Jamie Smart is the British author and illustrator of the bestselling children’s comic series “Bunny vs Monkey.” Max and Chaffy: Welcome to Animal Island, May 2025, ISBN 9780593965306, is the first title in his new graphic novel series for ages 5–8, published by DK. Max’s family is moving to Animal Island, where he finds Chaffy, a smiling creature with one and a half ears and a habit of getting lost. The two set out on a quest to figure out where Chaffy belongs. Smart talks about the creation of this delightful new series.

The illustrations in this book are so bright and cheerful. How did Chaffy first come to you?

I remember doodling one afternoon about 20 years ago, when I should have been doing something else. And I kept adding these little round creatures with one and a half ears. There was something innocent and perpetually happy about them. Very quickly a whole world of stories about them started filling my mind.

What do you take into consideration when developing stories for young readers?

I draw a lot of comics for children. But “Max and Chaffy” is for a slightly younger audience, children who perhaps haven’t seen comics before. I wanted to make sure the illustrations were simple, the colors bold, and the story easy to follow. I also avoided black lines. And I curved the corners of each panel. Little things to make this as comfortable a read as possible.

Each book includes several interactive search pages. But explain how readers can also search the real world for Chaffy.

Many years ago my partner made some chaffy soft toys. I sent them around the world asking people to find these chaffies, take a photo of where they ended up, and then pass them on to someone else. The idea was to follow them on their journeys. We turned it into an international campaign. All the chaffy sightings have been collected on our website findchaffy.com. As a creator, I loved the idea of lifting a cartoon character off the page and sending them into the real world.

What do you hope young readers will take away from this series?

I hope readers will enjoy the cute characters and the amazing adventures but also learn the values of friendship and working together from seeing how Max and Chaffy solve problems. And then, maybe even go looking for chaffies themselves! After all, there are many, many chaffies just waiting to be found in the world. And once you find one, they’re a friend for life.

Look for “Max and Chaffy” book two, The Great Cupcake Mystery, in mid-August 2025; book three, Search for the Ice Chaffy, in November 2025; and additional titles in 2026.

 

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