Barnaby of Bramble Bay · Book 1 of 4
A funny read-aloud picture book for ages 4–8 about a grumpy cat, a chatty seagull and the crispiest lunch in Bramble Bay.
Barnaby is not a sweet cat. He doesn’t purr, he doesn’t share, and he certainly doesn’t want a friend.
So when a chatty young seagull called Pip lands beside him just as he finds the most golden, most crispy fish tail in all of Bramble Bay, things go very wrong, very fast…
A funny, warm-hearted story about pride, hunger, and what happens when you finally say please.
Barnaby and the Golden Fish is the first book in the series, and the one where Barnaby meets Pip: a young seagull with bright yellow feet, a spotless white chest and a hopeless habit of talking far too much. Barnaby lives beneath the old boardwalk of Bramble Bay, a little seaside town of cobbled lanes and a busy fish market, where it is cool, damp and blissfully free of children sticky with ice cream.
At heart it’s a story about sharing. Barnaby wants the whole golden fish tail for himself; Pip just wants someone to have lunch with. Barnaby never turns sweet (he never does), but by the end there is room on the sun-warmed dock for two.
The book is written to be read aloud, with big sound effects and plenty of room for silly voices. Give Barnaby a grumpy growl and Pip a fast, chirpy chatter, and don’t hold back on FLAP-FLAP-SQUAWK! and “BEGONE, YOU NOISY LUNCH-THIEF!”. Children love being allowed to shout them too. When the paper lifts and the fish tail tips, slow right down and stop before you turn the page to ask, “What do you think happens next?”
You can read the first six pages free on this site, and the read-aloud guide for parents and teachers has more tips and questions to talk about afterwards.
Who’s in it: Barnaby · Pip the seagull
