Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Very funny, easy to read |
| Disadvantages: |
leaves you wanting more |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Little Sod’s next step, subtitled - How to be a little Sod, book 2 is author Simon Brett’s second volume in this series of three comical books about the baby from hell. The baby in question is supposedly the author of this regular diary and so everything is recorded from the baby’s point of view. That is not only part of the joke but adds immensely to the appeal and novelty of the idea of the book.
The books are written in a diary entry format having twelve chapters, one for each month. Each month has numerous entries according to when something happened i.e. Day 2, Day 4, Day 7 etc. These entries are devoted to events in the baby’s day, a new ability mastered or a running commentary on this tiny megalomaniac’s increasing hold over its hopeless parents while en route to surely world domination.
The first book in this series, How to be a Little Sod (subtitled How to be a Little Sod Book 1) has already been excellently reviewed by Ciao member JoJammy, a review I would definitely recommend reading. This first volume covers the baby’s first year. Book 2 is a natural progression through the next year of the tot’s life. No names are ever mentioned, even for the Baby and the parents are simply called Him and Her. This might seem an odd approach but it works.
Other than just being hysterically funny the thing that really makes these books appealing is that everything is so recognisable. Everyone will be able to relate to many of the events described such as teething, first steps, first word, but parents in particular will see their offspring and even the most innocent and mundane things in an entirely new light.
The baby’s parents who in Book 1, foolishly thought their new arrival would barely change their lives had a rude awakening as the tiny terror plotted and completely dominated every moment and aspect of their life. The same theme continues in Book 2 and expands as the baby’s abilities grow. For example once Baby masters the art of crawling he will drag tablecloths and ornaments to the floor then scurries to the other side of the room When She (mother) hurries into the room She will find Baby innocently playing with a toy and looking disdainfully at the cat who would then be blamed and mercilessly smacked much to Baby’s evil satisfaction.
I would like to provide a taste of what you will find in this book by quoting just one entry,
SEVENTEENTH MONTH
DAY 4
This evening He found me trying to poke a fork into an electrical socket.
‘No! Naughty Baby! Not a sensible thing to do!’
He was dead right, of course. It wasn’t sensible. For the simple reason that the average fork doesn’t fit into an electrical socket.
Never mind I’ll just have to find something that does.
Although intended for adults I regularly read these books to my seven year old son at bedtime as he too find them so funny. I have to admit that on more than one occasion my son has just drifted off to sleep only to be woken by me suddenly bursting out laughing at the book. Although I have read all three books many times I can still be reduced to helpless tears by them, for me they truly are that funny.
Profusely illustrated throughout by cartoons from the award winning
author and illustrator, Tony Ross I never cease to marvel at Ross’s skill to convey an amazing sense of emotion and pathos with just a few strokes of the pen. Quite apart from adding hugely to the enjoyment of the book Ross’s illustration are in themselves bitingly funny as well.
We bought this book at WHSmiths but it is probably stocked or easily orderable from most booksellers. I shop online a lot for books at Amazon as their prices are hard to beat and with free shipping with a certain level of purchasing.
The ISBN is 0-575-60133-7 and cost £3.99 though the
price may be more now. The book contains 128 illustrated pages and is in my humble opinion is a very easy to read and extremely funny book and well recommended.
