Oh no, George! by Chris Haughton

Harris is going out.
"Will you be good, George?" asks Harris.
"Yes," says George.
"I'll be very good."

Your young reading companion is sure to be laughing.  It is so obvious that George will not be good! Harris leaves. George sees a cake!

What will George do?

George sees Cat! George sees some fresh soil in the flower bed. Three disasters - then Harris returns home.

"I'm sorry,"  George says. 

Harris cleans up and forgives George and the pair set off for a walk. Along the way there are so many temptations - cake, soil, and Cat. George shows amazing self restraint but then they walk past a delicious rubbish bin. George?!!

Oh no, George is available in 17 languages and it was nominated for numerous awards in 2012. Chris Haughton has some terrific activities on his web site along with a recipe for the cake! It's a Strawberry and Raspberry Cake originally made by Zoe at Playing by the Book. Here is an interview with Chris.

I have made an odd discovery.  In US editions of Oh no, George the boy's name has been changed to Harry - I wonder why?

One activity you could do with older children is to study the way Chris Haughton uses colour in his books and also the amazing power of these eyes.  Here are four sets of eyes for George:

Have you met Chris Haughton (via his books) previously? His work is the perfect combination of story, art and humour all packaged for a young child and at the same time thoroughly enjoyable for the adult reader too. Here are some of his classic books which are perfect for the preschool and Kindergarten audience. I would think all of these books would be essential purchases for ALL preschools and child care centres.

Here is the book trailer from Candlewick Press (Walker Books).

In UK there were plans for a live theatre production of Oh no, George by Can't sit Still Theatre Company but sadly the show was cancelled.

You can also read/see the whole book here.This series of books by Chris Haughton would be a perfect present for a young child aged 2-4 and all the titles are available as Board Books.

Here are some review comments for Oh no, George:

George’s crimes are ones of passion, and it’s hysterical. It resonates with anyone with blood pulsing through their veins—and especially with children, who are constantly being told what not to do. Kirkus Star review Julie Danielson

And that, I believe, is Chris Haughton’s gift. He knows how to create entertaining picture books that make light of human nature. Oh No,George! is about a dog who would really love to please his owner, Harris. If only he weren’t faced with so many temptations. My Little Book Case