Nanny Piggins and the Wicked Plan

R. A. Spratt (author)

Random House, Australia: 2009; 264pp

ISBN: 9781741663174

Genres: adventure, humour

When Mr Green's wife died, he looked for a nanny to care for his three children - Derrick, Samantha and Michael. Reluctant at first to hire Nanny Piggins on account of a certain degree of species prejudice, Mr Green can't resist cheap labour - she charges only 10c/day.

Being without morals and caring more for money than his children, Mr Green continues to advertise for a human nanny but is more than happy to pay virtually nothing for Nanny Piggins' remarkable skills. Both the children and Nanny Piggins realise they must take drastic steps when it becomes evident that Mr Green has hatched a wicked plan to find a second wife - someone to cook, clean and care for his children... for free.

While not as particular about cleanliness as other nannies (or wives), perhaps, Sarah Piggins, an escapee from a circus, is exceptional at flying out of cannons, marathon eating and baking chocolate cakes - sometimes all at the same time. She wages an ongoing battle with the truant officer over the children's frequent absences from school. (She is not as convinced as the Education Department is about the value of algebra and grammar.) Nanny Piggins' lessons are far more practical - how to dig large holes and tunnel to China, how to enjoy a good mud wallow, and how to track down and ‘scalp' the postman, for example . In the process Nanny Piggins finds herself, amongst other things, being sworn in as a jury member, reforming the education system in one day, and teaching the local doctor about holistic cake healing.

Spratt's experience as a writer of television comedy and political lampoons colours and strengthens her writing for children. The writing has a wonderfully whimsical and satirical edge that will have the adult reader smiling and the children laughing at Nanny Piggins' joyfully anarchic nature. Episodic chapters make this delightful book perfect for reading aloud to younger readers, while advanced beginning readers will enjoy what are basically a series of loosely linked short stories. These are all tales that promote the need to be active, have fun and be a child for as long as possible. In Nanny Piggins, Spratt has created the Pippi Longstocking of Pigs. Thoroughly enjoyable and a must-have for every primary school library. Highly recommended.