Croaky: Quest for the Legendary Berry
Book 2 of 4 in CroakyView the full series
The Mossbridge Scouts are on the trail of the legendary berry, and so, apparently, is everyone else. The second Croaky book escalates the chaos with a competitive twist, more absurd dangers, and the same irresistible energy that made the first one a hit.
- Best for5–8
- FormatIllustrated
- Length96 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr20 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Whimsical
- Absurdist
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Croaky returns for a new quest: the legendary berry, a prize so valuable that the whole wilderness seems to want it. The addition of a competitive element, other groups, other factions, other chaotic interests all converging on the same goal, raises the comic energy higher than the first book. Long uses the quest structure to justify an escalating series of increasingly absurd obstacles; the fun is less in the destination than in the completely unforeseeable route. The illustrations remain dense with background jokes and character reactions that reward rereads. The cast established in book one is developed further, and the series' particular rhythm, earnest scouting ambitions meeting complete comic disaster, is now in full flow. Best read in sequence, though the world-building is generous enough that new readers can orient quickly.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 5–8
- Read aloud · 5–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Reluctant readers
- Laugh out loud
- Strong characters
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
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny, action-packed early adventure series — a reluctant-reader pick 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 kick is the competitive twist — the Mossbridge Scouts after the legendary berry, every other faction in the wilderness apparently after it too, the quest forcing a wholly unforeseeable route through ridiculous obstacles. The second Croaky with the comic energy turned up.
- Adventure and freedom
- Animal companions
- Friendship and belonging
- Going on a quest
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The second Croaky — competition element raising the comedy higher than the first, illustrations dense with background gags rewarding rereads. Earnest-scouting-ambitions-meets-comic-disaster rhythm fully established. Best read after Sasquatch.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
In the series
Croaky.
4 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Matty Long.
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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