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| Anne Fine |
| Puffin |
| 014138283X |
| Jan 2007 |
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“Okay, okay. So stick my head in a holly bush. I gave Ellie’s mother my mean look. It was her own fault. She was hogging my end of the sofa.” Nonchalant Tuffy the cat makes his triumphant third outing in this latest tale by Anne Fine. Tuffy is fast becoming an archetype in children’s literature. In him, Fine has perfectly captured the nuances of cattish behaviour. Just as it is now almost impossible to speak of bear stories, without Pooh or his alliterative counterpart Paddington coming to mind, Tuffy is the forerunner in feline fiction. Keen to express her creativity, Ellie’s mother experiments with photography, painting and pottery. Tuffy the cat holds little appreciation for any of this art and accidents befall all but one of the pots as Tuffy ‘biffs’ and ‘strokes’ them. Eager to be rid of the monstrous artwork, Ellie’s father tries coaxing Tuffy to smash the final remaining pot, but contrasuggestible as ever, Tuffy evades each attempt as father places a tantalisingly tempting prawn into the pot and smears it in cream. What resolve, if any, could cause Tuffy to smash the pot…?! As with the two previous books in the “Killer Cat” series, this book is based upon an urban legend. Anne Fine has augmented this with her own inimitable wit and sense of social understanding making this a riotous, rib-tickling read.
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Early Readers: January 2007 Archives
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| Alan MacDonald, Ill. David Roberts |
| Stripes |
| 1847150047 |
| Sep 2006 |
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It is easy to see why the mischievous child has a lengthy tradition in children’s literature. What an ideal vehicle with which to exercise struggled liberation from the constraints childhood often is culturally hemmed within and to implicitly present didactic ethics and morals.
High-jinx and japes can be traced from Mrs Sherwood’s “The History of the Fairchild Family” down through Nesbit’s well-intentioned though oft-misguided Bastable children, Blyton’s “Naughtiest Girl”, Crompton’s “William”, Dorothy Edward’s “Naughty little sister” and the recently televised “Horrid Henry”. This tradition is continued with “Dirty Bertie”. “Dirty Bertie: Worms” is the first in a series of young fiction titles – ‘Stripes’ – published by Little Tiger Press. Indeed, ‘Dirty Bertie’ himself will be familiar to readers through his appearance in two picture books ‘Dirty Bertie’ and ‘Pooh! Is that you, Bertie?’. In this young fiction book, three tales are presented, ‘Worms’, ‘Manners’ and ‘Rubbish’. The highlight of these is definitely ‘Worms’, wherein Bertie makes a highly unusual fancy-dress appearance at next-door-neighbour Angela’s pink party. In typical irreverent Bertie style, our hero finds if he can’t wriggle out of the party, the best thing is to wriggle into it… More endearing than a certain child-terror, Henry, these tales feel to be more led by character than by mischievous deeds alone. It is hard not to feel endeared to Bertie who, once more, is brilliantly realised in full-fiendish detail by the talented David Roberts. Fans should also look out for “Dirty Bertie: Fleas” also now available in Little Tiger Press’ distinctive new fiction label.
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