- Graphic Novels
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
Peng and Spanners
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Book 1 in Peng and SpannersView the full series
A full-colour, joke-packed graphic novel about a sarcastic penguin and a clever tool-belt cat investigating a pizza mystery. A natural next step for Bunny vs Monkey, Dog Man and Barry Loser fans.
- Best for7–10
- FormatGraphic
- Length224 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr45 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Irreverent
- Exciting
- Adventurous
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Peng is a very silly penguin, Spanners is a chatty cat with a tool belt, and together they are the newest superheroes in town. Their first case involves the craziest pizza mystery imaginable, with all the high-speed nonsense, fourth-wall winks and cartoon energy young graphic-novel readers tend to love.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–10
- Read aloud · 6–10
- Independent · 7–10
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny graphic novel
- Reluctant readers
- Animal duo
- Pizza mystery
- Bunny vs monkey readalike
Avoid if
- Wants realistic stories
- Wants dense prose
- Prefers low energy reading
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A wacky robot-adventure comic series — a reluctant-reader pleaser 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 delight is the cat with the tool belt — Peng the silly penguin and Spanners the chatty mechanical cat investigating the craziest pizza mystery imaginable, fourth-wall winks and cartoon energy at full blast. The Steve Webb series opener for the Bunny vs Monkey / Dog Man / Barry Loser fan.
- Animal companions
- Trickery and cleverness
- Making a difference
- Adventure and freedom
Why parents love it
The Steve Webb Peng and Spanners debut — full-colour, gag-packed, superhero-mystery shape, jokes leaning on metahumour. Reliable next step for the early-reader who likes their graphic novels loud and fast.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
In the series
Peng and Spanners.
4 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Steve Webb.
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