Read-alouds and series
9 manga for kids, each labelled for children by its publisher
Yuzu the Pet Vet
Mingo Ito · Ages 8+
An 11-year-old who is nervous around animals helps at a family vet clinic. First printed in Nakayoshi, a Japanese magazine for children. Seven volumes; Kodansha rates it all ages, library records say 8 and up. Some sad pet moments.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
The Twin Knights
Osamu Tezuka · Ages 6-9
A princess and her twin brother in a fairy-tale kingdom, by the artist behind Astro Boy. Written in 1958 for Nakayoshi, a children's magazine. One book; Vertical labels it 6 to 9.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Chi's Sweet Home
Konami Kanata · Ages 8-12
A lost kitten is taken in by a family and learns what home is, in full colour and very few words. First printed in Morning, a Japanese magazine for grown-ups; Kodansha rates it all ages. Twelve volumes, finished. 8 to 12 is our estimate.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Yotsuba&!
Kiyohiko Azuma · Ages 6-12
A curious five-year-old turns every ordinary day into a project. First printed in Dengeki Daioh, a Japanese magazine for teenagers; Yen Press labels it All Ages. Sixteen volumes so far. 6 to 12 is our estimate.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
FukuFuku: Kitten Tales
Konami Kanata · Ages 7-10
A stray kitten grows up with a grandmother, in short comics, from the maker of Chi. First printed in Be Love, a magazine for women. Two volumes; Penguin Random House says 7 to 10.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Sheeta's Little Big World
Yuki Kamba · Ages All ages
A very small girl lives in a town inside a hollow log and sets out on a big adventure. First published on Kodansha's Comic Days web service. Three volumes, finished; Kodansha rates it all ages.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Penguin & House
Akiho Ieda · Ages 8+
A tidy, pancake-loving penguin keeps house for a very untidy student. First printed in Morning, a magazine for grown-ups. Three volumes, finished; Kodansha rates it all ages, library records say 8 and up.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Lovely Muco!
Takayuki Mizushina · Ages All ages
A shiba dog named Muco wishes her glassmaker owner would turn into a dog too. First printed in Evening, a magazine for grown-ups. Four volumes; Kodansha rates it all ages.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun
Hidekichi Matsumoto · Ages All ages
Short, gentle comics about home life with a dog and a cat, first posted online in 2017. Eight volumes in English; Kodansha rates it all ages.
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
Manga that its English publisher labels for children ("All Ages", or an age like 6 to 9), with no game, toy or cartoon brands. Many were first printed in Japanese magazines for older readers, and each row says so. Ours: Peabody's manga wing (peabody.kids/series/manga), with the right-to-left how-to, and the two series pages linked below. The pages are ours; the books are not.
Opened 30 October 2026: Kodansha's "Kodansha Manga for Kids and All-Ages" handout for librarians (kodansha.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/kids-series-handout-june-11-2026.pdf, dated 11 June 2026), which gives each series an age rating (A for all ages) and puts it under "Perfect for Elementary or General Kids Collections"; Penguin Random House's page for FukuFuku: Kitten Tales (ages 7 to 10); Vertical's 6-to-9 label for The Twin Knights as retailers print it; library catalogue records (Yuzu the Pet Vet and Penguin & House rated for ages 8 and up); Wikipedia and Anime News Network for the Japanese magazine each was first printed in. Yotsuba&! and Chi's Sweet Home were checked for their Peabody pages on 29 and 30 October. Left out on purpose: manga of game, toy or cartoon brands (Pokémon, Kirby, Miraculous and the like), and teen-rated manga. Ranked by our judgment: a story told for children first, then how easily a young reader can start. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
- 9picks
- 6–12ages, across the picks
- 8authors
Read one free now
The books above are to borrow or buy. These are Peabody's own stories for the same reader, free to read online with no account:
More like these: books for level 5
Read one of these? A child can log it with a tap in a reading challenge, kept on the device.
More lists
Top 10 comic series about animals
Comic series whose heroes are animals: cats in space, a wolf trying to be good, a lost kitten, alligator detectives.
Top 10 graphic novel series for 8 year olds
At eight, many comic series start telling one long story across the books, so the order matters more.
Top 10 comic series with a girl at the centre
Comic series where one girl is the main character from the first book to the last: explorers, daydreamers, worriers, jokers and a small business owner.
Mo Willems books beyond Elephant & Piggie
Mo Willems made more than the famous pair.
Top 15 chapter books to read aloud to a Pre-K or kindergartener
Reading a chapter a night builds attention and vocabulary well before a child reads one alone.
Best picture book read-alouds for ages 2 to 4
Toddlers and preschoolers want rhythm, repetition and pictures they can point at.
Best picture book read-alouds for ages 5 to 7
By five, kids can follow a real plot and enjoy a joke the grown-up has to deliver well.
Chapter books to read aloud to the whole family
A good family read-aloud works for a six-year-old and a ten-year-old at the same time, and the adult does not mind the fortieth chapter.