- Picture Books
- Ages 3–7
- Comedy
The Thieves Beneath the Floorboards
Book 3 in The Café at the Edge of the WoodsView the full series
Uninvited guests have moved in beneath the floorboards of Rene's cafe and are helping themselves to dinner. Rene wants them gone, but Glumfoot and the littlest bear have a better, funnier idea about sharing a home.
- Best for3–7
- FormatPicture
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Irreverent
- Whimsical
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Something is stirring beneath the floorboards of the cafe at the edge of the woods. Uninvited little pests have made themselves cosily at home down there, and they are cheerfully helping themselves to the food upstairs. Rene is not having it: she wants the thieves OUT, and fast. But Glumfoot and the littlest bear see things differently, and dream up a far better plan, one that swaps grumbling and pest-control for an unlikely truce and a shared table. Darkly funny, a little bit disgusting and told with the sly wit of BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated animator Mikey Please, this third outing in The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods is a riot of hijinks with a warm heart. Beneath all the mischief sits a genuinely useful message about making room for others and sharing the space we call home.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A darkly funny picture book best read aloud to 3-7s, with gross-out humour and rich artwork that also delight older siblings and adults. There is no real peril, so it suits even sensitive listeners who enjoy a bit of silliness.
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- 13
- Best fit · 3–7
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 5–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny read aloud
- Gross and silly
- Picture book fans
- Sharing stories
Avoid if
- Wants calm bedtime
- Dislikes gross humour
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The idea of tiny pests secretly raiding a cafe from under the floorboards is gross and hilarious, and Rene's fury only makes it funnier. Best of all, Glumfoot and the littlest bear come up with a clever plan that turns enemies into dinner guests.
- Trickery and cleverness
- Cosy safety
- Unlimited treats
Why parents love it
Mikey Please's animator's eye gives every page rich, characterful artwork, and the wit works on the adult reading aloud too. Under the gleeful ick sits a genuinely useful idea about making room for others, delivered without a hint of preachiness.
- Shared humour
- Beautiful illustrations
- Quick to read
In the series
The Café at the Edge of the Woods.
3 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Mikey Please.
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