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Cover of Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time
Graphic · ages 6–9

Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time

Written and illustrated by Sheena Dempsey

Book 2 of 4 in Pablo and SplashView the full series

A funny Ice Age rescue adventure with the same fast, full-colour comic energy as the first book. The prehistoric setting, time-machine mishaps and penguin buddy dynamic make it highly friendly to younger graphic-novel readers.

  • Best for6–9
  • FormatGraphic
  • Length240 pp
  • Read aloud~1 hr55 min
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The vibe

What it’s like.

Style

  • Conversational
  • Comedic

Tone

  • Funny
  • Silly
  • Adventurous
  • Exciting
  • Warm

Themes

On the pagepenguins, ice age, time travel, time machine, rescue mission, professor obrain, neanderthal, prehistoric comedy

Experience meters

Energy4/ 5
Humour5/ 5
Scariness1/ 5
Peril2/ 5
Wonder4/ 5
Cosiness3/ 5
Emotional intensity2/ 5
Conceptual intensity2/ 5

What’s it about?

The story.

Pablo and Splash visit Professor O'Brain's lab and discover that their friend has been stranded in the Ice Age by her misbehaving time machine. The penguin buddies set out on a rescue mission 68,000 years into the past, but things become even more tangled when a Neanderthal man accidentally wanders into the time machine too. This second book builds on the first volume's comic friendship dynamic while giving the story a clearer rescue engine and more science-adventure momentum. Pablo's cautious problem-solving and Splash's cheerful impulsiveness continue to bounce off each other beautifully, and the full-colour panels keep the action easy to follow. With prehistoric danger kept light and funny, this is an accessible series continuation for readers who enjoy dinosaurs, ancient history, time travel and visual comedy.

Fit check

Right for your child?

Where it lands by age

  • 1
  • 3
  • 5
  • 7
  • 9
  • 11
  • 13
  • Best fit · 6–9
  • Read aloud · 6–9
  • Independent · 6–9

Prose load

Light

Visual support

Very high

Reluctant-reader friendly

Very

Read-aloud quality

Workable

Works well for

  • Reluctant readers
Low sensitivityNo content warnings

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 graphic novel
  • Ice age adventure
  • Time travel
  • Reluctant readers
  • Penguin adventure

Avoid if

  • Wants dense prose
  • Prefers realistic stories
  • Wants low energy reading

Particularly good for children who are…

  • Reluctant reader
  • Interested in science
  • Struggling with reading
  • Making friends

In the classroom

How it works in school.

A funny time-travel adventure-comic series — a reluctant-reader pleaser and classroom-library pick.

Classroom role

  • Classroom library

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 Neanderthal arriving — Professor O'Brain stranded 68,000 years in the past by her own malfunctioning time machine, the penguins setting off to rescue her, a Neanderthal accidentally wandering into the time machine too. The second Pablo and Splash with a proper rescue engine.

  • Adventure and freedom
  • Animal companions
  • Friendship and belonging
  • Surviving danger
  • Time travel

Why parents love it

The second Pablo and Splash — rescue plot tightening the time-travel formula, Pablo's caution and Splash's impulsiveness still doing the friendship comedy. Reliable continuation for early graphic-novel readers.

  • Shared humour
  • Quick to read
  • Conversation starter

In the series

Pablo and Splash.

4 books · open the series →

About the author & illustrator

Sheena Dempsey.

SD

Sheena Dempsey

Writer & illustrator · Ireland

Sheena Dempsey is an Irish author-illustrator based in London, best known to UK children's readers as the illustrator of the Dave Pigeon chapter-book series by Swapna Haddow and as the author-illustrator of the Pablo and Splash graphic-novel series. Her style is clean-lined, character-led and gently absurd, with strong slapstick comic timing, Dave Pigeon's vain self-importance and Pablo's penguin-and-time-travel chaos both rely on her ability to draw expressive, slightly haunted animal faces. A reliable visual signal of warm, funny chapter books and early graphic novels for ages 5–9. Crossover appeal with Dog Man / Bunny vs Monkey readers who want something a bit gentler.

More from Sheena Dempsey

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.

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  • Hive
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Last reviewed · April 2026Suggest a correctionHow we recommend

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