Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

In our house all of E's favorite books are assigned nicknames. It's no surprise that Chris Haughton's second picture book was renamed almost immediately and is now affectionately known as Oh No, Cake! These days any mention of cake gets a shout out along these lines.  I brought this book home several weeks ago and E took one look and said 'owl book' (his nickname for Haughton's first book).  It was clear to me that we were on to a winner when E made the connection.

Oh No, George! is about a dog - a hound I suspect - and the mishaps and messes that he gets into while his owner, Harris, is out.  George tries to do the right thing but despite all his best efforts he just can't help himself.  George's issues begin when he sees a cake on the table and can't resist chomping into the whole thing.  E thinks this is just fantastic and sometimes it's hard for us to move past the cake incident and onto the rest of George's adventures.

By the time Harris comes home George has managed to dig up all the potted plans and chase the cat away.  George is contrite and offers Harris his favorite toy duck to make amends.  Lucky for George his owner is kind and takes him out on a walk instead. George encounters more temptations but manages to resist them this time around.  That is until he smells the rubbish.

This book is just plain fun and there's a lesson to be learned about owning up to the things that you do and trusting adults with the truth. It looks marvelous as well with Haughton's unique illustrations and vibrant colors.

I'm still struck by the similarities between my son and George.  They'd both eat a whole cake if you left them to it, they both dig up the flowers and they both chase the cat.  E even has a thing for the rubbish.  Should I be worried? No wonder he loves this book.

If you've not read this one yet then treat yourself to a little time in the company of Chris Haughton's irresistible cast of characters.  And if you're new to his work then see my archived post for a review of his first book, A Bit Lost.  Chris Haughton is published by Walker Books and his website is: http://chrishaughton.com.