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Horrid Henry and the Bogey Babysitter by Francesca Simon is four short, funny stories for 6 year olds, and one of them stars the toughest teenager in town.
Her name is Rabid Rebecca. She once made Ralph go to bed at six o'clock. Henry's parents can't get any other babysitter to come back (Henry has seen to that), so Rebecca it is.
She walks in, asks what there is to eat and has Henry in his pyjamas by seven. SEVEN! Henry, the terror of teachers and bulldozer of babysitters, can hardly believe it himself. Then he finds out the one thing that frightens her.
The other stories are just as daft. Peter wants to go trick-or-treating as a pink polka dot bunny, so Henry "helps" by giving him a scary haircut. There's a war over cookies and flags with Moody Margaret's Secret Club. And there's a long drive to a christening that Henry is determined to wreck, because it clashes with Ralph's party.
Who hasn't heard "Are we there yet?" from the back seat? Henry asks it every thirty seconds. Then it's "Peter's breathing on me" and "Henry's on my side". If you've ever done a long drive with two children, you'll know every line.
What makes Henry such good company is how sure he is that he's in the right. His parents are mean and horrible. A good babysitter lets you eat sweets until you're sick. And handing out oranges at Halloween is a crime.
The stories are short, with lots of sound effects and plenty of shouting in CAPITALS, so it's a lovely one for a newly confident reader.
A few things to know. The library has the American edition, where the babysitter story is called Scary Sitter, with Mom, gas stations and pajamas. Henry cuts Peter's hair with real scissors (you may want to keep yours out of reach). And the car journey ends in a lot of sick, plus a "through hell" and a "Thank God" from the grown-ups.
If the fight with Rebecca over the TV remote is the bit they love, Horrid Henry Wakes the Dead opens with Henry and Peter racing for the comfy black chair and the clicker that comes with it.
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