Mog in the Fog

Meg and Mog

by Helen Nicoll, Jan Pieńkowski

Climbing up a mountain, Meg the witch and Mog the cat run into thick fog and bump into something very strange.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, 20th Century, Animals

32 pages, Spiral-bound

First published April 1, 1984

About the author

Helen Nicoll was born in Natland, Westmorland, in 1937. She was educated at schools in Bristol; Dartington Hall, Devon; and Froebel Education Institute, London. Helen Nicoll married Robert Kime in 1970 and they have one daughter and one son.

Helen Nicoll was a television producer with the BBC for many years. It was here, as Producer of the children's educational series WATCH, that she first met Jan Pienkowski. 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. The result is the immensely popular MEG AND MOG series.

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.

Reviews

[Clouds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating chosen by Fin

What did you think of the book?
Good. Very, very good.

What happened in it?
Something was asleep. A Yeti was! They touched it. And Meg said "Ahhhhhh!" And that was scary.

What was the best bit?
Mog going in the fog. I loved Meg going looking in the fog.

Have you read any other Meg and Mog books?
Meg on the Castle. Hairy Scarey's like it. I readed Hairy Scarey.

Interview suspended as Fin wanted a biscuit...

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meg and Mog set out to climb the highest mountain in the world in this eleventh picture-book devoted to their adventures, enlisting the help of a sherpa named Tsing to get to the top. When a thick fog descends during their ascent, Meg's spell to clear the mist - "Iceaxe, compass / Goggles and log / Help me, show me / Lead me to Mog" - reveals that the trio have inadvertently joined company with a yeti, much to their mutual dismay...

Like its predecessors, Mog In the Fog features a simple text, split between straightforward narrative and various exclamations in speech bubbles, and vividly colorful illustrations. As always, the textual and visual elements work together to create an engaging story experience. The scene in which everyone is lost in the fog - the two-page spread is entirely grey, with various speech bubbles appearing - is a perfect case in point, as is that in which the startled yeti is revealed in all his pink and red glory. I could have happily lived without the sherpa's somewhat broken English - "O.K. I lead caravan" / "Very old bridge" - but leaving that aside, this was an engaging addition to the Meg and Mog series.

[Elizabeth Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a lovely way to introduce weather to young children!

They could start off with a discussion about seasons and the different weather we have. Do we have the same weather in those seasons? Is it ALWAYS sunny in the summer?

Then discuss how the weather changes as Mog goes up the mountain. Can they remember the different types of weather? What were they?

[Bustagroovy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two stars plus one extra star for Yak's steaming poo he left behind when he ran away, and another one for leaving Tsing and Yak stranded on top of the mountain. Goodbye!

[Adrian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Iceaxe, compass
Goggles and log
Help me, show me
Lead me to Mog

One of today's charity shop finds, expanding our Meg and Mog collection further.

In this adventure, Meg and Mog leave Owl to go an climb a mountain but their journey won't be as easy as they think.

Not as good as the earlier books. 2.5 stars.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Meg and Mog stories are cute and funny and great for early readers. I remember practicing my reading with Meg and Mog when I was little, whilst waiting to visit our family doctor, Dr. Cornwall. Even though I was always so sick, I loved going to the doctor, because I always loved reading a new Meg and Mog story.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't get it. Why didn't they just fly there? Why didn't Owl explain why it didn't want to come?

[Neil Harrison]

This is without doubt THE worst book I have ever bought for my daughter. Utter rubbish that makes no sense whatsoever. I was confused so God knows what she thought was actually happening.

[Anshu]

Look at everything and discover.

[Pennie · Rating 1 out of 5]

My daughter and I love the rest of this series, but I did not like the broken English the sherpa was given. A couple of other similar things rubbed me the wrong way too.

[Sarah Hills · Rating 2 out of 5]

We weren’t that fussed on this book.

[Shajie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silly that the sentences are not proper English. It’s a childrens book… I regret buying this.

[Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

22 years later and I still love Meg and Mog stories

[Emily Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this at the local market for 50p, bought it, read it, loved it. I always loved the Meg & Mog books when I was little, and this is one that I don't own and hadn't read; of course I was going to buy it!

[Angela Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missing a page, but it still meets toddler approval.

[Mender · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Meg and Mog books. They don't always make a great deal of sense, but this one makes less sense than usual. Prefer the others.

[Gene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only part i like about these books is how they make my daughter smile even tho its the 100 time i have read it to her today