Horrid Henry Early Reader: Horrid Henry's Swimming Lesson

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.

Armbands at the ready as Henry causes chaos in a mischievous bid to escape his dreaded swimming lesson with Soggy Sid.

A hilarious and horrid Early Reader from bestelling author Francesca Simon, and illustrator Tony Ross.

“brilliant stories told by amazing authors and illustrators. Stuffed full of colour, not too many words per page, they're perfect for children moving from picture books into reading chapter books. - Steve Cole in THE SUN on the Early Reader seriesForget Harry Potter, it's a wicked, spiteful boy who's really firing kids' imaginations - GUARDIAN”

brilliant stories told by amazing authors and illustrators. Stuffed full of colour, not too many words per page, they're perfect for children moving from picture books into reading chapter books. - Steve Cole in THE SUN on the Early Reader series

Forget Harry Potter, it's a wicked, spiteful boy who's really firing kids' imaginations - GUARDIAN

Francesca Simon (Author)

Francesca Simon MBE spent her childhood on the beach in California and started writing stories at the age of eight. She wrote her first Horrid Henry book in 1994. Horrid Henry has gone on to conquer the globe; his adventures are published in 27 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Francesca has won the Children's Book of the Year Award and been a judge for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. In 2009, in one of the proudest moments of her career, Francesca was awarded a Gold Blue Peter badge. She was appointed MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours.

Francesca is also a passionate ambassador for children's literacy and is a trustee of the World Book Day charity. She lives in North London with her family.

Visit Francesca's website at and keep up-to-date with Horrid Henry at You can also follow her on Twitter @simon_francesca

Tony Ross (Illustrator)

Tony Ross was born in London and studied at the Liverpool School of Art and Design. He has worked as a cartoonist, a graphic designer, as the Art Director of an advertising agency, and as Senior Lecturer in Art at Manchester Polytechnic.

Tony is one of the most popular and successful children's illustrators of all time, best known for illustrating Horrid Henry and the works of David Walliams. Tony's books have been translated into 40 languages in over 100 countries. He lives in Macclesfield.

Ugh. Horrid Henry hates swimming. If only there was a sneaky way to get out of his swimming test . . .

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.Armbands at the ready as Henry causes chaos in a mischievous bid to escape his dreaded swimming lesson with Soggy Sid.A hilarious and horrid Early Reader from bestelling author Francesca Simon, and illustrator Tony Ross.

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