Horrid Henry - Francesca Simon

Advantages: Very entertaining easy to read stories.
Disadvantages: none

...Horrid Henry’s Nits by Francesca Simon Although there are at least ten books in the Horrid Henry series, Horrid Henry’s Nits was the first book we bought for our son and the one that introduced us the wonderful world of Horrid Henry. Henry is a lovable little rogue, probably aged about nine who lives with his long suffering parents who are never actually named but simply called mum and dad throughout. There is also his often-tormented younger brother Perfect Peter. While being selfish, cunning and usually obnoxious Henry is more mischievous than evil. The slightly younger Peter on the other hand is perfect in every way and the ideal foil for Henry’s antics. Henry actually sold Peter to his neighbour and classmate Moody Margaret as her slave in one tale which gives you an idea of the scale of things. Each book... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Encourages a love of reading.
Disadvantages: Can cause bad behaviour.

...of the teachers in my daughter's school, who more closely resemble Miss Lovely (Peter's teacher), but I have distant memories of my own primary school teacher who was just as fierce as Miss Oddbod. Again the reader has a lot of sympathy for Henry when he goes up against his teacher. Horrid Henry's 2008 Annual I bought this annual just before Christmas. It was on special offer - buy 2 annuals for £8. So, it cost just £4, which I felt was a bit of a bargain. The annual is written by Francesca Simon (the author of the series of books) and illustrated by Tony Ross (who also illustrates the books). The contents page is very long, showing just how much they have managed to cram into this slim hard-backed annual. As well as showing the contents of each page, there are sharp toothed insects crawling over the page which has a large yellow... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great bedtime stories great for adults and kids
Disadvantages: none

...Can you remember the stories red to you as a child at school? I seem to remember the stories that either made me laugh or cry such as Charlottes Web, Danny the Champion of the world and The BFG. Unfortunately story time for me at school was a time when we had to sit on a hard floor and listen to dull boring stories. As a teacher now I try my best to read stories that will captivate children, get their attention and make them laugh. I want my class to hear the first paragraph and want to know more. I was introduced to ‘Horrid Henry’ on my teaching practice. I have used the books since as a supply teacher to get the buggers to behave. As soon as I pull the book out of my bag the kids stop talking and sit waiting to hear the story. Why can a book get this response? ***THE AUTHOR*** Francesca Simon is a very talented author her... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful