Don't forget to get this one for your child (Mog the Forgetful Cat - Judith Kerr)

Member Name: historywitch

Product:	Mog the Forgetful Cat - Judith Kerr
Date:	23/08/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple classic story, lovely illustrations, quality book

Disadvantages: None

The sad fact of the matter is that there are an awful lot of terrible children's books out there, badly written, terrible illustrations, mind-numbingly boring or just plain inappropriate. Since having my daughter I have had to read an awful lot of these terrible stories; I now rely very heavily on the library for reading material due to the amount of money I have squandered on once-read books. Thankfully my mother and her partner are very good at knowing what books to buy and came up trumps with this classic that I remembered from my childhood.

Judith Kerr is a children's author of some note, being responsible for the iconic 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' and 'When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit'. Her books are somewhat old-fashioned and feature some stereotypes that feminists may find irritating e.g. male characters sitting and watching TV, female characters running the house and cleaning etc. They are also well-written, simple, amusing and classic children's stories.

Mog is a grey and white cat who lives with the Thomas family; Mr and Mrs Thomas, Debbie and Nicky. Her forgetful ways (forgetting how to use the cat flap, that she has already eaten her dinner, that she can't fly) cause the family to say on a regular basis 'Bother that cat' after her forgetfulness causes them a minor domestic upset e.g squished flowers from Mog forgetting how to use her catflap and miaowing at the window. However, one day Mog has a particularly bad run of luck beginning with an awkward wakeup and being chased by a dog to mistaking Debbie for a kitten and giving her a nightmare. Out in the garden, cold and alone, Mog forgets that she already had her dinner and returns to the kitchen windowsill in time to surprise a burglar, get him caught and save the Thomas's spoons. Hurray, Mog is a heroine!

This story is told in a series of short simple sentences e.g. Mog ran right round the house. And the dog ran after her' which is great for very little children as well as those who are starting to get to grips with reading. My daughter has enjoyed this book for the last year (she is 4 years old), but it has only been in the last month or so that she has started to be able to pick out the odd word. There are repeated sentences such as 'bother that cat' that enable the child to join in at certain places in the story and to keep them amused throughout.

The illustrations are full of humour too, the characters - Mog especially, are well drawn and full of life. Combined with the droll sentences this is a feel-good book that had both my daughter and I chuckling all the way through. Anyone who has owned or even just met a particularly dense cat will recognise them in the story and the illustrations. The basic premise is simple but well-executed and this is our favourite of all the Mog series and a lovely book to share. Mog books in general are also a pleasant sensory experience, thick shiny white pages, a wide spine (surprisingly important when you want to find it on a shelf of children's picture books) and a general feel of quality which make them lovely books to give as gifts.

RRP is £5.99 but a quick scan of Amazon shows it for sale at £3.34 (with used prices from 1 penny).

Summary: Lovely book about a very dense cat,