Magnificent Mabel and the Rabbit Riot

Ruth Quayle's Magnificent Mabel and the Rabbit Riot is a funny collection of three short stories for 5 year olds, told by a little girl who is always completely sure she's in the right.

What happens

This is the first Magnificent Mabel book, so it's where you meet her. Mabel Chase knows one hundred breeds of dog. She has rabbit wallpaper and a rabbit alarm clock. So of course it's her big sister Meg who gets a real rabbit for her birthday.

To Mabel this is the whole tragedy of her life. Then Meg pops out to the shops with her birthday money and leaves Henry the rabbit behind. Somebody has to look after him properly...

What happens next is told completely straight by Mabel, and that's what makes it so funny. Henry won't touch the party rings and sausage rolls from Meg's birthday lunch, so it would be a waste not to invite some friends round. The cleaning duster turns into a broomstick. Your reader will know EXACTLY who caused the riot in that kitchen, even if Mabel isn't saying.

In the second story she has a wobbly tooth and no intention of losing it, because the tooth fairy is basically a burglar. In the third she spends a whole week being nice to Elsa Kavinsky just to get a go on her sprinkler. (It doesn't go quite to plan.)

Mabel isn't always well behaved. She shouts rude things in her quiet voice. She pokes Elsa in the tummy (a teeny bit hard). She crosses her fingers behind her back when she says sorry. But her family handle her with lots of patience, and Meg is a lovely big sister who quietly helps her out.

The sentences are short and punchy, with Mabel's own words dotted through them. Wooffly. Whizzled. Falled-out. It's a joy to read aloud, and a good one for a newly confident reader to try on their own.

Who doesn't know a child who's convinced life isn't fair? If you've got one at home, they'll probably see a lot of themselves in Mabel (and you might too).

What to read next

Ready for more? Magnificent Mabel and the Christmas Elf is the second book. There's a bossy tree decoration with a lot to answer for on Christmas Eve, a new boy in her class and a toddler cousin who comes to stay.