Read Albert Johnson and the Buns of Steel free in the Little Reads app.
Phil Earle's Albert Johnson and the Buns of Steel is a daft, action-packed story for 5 year olds about a boy who would much rather kick a ball than knead a loaf.
Albert comes from a long line of Master Bakers. His dad can make a loaf shaped like a swan. By seven every morning the queue for the shop goes right along the street.
The catch is that Dad gets up at 2am to bake it all. He's worn out, and there's never any time left for Albert.
So when Dad announces it's time for Albert to start learning the family trade, Albert has to find a way to say no. He likes eating cake. He just doesn't want to make it! What he loves is sport (any sport, as long as there's a ball).
Dad's answer is the Doughmaster 5000. It's an enormous baking robot with laser eyes and an oven for a tummy. Everything it bakes tastes like heaven.
Then one rainy evening Albert volleys a football straight into its face. That night, the robot wakes up. And it's ANGRY.
What follows is gloriously silly. The Doughmaster marches through town firing rock cakes from its fists. It traps Dad in a cage made of French sticks and jams doughnuts into the army's tanks. Who knew a bakery could cause this much trouble?
With the police and the army beaten, Albert fetches his sports bag. Tennis balls, golf balls, a cricket bat. It's a proper action-film showdown, just made of bread.
Underneath all the chaos there's a sweet little story about a dad and his son. Albert is lonely, playing tennis against a wall on his own. Dad hadn't noticed how much sport meant to him until Albert said so. One of the best moments is Dad turning up with a very old tennis racket to help.
It's a short, punchy read with lots of BIG noises (WHAZOOOOOM!), and it's great fun read aloud. If your reader is happiest with a ball at their feet, they'll be cheering Albert on.
If this one goes down well, Superdad's Day Off is by Phil Earle too. It's another dad who's far too busy, a superhero this time, and a boy who just wants his Friday with him.
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