Meg's Treasure

Meg and Mog

by Helen Nicoll, Jan Pieńkowski (Illustrator)

A story about Meg the witch and her cat Mog, taken from the television series and illustrated with pictures from the TV animation.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of four Meg and Mog adventures based on episodes from the television show—the others include Mog In Charge , Meg's Fancy Dress and Meg's Cauldron —this book follows Meg, Mog and Owl as they spend the day at the seashore. When Meg wonders what it is like underwater, she conjures up a submarine, and she and Mog set out to explore (with wise Owl staying on dry land). Finding a treasure in a sunken ship, witch and cat are ecstatic, until their submarine is attacked by a giant octopus. Does the octopus want the treasure, or something else...?

Having read all of the Meg and Mog picture-books written by Helen Nicoll and illustrated by by Jan Pieńkowski (I have not read any of the subsequent titles authored by David Walser as yet), but never having watched the animated television series based upon them, I approached these TV tie-in titles with some interest. Although unimpressed when reading the first two ( Mog In Charge and Meg's Fancy Dress ) a number of years ago, I found the third that I read ( Meg's Cauldron ) more appealing. Similarly, this fourth and final TV tie-in was enjoyable, offering a fun, lighthearted little seaside adventure for our trio of friends. Having now read all four of these titles, I am curious to watch some of the television show, and will have to see whether I can track some episodes down. Recommended to those young readers who are fans of the television show, or who have run out of original Meg and Mog stories to read.