- Picture Books
- Ages 2–5
- Animals
Molly, Olive and Dexter
Book 1 of 4 in Molly, Olive & DexterView the full series
Part of the Catherine Rayner universeOpen the collection
A beautifully gentle toddler friendship story about hide-and-seek, reassurance and friends who never really go too far away. It has the softness of classic nursery animal stories with Catherine Rayner's elegant, painterly artwork.
- Best for2–5
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Repetitive
- Comedic
Tone
- Gentle
- Warm
- Funny
- Cosy
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Molly the hare, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox live at the bottom of the garden, near a beloved oak tree. Molly wants to play hide-and-seek, but at first Olive and Dexter are not very good at hiding. When Molly tells them they need to hide properly, they do such a good job that suddenly she cannot find them at all. What begins as a simple game becomes a small emotional wobble about where friends have gone and whether they are still nearby. This first Molly, Olive and Dexter book is pitched gently for toddlers and preschoolers, with a light story, soft humour and reassuring friendship at its centre. Rayner's illustrations make the characters feel immediately lovable, while the garden setting gives the book a safe, cosy world. It is especially useful for very young children navigating play, friendship and little moments of separation.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 2–5
- 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
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Toddler friendship
- Gentle bedtime
- Beautiful illustrations
- Hide and seek
- Animal friends
Avoid if
- Wants high energy plot
- Wants laugh out loud funny
- Needs older picture book
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Separation anxiety
- Starting nursery or preschool
- Bedtime battles
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Gentle, warm read-alouds about friendship and belonging for the very young — lovely for joining in and talking about kindness.
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 weight is the friends hiding too well — Molly the hare wanting to play hide-and-seek, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox hiding so successfully she can't find them, a small emotional wobble about whether friends are still nearby when you can't see them. The Catherine Rayner toddler-friendship picture book.
- Friendship and belonging
- Animal companions
- Adventure and freedom
Why parents love it
The Catherine Rayner gentle toddler series opener — painterly art, soft humour, garden setting cosy and safe. Pitched smaller and shorter than her standalone picture books. Useful for very young children navigating play, friendship and tiny moments of separation.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Bedtime appropriate
- Quick to read
- Nostalgia
In the series
Molly, Olive & Dexter.
4 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Catherine Rayner.
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.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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