Oh No, George! A funny pooch who resonates with kids

From Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Walker Books 2012) | Illustration © 2012 by Chris Haughton

My Story Worth Sharing this week is Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Walker Books 2012). Visually vibrant, it stands apart from the crowd with flat, abstract colours and simple graphic shapes, typical of Haughton’s work.

It’s about a dog (George) who attempts to be good while left home alone by his trusting owner (Harris).

 

“Will you be good, George?” asks Harris.

 

Harris’ question may be tentative - but George’s response comes without hesitation!

 

“Yes,” says George.

“I’ll be very good.”

 

From Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Walker Books 2012) | Illustration © 2012 by Chris Haughton

 

George’s confidence is reassuring - until the page is turned and we are faced with the reality of the situation:

 

I hope I’ll be good, George thinks.

 

Ha! His comic timing is spot on.

I love Haughton’s writing style. It’s direct, to the point and funny! The story is perfectly paced, thanks to Haughton’s skilful use of page turns. They create natural pauses, which he exploits to build tension as George embarks on what Kirkus Reviews describes as ‘a flurry of misbehavior’ - beginning with the Cake Incident.

 It IS one heck of a delicious looking cake!

George places his paws on the counter for a closer look.

Uh-oh.

 

I said I’d be good, George thinks, but I LOVE cake.

 

Oh, the dilemma!

Haughton zooms in for a close-up and asks: What will George do?

Talk about suspense!

Once the page is turned, all is revealed. It’s a beautiful example of visual storytelling - George is shown happily scarfing down the trophy cake.

It needs no written explanation! The text simply reads: Oh no, George!

 

From Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Walker Books 2012) | Illustration © 2012 by Chris Haughton

 

Those refrains – What will George do? and Oh no, George! – are repeated with comedic effect each time George succumbs to temptation (and messes up). They create dramatic pauses in the storytelling, giving kids the opportunity to interject with their own ideas. Kids love joining in like this - and will undoubtedly welcome the chance to feel morally superior as George runs amok!

Finally, his owner Harris returns home.

By now, George has demolished the cake, chased the cat, dug in the flowerpot and generally trashed his home (a series of events described in the Guardian review as ‘catastrophic levels of mischief’)!

Oh No, George! is a well-crafted, funny book. ‘George’s facial expressions (for instance, a subtle positioning of his ears) and body language ... are full of humour’, notes Booktrust. This physical, visually expressive comedy is no accident. It’s as carefully staged as one of Mr Bean’s raised eyebrows - inspired, Haughton says, from living with a professional clown.

‘[T]here is something lovely about … silent visual humour,’ he writes on his blog. [A clown’s] timing and expression is very important and I try to imitate that if I can.’

(The book trailer (see below) captures the silent comedy aspect beautifully. It’s apparent in Haughton’s other picture books, too - particularly SHH! We Have A Plan which sees a group of Stooge-like characters attempting to catch a bird.)

Not only is Oh No George! a fun, interactive read, it also presents a character that we can all relate to! Temptation lurks around every corner. We try so hard to be good. Which makes this a universally reassuring story. Because no matter how hard we try, sooner or later, we mess up (like George) and create trouble for ourselves. As Kirkus Reviews notes, ‘Young children who struggle to follow the rules will feel a bond with George’.

When his owner returns, an ecstatic George greets him as any loyal pooch will:

 

“Hello, Harris! Great to see you!”

 

Uh-oh.

 

“George! What have you done? You’ve RUINED the place…

“And how on earth did you eat a WHOLE cake?”

 

Actions have consequences - and poor George is suddenly filled with remorse. In a big, bold spread, a tearful George thinks:

 

I said I’d be good…

I hoped I’d be good, but I wasn’t.

 

It pulls at the heartstrings - you just can’t help feeling sorry for George! Every child under the sun will be able to identify with how George is feeling. Now the big question is: What will George do?

George apologises, of course, and offers Harris his favourite toy (a rubber duckie). Despite everything, George is forgiven and taken out for a much-needed walk! Unfortunately, poor old George is faced with the same temptations (a delicious cake, some lovely soil to dig in, and a cat to chase) once more.

But this time, George finds the willpower to resist. (‘Even Cat is a bit surprised.’)

Well done, George!

Just when George is winning, he’s faced with the ultimate temptation: a very interesting smelling rubbish bin!

Uh oh.

There’s nothing George likes more than rubbish.

What will George do?

Publishers usually want story threads to be neatly tied up. So it’s refreshing to be left with this open-ended cliffhanger:

 

What will George do? 

George?

 

Use the open-ended question to spark some creative riffing as you discuss some possible outcomes and hilarious scenarios with your kids!

STORIES WORTH SHARING: Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

Good to Read because:

It’s funny!

George’s naughty behaviour resonates with (and reassures) kids who will identify with his struggle to do the right thing.

Kids will love the repetition of the question - What will George do? - and response - Oh no, George! (Use Haughton’s clever page turns to prompt creative thinking, encouraging your child to suggest what might happen next.)

 GOOD TO READ

Picture books by Chris Haughton

A Bit Lost

Shh! We Have A Plan

Don’t Worry, Little Crab

Goodnight Everyone

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From Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Walker Books 2012) | Illustration © 2012 by Chris Haughton

‘brilliant [and] bold’

- BookTrust

‘present-tense narration and repeated refrains make this a natural for reading aloud.’ 

- Kirkus Reviews

buy uk buy us* I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD/AFFSOURCES Oh No, George! (Kirkusreviews.com, 1 March 2012) Chris Haughton (Chrishaughton.com, 23 February 2013) Chris Haughton (Chrishaughton.com) Oh No, George By Chris Haughton (Reba and Amatullah, The Guardian.com, 8 April 2012) Oh No, George ! (booktrust.org.uk)© 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.