Meg and Mog

The Meg and Mog books are terrific for very young children and make ideal stories for parents to read to their kids. They are about a clumsy witch called Meg who tends to get her spells a bit wrong and her poor stripy cat Mog who often ends up in trouble. They appear in a series of adventures along with their friend Owl and they are nicely written and wonderfully illustrated.

The Meg and Mog books were first published in the 1970’s. They are a collaboration between writer Helen Nicoll and artist Jan Pienkowski. They eventually made an animated series based on the adventures of Meg and Mog but the books are better. The adventures are simple and imaginative and young children often learn them and enjoy the repetition because they remember what is going to happen next. The combination of illustrations and the way the adventures are written help kids to learn the names of particular objects and reading these books to your child can be a great interactive experience for them if you leave the odd blank and let them fill it in. 

The books are suitable for kids from the age of 1 and they can make great bedtime stories. The series starts off gently and Meg gets out of bed, gets dressed and goes downstairs for breakfast. This allows the child to relate to the character and learn about things in their own life. The great thing is that the series ranges from everyday adventures which your child can recognise to fantastical trips to the moon. They also visit the zoo, a castle, Egypt, the sea and Mog goes missing in one of the books. One of them deals with Owl going to school and there is another where Mog is put in charge for the day and decides to get lots of his favourite food which soon causes trouble. The books teach basic values in a gentle way and help children to recognise objects and places.

The short sentences are supported by the rich and bold illustrations and the design really seems to appeal to young kids. It captures their imagination and also allows relatively easy comprehension with the illustration playing a big part in the unfolding story. They are humorous and charming and starting with the first book which is entitled simple Meg and Mog there is a large range to choose from including activity books, colouring books, sticker books, audio books and of course the television series.

Jan Pienkowski has won awards for his illustrations and he also worked with children’s author Joan Aiken. He understands how to engage children and the bright colours and shapes in his illustrations are co-ordinated perfectly with the simple text.

My favourite is probably Meg’s Castle where Meg, Mog and Owl spend the night in a creepy castle and meet ghosts and knights as well as tucking in to a big feast. Whatever adventures you choose your kids are sure to enjoy it and while older kids might like these between 1 and 3 years of age is perfect.