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Meg and MogHelen Nicoll
Meg and Mog
by Helen Nicoll
Meg the witch and her striped cat Mog set off for a party on a hill, where Meg's spell goes spectacularly wrong and turns everyone into mice.
A story about witches and wizards and animals, funny and silly in tone. We would put it with children of 4–6, and at a reading age of about 5 for reading alone.
Nothing flagged
We have not flagged any content in this one that a parent would usually want warning about.
Part of a series
This is book 1 of the Meg and Mog series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.
Our take on this book
Meg the witch, her striped cat Mog and their owl set off for a Halloween party, and Meg's spells go gloriously wrong at every turn, culminating in one that turns the whole party into mice. Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski built these books out of the simplest possible ingredients: bright flat blocks of colour, a handful of words a page, and the reliable comedy of a witch who is quite bad at magic. The famous spell rhymes are made to be shouted, and the bangs and puffs of smoke are drawn in capital letters a new reader can join in with. There is nothing here to frighten anyone; the anarchy is entirely cheerful, and everyone turns back at the end. For a four- to six-year-old just starting to read, the tiny text and huge pictures make it feel like an easy win, which is exactly what an early reader needs from a book.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Winnie the WitchValerie Thomas
Room on the BroomJulia Donaldson
Little Rabbit Foo FooMichael Rosen
Nibbles: The Book MonsterEmma Yarlett
Mrs Armitage on WheelsQuentin Blake
The Cat in the HatDr Seuss
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.