Naughty: A hilarious picture book for children

By Author / Illustrator

Jeanne Willis, illus Paddy Donnelly

Genre

Funny Stories

Age range(s)

Publisher

Andersen Press

ISBN

9781839131431

Published

10-09-2026

Synopsis

Nigel's done a naughty thing, and he's giving it some thought in a quiet spot. But it gets hard to focus as he quickly becomes surrounded by wild, animal naughtiness!

Mole has been ruining the lawns, Bull's been charging around with his horns . . . even Daddy admits it's hard to be perfect all the time! But can you guess what naughty thing Nigel has done?

Each scene gets wilder and wilder as the chaos builds, and Paddy Donnelly's brilliantly engaging pictures provide so much whacky detail to spot.

Reviews

Linda

Naughty is a joyful, funny picture book that's a hit with little ones. The illustrations are incredibly vibrant and packed with detail, giving plenty to spot, unpick and chat about on each page. I love that the core scene stays the same while small changes creep in - it makes it perfect for noticing differences and predicting what might happen next.

The story builds brilliantly, becoming more and more hectic, chaotic and downright ridiculous in a way that really makes children giggle. The rhyming text flows well and is genuinely funny, which keeps it enjoyable for adults to read aloud too. It also works brilliantly for Phase 1 phonics, with lots of rhythm, rhyme and opportunities to play with sounds.

Most importantly, it's clearly engaging for young children - my three-year-old loved it and wanted to read it again. A great choice for the Reception age group and a fun addition to any early years classroom or home bookshelf.

Picture book / Reviewed by Linda Canning, teacher