely read-aloud about friendship, family and accepting others.
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
- Being a detective
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
- Breaking the rules safely
Why parents love it
- Shared humour
- Beautiful illustrations
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Colin's.
3 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Holly Swain.
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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