The Gumdrops: Quest for Bravery

The Gumdrops: Quest for Bravery is a new, interactive graphic novel by Elissa Elwick, aimed at readers aged 5-8 years old. It follows The Gumdrops, guardians of a magical land, on their quest to find a friend for Daisy.

The first thing that caught my eye with this book was the beautiful front cover, with its pastel colours, sparkly title and gorgeous characters. The illustrations in this book are really special. They are imaginative, bright and so inviting for young children. I love the way the author has created imaginary lands such as Poetry Pyramids and Story Swamp.

The characters (The Gumdrops) in this book are adorable. They are fluffy, colourful and friendly - the perfect match for young readers. On their quest to find a friend for Daisy, The Gumdrops visit The Imaginary Friend Factory to collect the attributes their friend will need, e.g, a heap of kindness, a dash of silliness and a pinch of patience. This opened up a lovely discussion about what we look for in a friend.

The interactive elements of this book made reading this at bedtime with my son (aged 6) really exciting. He loved the 'reader quests' and was begging me for another chapter after each one ended. At the end of the book, we were delighted to read that there is another Gumdrops adventure coming soon. We will certainly be adding this to our reading wish list and we cannot wait to join The Gumdrops on another thrilling quest! I highly recommend this book to young readers.

96 pages / Michelle Bailey, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+