Critter Club – Marion Takes a Break

Callie Barkley's Critter Club story Marion Takes a Break is a warm chapter book for 5 year olds about a busy girl who suddenly has to slow right down.

What happens

Marion loves a to-do list. She has piano, ballet, straight A's, her horse Coco and her turn helping at The Critter Club, the animal shelter she runs with her best friends Amy, Ellie and Liz. Right now the club is looking after five tiny kittens that need bottle feeding.

Marion is also getting ready for the big horse show, where she and Coco won the blue ribbon last year. So she rushes. She spills the milk, knocks things over and gets in a bit of a muddle (not like her at all).

Then one wrong step on the stable path and her ankle's badly sprained. It's a cast for weeks, and the horse show is in two.

This is the part a lot of children will recognise. Marion has to watch everything carry on without her. She can't do gym, she can't ride, and her little sister Gabby is still entering the show. Who hasn't felt a bit jealous of a sibling doing the thing you wanted to do?

It's handled really gently. Her friends bring the Friday sleepover to her sofa. When Marion finally cries in the barn, Amy tells her they love her for her and not for her ribbons. That's a lovely moment to read together.

There's a sweet side story too. One kitten, Ollie, has a sore paw and sits at the edge watching the others play, and Marion feels like they're in the same boat. Then she comes up with a clever plan to find all six kittens new homes.

The chapters are short with plenty of chat, so it's a nice one for reading aloud or for early readers who are growing in confidence. If your child is a list-maker who likes to be best at everything, there's a gentle message in here without it ever feeling like a lecture.

What to read next

This is the fourth Critter Club book. If they want more of Marion and Gabby, Marion Takes Charge sees Marion finally allowed to babysit her little sister.