- Science
- A Day in the Life collection
- Ages 7–11
A Day in the Life
Part of the collectionA Day in the Life→Best for curious children who like facts delivered with jokes, cartoons and weird perspectives rather than textbook-style explanation.
- Books4 / 4
- Arcs1
- Span2020–2025
- StatusUnknown
The series
At a glance.
A Day in the Life is a comic fact-book series written by Mike Barfield and illustrated by Jess Bradley. Each book gathers dozens of short, funny entries where bodies, animals, objects, historical figures, planets, discoveries and scientific ideas explain themselves through cartoons and comic voices. The format is very dip-in friendly: children can read a single page, follow a topic trail, or browse for the funniest-looking panel. It is especially useful for reluctant readers who are curious but easily put off by dense non-fiction, because the jokes and artwork carry a lot of the reading load.
Best for curious children who like facts delivered with jokes, cartoons and weird perspectives rather than textbook-style explanation.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Irreverent
- Exciting
The books can be read in any order. Start with the topic that most interests the child: bodies and animals, history, space, or discoveries.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- IStandalone collection arcBooks 1–4 · 2020–2025Low sensitivity
Comic fact miscellanies
Four standalone comic non-fiction books covering life on Earth, history, space and discoveries.
This is a fully episodic non-fiction collection rather than a narrative sequence. A child can begin with any volume because each book uses the same comic-fact structure: short entries, cartoon narrators, speech bubbles, labels, jokes and memorable explanations. The first book covers the human body, animals, Earth and science; the second moves into history; the third focuses on space; and the fourth gathers discoveries, inventions and finds. The shared appeal is not plot progression but tone and format: odd perspectives, quick facts, visual humour and a sense that knowledge is much more fun when it talks back.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 7–11
- Read aloud · 6–10
- Independent · 7–11
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
Similar in feel
Different shelves, same wavelength.
- Corpse Talk →
- Professor Astro Cat →
Read this after…
Series that pick up where A Day in the Life leaves off.
- Horrible Histories →
- The Element in the Room →
About the author