MEG MOG SERIES

old George could well be the evil conqueror who murdered all who called the castle their home, and the green knight is just trying to reclaim is rightful home. They have no understanding of the dispute between George and the green knight. They were coerced into helping him defend the castle because he had a sword. kid's books don't exactly need an ironclad plot line, but still. They repel the mysterious green night, then have a feast (the white knight is called George) and then they go home. The white knight enlists the gang to help defend the castle (bonus points for getting in the word portcullis - and Fin likes the bit where Mog's arrow goes through Meg's hat). Then a green knight shows up and attacks the castle.

Meg does a spell on the ghost and it turns into a white knight. They get haunted by a ghost - fair enough. We have four Meg & Mog books now - and the only one I don't like much.įin, my 2 yr old son, loves it just as much as the others but he can't write reviews yet, so you've only got my word to go on. All in all, this may be my favorite Meg and Mog book thus far, and is a distinct triumph for illustrator Jan Pieńkowski. The black pages, during their night-time scare with the ghost, when only their eyes, and the text itself (in green, pink and white) can be seen, successfully communicates both humor and chills. The colors used, the composition of shapes on each page, the layout of the text: everything combined to make this a visual treat! The scene in which the trio climbs the orange spiral stairs against the backdrop of a yellow page evokes a sense of motion, while the facing page, which shows them peacefully asleep in a red bed, against a deep blue backdrop, suggests (despite the bright colors) calmness. That said, I had to give Meg's Castle an extra star for the artwork, which I found particularly outstanding. When a fearsome ghost wakes the three late at night, Meg's spell - 'Helmet and shield / And 6 foot spear / Ghastly ghost / Please disappear' - transforms him into George the knight, and the foursome are soon involved in an all-out battle to defend the castle from an intruder.Īlthough I have enjoyed the Meg and Mog books, appreciating their combination of simple text and vivid illustrations, which I think admirably suited to entertain younger preschool children, I would not describe them, generally speaking, as witchy favorites.

MEG MOG SERIES

Originally published in 1975, this fifth entry in author Helen Nicoll and illustrator Jan Pieńkowski's witchy picture-book series follows Meg, Mog and Owl as they head off for a stay at a nearby castle. In addition to the MEG AND MOG series, Helen has a long and varied association with Puffin - as editor of the Junior Puffin magazine THE EGG from 1977 - 1979, as compiler of the popular children's poetry anthology POEMS FOR SEVEN YEAR OLDS AND UNDER, illustrated by Michael Foreman, and through her partnership with Puffin, the enormously popular series of Puffin Cover to Cover story tapes of which Helen is the Producer. The result is the immensely popular MEG AND MOG series.

After working together for four years, they decided it was time to preserve their creativity in book form for future generations of children to enjoy. It was here, as Producer of the children's educational series WATCH, that she first met Jan Pienkowski. Helen Nicoll was a television producer with the BBC for many years. Helen Nicoll married Robert Kime in 1970 and they have one daughter and one son. She was educated at schools in Bristol Dartington Hall, Devon and Froebel Education Institute, London. Helen Nicoll was born in Natland, Westmorland, in 1937.

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