- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
Frank and Bert: The One With the Missing Biscuits
Book 3 of 5 in Frank and BertView the full series
The third Frank and Bert story, a funny tale of temptation and owning up, in which Frank sneakily eats all the picnic biscuits, tells a fib to cover it, and learns that the only way out is to say sorry.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Repetitive
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Silly
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Frank the fox and Bert the bear love a picnic, and today Bert has brought a big box with a special surprise inside: caramel crunch biscuits. When Bert dozes off, Frank can't resist a tiny peek, then a little taste, and before he knows it a bit has turned into a lot and a lot has turned into every last biscuit. Faced with an empty box, Frank invents a wildly unconvincing story about what happened, but the fib sits heavily, especially when kind, worried Bert is so concerned about him. There's really only one way to put things right, and it means owning up and promising to make amends. Chris Naylor-Ballesteros serves up his signature deadpan comedy and bold, expressive artwork in a warm, very funny story about temptation, honesty and the relief of saying sorry, ideal for talking about telling the truth.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best shared aloud from about 2 or 3, when the biscuit-guzzling comedy lands hardest. Early readers of 5 to 7 can read the simple text themselves. Nothing scary or upsetting, and a gentle prompt for talking about telling the truth.
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- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 2–6
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Friendship
- Read aloud
- Telling the truth
- Fox and bear
- Saying sorry
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A ready-made EYFS/PSHE anchor for talking about honesty, temptation, consequences and saying sorry, with clear comic-strip artwork that carries easily to a whole class.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Children know exactly how Frank feels: the temptation, the guilty scoffing, and the tangle of trying to cover it up. The comedy of his hopeless excuse and the warm relief when he finally owns up make it laugh-out-loud funny and quietly reassuring.
- Friendship and belonging
- Unlimited treats
Why parents love it
A neat, very funny way into a hard conversation about honesty and owning up, without a whiff of a lecture. Naylor-Ballesteros's deadpan text and bold pictures make the guilt and the relief land, and it reads aloud in a couple of joyful minutes.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Frank and Bert.
5 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Chris Naylor-Ballesteros.
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.
