I want to live forever but I'm still having trouble coping with the first fifty years...
I want to live forever but I'm still having trouble coping with the first fifty years...
Member since:13.01.2005
Reviews:6
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 in this series actually consists of four short stories per book. In Henry’s Nits they are :
Story 1 - Horrid Henry’s Nits.
Spotting him scratching mum discovers Henry has caught nits so a dose of supersonic nit blasting shampoo is inevitable. In the ensuing bathroom battle the shampoo goes everywhere but Henry’s head. The boy knew this would be his fate so all the nit letters from school he should have given his parents have found their way into the recycling bin. It was probably the cat’s fault according to Henry.
The boy’s reprieve is short lived though because next day at school Henry’s teacher, Miss Battleaxe has called in the school nurse. With no escape from Nitty Nora Bug
Explorer’s ferocious combs Henry seems doomed to be exposed as the boy who has not been bug busting until he comes up with a brilliant, spectacular plan.
Amazingly in every story, just when Henry seems doomed he comes up with a brilliant, spectacular plan. This story is no exception and while everyone else in his class gets the dreaded nit letter, Henry gets praise!
Story 2 - Horrid Henry and the Fangmangler.
When mum promises a trip to Toy Heaven the greatest of all toy stores Henry discovers to his horror he has squandered all his pocket money and savings on comics and sweets. He needs money fast so cue a brilliant, spectacular plan.
After gate crashing a meeting of Perfect Peter and his soppy friends in their Best Boys Club (motto : Can I Help?) Henry persuades them for a mere two pounds each he will risk his life to show them the meanest scariest monster in the world, the Fangmangler that just happens to live in Henry’s back garden. Later that evening Peter, his wimpy friends and even school chums Moody Margaret and Sour Susan pay their money then watch as Henry vanishes into his gardens dark bushes in search of the legendary monster.
After much screaming and crashing about Henry leaps bloodied and battered from the bushes with the Fangmangler seemingly breathing down his neck. A secretly hidden bottle of ketchup and old ripped T-shirt cunningly add to the scene.
With everyone running away in terror Henry dances gleefully with his ill gotten gains until a dark shape crashes from the bushes at him…
Story 3 - Horrid Henry’s School Trip.
After Miss Battleaxe messes up a planned school trip to an ice cream factory Henry and his pals are less than thrilled to find themselves detoured instead to the local museum. It just so happens that Perfect Peter’s class with mum in tow are visiting at the very same time. Peter also just happens to be wearing an identical T-shirt to Henry and don’t you just know that will figure later in the story?
Bored with the stuffy museum Henry slips away from his classmates and is soon up to no good. In the lunch room the lad thoughtfully switches the healthy and nutritious snacks his dad had prepared for him with all the junk food his classmates have brought. Later amid more chaos he has the museum staff chasing him and after nabbing the child in the distinctive T-shirt they have caught…yep, Perfect Peter (Didn’t I tell you that identical clothing would pop up later!)?
Story 4 - Horrid Henry and the Dinner Guests
Playing in the kitchen Henry watches his Dungeon Drinks kit brew up something poisonous while his Grisly Ghoul Grub Box produces equally hideous crispy things. Dad rushes into the kitchen and frantically begins preparing a meal. Mum has had the completely insane notion of inviting her new boss and his wife to dinner. Does this women never learn?
After a quick sandwich for tea the two boys are to be banished upstairs while the grown ups enjoy their dinner party. Henry is of course horrified at being left out and besides he wants his beloved pizza for tea.
Perfect Peter manages to wangle his way into the proceedings by being allowed to hand around snacks for the guests and not to be outdone Henry nags, moans, protests, argues, screams and generally behaves horribly until he is also allowed to join in. (You will have guessed it’s going to end in tears by now, readers.)
While Peter entertains the guests with a murderous cello rendition Henry is in the kitchen happily tucking into the crisps and cashew nuts. The little monster realises he has demolished all the snacks meant for the guests so what is he to do now? Oh wait, time once more for a brilliant, spectacular plan.
In the space of a few minutes the honoured guests are battered as Henry over enthusiastically demonstrates his karate moves then half poisoned as Peter hands round the substitute snacks Henry has manufactured on his Grisly Ghoul Grub Box kit. The final insult arrives along with a cloud of smoke as Dad’s slap up meal gets burned in the oven.
Amid all the chaos Henry comes to the rescue by phoning the local takeaway to order a mega whopper pizza. Well he would, wouldn’t he!
The author of Horrid Henry, Francesca Simon is an American lady who now lives in England. I suspect that her own experiences of motherhood are the inspiration behind these books because she wonderfully captures the style and attitude of Henry and his escapades.
All the volumes in the Horrid Henry series runs to somewhere around 96 pages with some 20 –25 pages devoted to each of the four stories. The tales are well written and flow in an easy manner with simple language that would be comfortable for children aged 6 upwards to read themselves.
While the stories are humorous they are not as side splitting as the Little Sod series by Simon Brett. (Please see my previous review of the Little Sod books.) They are none the less very entertaining and are ones that my young son and I enjoy reading many times and are perfect bedtime material.
Another important point is that although Henry is always up to some selfish, cheating or money making scheme things don’t always go according to plan and when things backfire Henry ends up paying the price. So there is something moralistic for children to learn from the stories.
All the books are profusely illustrated with black and white cartoons by the wonderful author and illustrator Tony Ross. Most of the books in our collection cost either £3.99 or £4.99 and many are also available on audio books and CD format.
For more information on the Horrid Henry books and Francesca Simon please visit the publishers website at:
www.orionbooks.co.uk
For your further information and in no particular order I offer the following which may be helpful:
Horrid Henry’s Nits – ISBN-185881-3530 Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick - ISBN- 185881-872-X Horrid Henry And The Mummy’s Curse - ISBN-185881-824-9 Horrid Henry’s Underpants - ISBN-184255-067-5 Horrid Henry Tricks The Tooth Fairy - ISBN-185881-371-9 Horrid Henry’s Stinkbomb - ISBN-184255-066-7 Horrid Henry’s Haunted House - ISBN-185881-650-5 Horrid Henry’s Revenge - ISBN-185881-825-7 Horrid Henry And The Secret Club - ISBN-185881-292-5 Horrid Henry And The Bogey Babysitter - ISBN- 185881-826-5
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Good review...won't be reading the book...but boy are there some memories there. I'd always thought "Nitty Nora the Head Explorer" was peculiarly English, so either the author's been here quite a while, or the world is a smaller place that I thought. Lx
HotBabes 22.02.2005 14:49
My son has read this and found it quite comical! :-)
mrpaella 22.02.2005 11:59
All these stories about nits had brought back repressed memories of nursery school for me. A great review...Paul
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