Changes

There are few children's series that have been as long lasting as Judith Kerr's ''Mog'' books and even though the cat may no longer be with us, there is a huge back catalogue of old stories and images that could be repurposed. In the wrong hands reusing old Mog images would seem like a crass cash in, but done right, they could still hold the same sentimental appeal that the daft old cat has for so many people. Which way does ''My First Mog ABC'' fall?

The important element that ''Mog ABC'' had to achieve was keep the charm of the original books and thankfully this is the case. ABC books by their very nature are often disjointed affairs as there is no story and instead a seemingly random selection of items reflecting different letters. That is the case here, but instead of feeling disjointed, the book feels like an old photo album full of memories. Each letter has its own illustration and even the simplest one is evocative. A lot of this will be down to memories of Mog from my youth, but they all hold up on their own as Kerr's illustrations have a timeless appeal. As long as that time in the 70s.