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Age Appropriate |
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Story |
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Illustrations |
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Personal Choice |
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Review #23083 - Dated: 2nd of December, 2025
Author: savta |
Miss Three thought this book was wonderful. Unlike the adults around her, she was quite prepared to suspend disbelief and accept that a greedy animal would simply expand to accommodate everything he swallowed, rather as a snake does. But the increase in a snake's size is temporary whereas with Mr Nut it appeared to be permanent! All the way through, as Mr Nut found yet another item to swallow, she would burst out laughing and then shout "Naughty doggy!" amidst her giggles. She quickly became attached to the book, frequently picking it up to look at the pictures between reading sessions!
The story flowed smoothly from start to finish. Miss Three is old enough now to listen to a story right through to the end without losing interest so the length was perfect for retaining her attention. It is great to see children focusing on a story at such a young age as it is setting them up for reading for pleasure as they get older and are able to sound out the words on their own. And of course humour is a great drawcard. Her giggles were so infectious that the adults joined in!
Although the story is primarily meant to make children laugh, there is a subtle message about not being greedy. It is not unusual for a child to overeat when a favourite food is offered, and when it is an occasion like a party, there can be a price to be paid - a sore tummy, or even unexpected events like throwing up or unscheduled trips to the bathroom. Swallowing a car was the last straw for Mr Nut, and his system could take no more. Unfortunately, Ella and her brother Tim - and their parents - were all inside the car at the time.
The illustrations are just as funny as the text. Raymond McGrath's cartoon figures have the most wonderful facial expressions ranging from Ella's horrified reaction as she realises that Mr Nut is out of control to Tim's fury when he realises his favourite book has disappeared into Mr Nut's tummy. Mum's look of despair when she realises she can no longer wash her hair is outdone only by the expression on Dad's face as he needs the toilet and starts eyeing up the nearest pot plant as a possible solution. As for Mr Nut, his mouth is too busy opening up for the next snack to waste time on showing any emotion other than anticipation. Even when he is asleep his tongue is busy waving in the air!
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