Mog and the Baby and Other Stories by Judith Kerr
| Mog and the Baby and Other Stories by Judith Kerr | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: These stories are just delightful every time. No child's bookshelf should be without at least one Judith Kerr story. | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 112 | Date: January 2016 |
| Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books | |
| ISBN: 9780008157999 | |
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I've never been a fan of cats. I'm more of a dog person. Mog, however, has weaseled her way into my heart, and although I certainly wouldn't want her as a pet in my house, we love reading her stories. This collection of Mog and the Baby, Mog's Bad Thing, and Mog on Fox Night is perfect for a nice afternoon bumper storytime together with your little one, or you can just read them one by one over three nights.
Judith Kerr has a natural knack for storytelling. They feel so reassuringly well crafted, and the stories read and flow so beautifully, speaking so well to toddlers, who often identify with Mog, and yet also bringing laughter to grown ups too, who understand and appreciate the stories from a completely different point of view. Then, of course, the wonderful illustrations link in so beautifully with the words. This is a good collection of three stories, and would work well as a nice introduction to Mog for those who haven't yet met her.
Mog and the Baby is brilliantly written. As we read Mrs Thomas' declarations that Mog loves baby we can see from the pictures, quite clearly, that Mog really does not like babies! Mog is a very expressive sort of cat, and small children can quickly pick up on any cues from the images, and they enjoy the clear discrepancy between the mummy's declarations and the reality of poor Mog's face! I particularly like one picture where Mog is dressed as a baby and being pushed around in a pram! Poor Mog! Still, with all her grumpiness, and in spite of at least being partially to blame for the commotion, Mog does save the day, and she is rewarded with the most enormous fish!
The delights continue with Mog's Bad Thing which sees Mog have a little accident on dad's chair - whoops! Toilet humour always goes down with my three year old son, though here Mog's toilet is referred to as her lavatory so we had to have a small chat about what that was before we could follow what was happening with naughty Mog. I like this story because there is an awful lot to look at in almost all of the illustrations. Because there is a cat show being held in the Thomas's back garden there are lots of people, and lots of cats, and so you can spend quite a long time just looking at everyone and seeing what's going on. The story is well done, again, and investigates Mog's fear of a strange new thing in the garden (the marquee tent), and of course Mog lands on her feet, literally, when she falls through the roof of the tent only to go on and win the cat show!
The final story was a new one to me, so I particularly enjoyed it. Poor old Mog is unhappy about her dinner choices. She has already rejected some fish, and some kitty food, and Mrs Thomas is just about to give her an egg (which is what she really wants!) when Mr Thomas declares that Mog is spoilt rotten and that not only can she not have an egg for dinner, but if she doesn't eat her 2 other reject dinners then she won't get an egg for breakfast as usual either! These sorts of threats will sound very familiar to any toddler who has been faced with their rejected, recycled lunch brought back out for dinner! Mog is both very sad, and very cross, and I love the fact that both different emotions are shown and acknowledged. She goes outside in a huff and, even though it's snowing, she falls asleep behind the bins. Later that night she discovers a fox and his two baby cubs in the garden, looking for food. Through no fault of her own (of course) Mog manages to lead the foxes inside the house and, well, you can probably guess who ends up eating Mog's dinner! Still, her empty bowl means a happy dad in the morning since he believes his plan to be strict with Mog worked, and of course it also means a happy Mog because she gets her breakfast egg!
The gentle humour works so well, and alongside the colourful, endearing pictures these are stories that entertain everyone who reads them. Definitely recommended!
Further reading suggestion: For more delights from Judith Kerr take a look at my childhood favourite The Tiger Who Came to Tea or Mog the Forgetful Cat.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Mog and the Baby and Other Stories by Judith Kerr at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Mog and the Baby and Other Stories by Judith Kerr at Amazon.com.
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