- Picture Books
- Ages 3–7
- Fables
Pip & Egg
A tender friendship story about growing at different speeds and finding your way back to each other. Alex Latimer's gentle text and David Litchfield's glowing art make it a highly appealing emotional read-aloud.
- Best for3–7
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Conversational
Tone
- Warm
- Gentle
- Heartwarming
- Bittersweet
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Pip and Egg are best friends. They grow side by side, but not in the same way or at the same pace. As Egg changes and Pip changes too, their friendship is tested by distance, waiting and the strange fact that growing up can pull people in different directions. Alex Latimer uses a simple nature-based premise to explore a very recognisable childhood feeling: what happens when someone you love changes, moves on or seems out of reach? David Litchfield's illustrations give the story warmth, scale and seasonal beauty, helping the emotional metaphor land without becoming too abstract. The book is gentle and reassuring, with a strong sense that friendship can bend, pause and return. It is especially useful for children navigating change, new friendships, separation or different developmental paths.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–7
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Friendship changes
- Gentle bedtime
- Beautiful illustrations
- Nature metaphor
- Sensitive children
Avoid if
- Wants fast gags
- Wants high action
- Prefers literal stories
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Separation anxiety
- Anxiety and worry
- Moving house
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A tender read-aloud about a friendship that changes as we grow — a lovely prompt for talk about change and staying friends.
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 waiting — Pip and Egg growing side by side but at different paces, the friendship tested by the strange fact that growing up pulls people in different directions. The Latimer / Litchfield picture book on friendship across change.
- Friendship and belonging
- Transformation
- Family belonging
Why parents love it
The Alex Latimer / David Litchfield gentle picture book — nature-based premise carrying a recognisable change-and-separation feeling, Litchfield's seasonal warmth landing the metaphor. Useful for families expecting a new baby or navigating developmental gaps between friends.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Bedtime appropriate
- Great writing
About the creators
About the creators.
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
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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