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Mr. Gum #1
丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲! 卮賲丕 亘丿噩賳爻蹖丿
Mr Gum is a truly nasty old man. He's absolutely grimsters. But this book's not just about him. There's also a little girl called Polly, an evil butcher, heroes and sweets and stuff, and Jake the dog, who must be saved from terrible, terrible evil.
142 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2006
111 people are currently reading
1,822 people want to read
About the author
Andy Stanton
39听books101听followersAndy Stanton lives in North London. He studied English at Oxford but they kicked him out. He has been a film script reader, a cartoonist, an NHS lackey and lots of other things. He has many interests, but best of all he likes cartoons, books and music (even jazz).
One day he鈥檇 like to live in New York or Berlin or one of those places because he鈥檚 got fantasies of bohemia. His favourite expression is 鈥楪ood evening鈥� and his favourite word is 鈥榗aptain鈥�. Andy has now written more than one book, but less than twenty.
-from publisher's website at
One day he鈥檇 like to live in New York or Berlin or one of those places because he鈥檚 got fantasies of bohemia. His favourite expression is 鈥楪ood evening鈥� and his favourite word is 鈥榗aptain鈥�. Andy has now written more than one book, but less than twenty.
-from publisher's website at
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 363 reviews
July 24, 2024
I get to read a lot of children's books in my 3rd job as carer for my very disabled 8 year old, Celyn. She can't see well or play, so stories is where it's at.
Mr Gum is a wildly random tale of a positively Dahlian nasty-old-man. The humour has a Python-esque feel to it and delights in running along abstract corridors of word association.
It's silly, surreal, often abstract, did I mention silly? And it works enough of the time to pull you through the book and deliver the promised good time.
Not an excellent time, mind you, but a good time. Celyn laughed like a drain, we both smirked. Mr Gum's nastiness was foiled. The big whopper of a dog did not die of poison. All was well.
Buy it by all means. I got Celyn another Mr Gum book for Christmas and we're enjoying that one too.
It lacks that timeless magic and heart that keep some children's tales with you long after the book is returned to the shelf. I'm not talking about soppiness here, just heart, some solid and real core that the child will look for in all books as they grow. That's not here. But that doesn't stop it being fun.
..
Mr Gum is a wildly random tale of a positively Dahlian nasty-old-man. The humour has a Python-esque feel to it and delights in running along abstract corridors of word association.
It's silly, surreal, often abstract, did I mention silly? And it works enough of the time to pull you through the book and deliver the promised good time.
Not an excellent time, mind you, but a good time. Celyn laughed like a drain, we both smirked. Mr Gum's nastiness was foiled. The big whopper of a dog did not die of poison. All was well.
Buy it by all means. I got Celyn another Mr Gum book for Christmas and we're enjoying that one too.
It lacks that timeless magic and heart that keep some children's tales with you long after the book is returned to the shelf. I'm not talking about soppiness here, just heart, some solid and real core that the child will look for in all books as they grow. That's not here. But that doesn't stop it being fun.
..
June 22, 2014
Well, that was ridiculous.
January 10, 2011
I haven't genuinely laughed at a book, like I did with this one in a long time. It was completely absurd and completely fun. My kids loved it too and are now walking around exclaiming "The truth is a lemon meringue!" and calling each other "meddling chowder faces" both of which will make sense once you read the book...actually they wont make anymore sense but will be funny and make you also want to say them.
I highly recommend the audio as it's worth it to hear the author read the "secret bonus story" at the end as well as the glossary. His accent makes all the difference!
I highly recommend the audio as it's worth it to hear the author read the "secret bonus story" at the end as well as the glossary. His accent makes all the difference!
March 6, 2025
#亘丕夭禺賵丕賳蹖
亘趩賴 讴賴 亘賵丿賲 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵賱蹖賳 亘丕乇 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 禺賵丕賳丿賲. 禺蹖賱蹖 丕夭卮 禺賵卮賲 丕賵賲丿. 蹖丕丿賲賴 禺蹖賱蹖 亘丕賴丕卮 禺賳丿蹖丿賲!
丕賱丕賳 亘毓丿 丕夭 郾鄄 爻丕賱 丿賵亘丕乇賴 禺賵丕賳丿賲卮! 賵 亘毓丿 丕夭 鬲賲丕賲 卮丿賳 讴鬲丕亘 賮賯胤 蹖賴 噩賲賱賴 鬲賵蹖 匕賴賳賲 鬲讴乇丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫簇� 丕蹖賳 趩蹖 亘賵丿 賲賳 禺賵賳丿賲責!! 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘賴 卮丿鬲 毓噩蹖亘鈥屬堌贺臂屫� 賵 禺賳丿賴鈥屫ж辟�! 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 蹖讴蹖 丿蹖诏乇 毓噩蹖亘鈥屫�!
亘賳馗乇賲 鬲丕 禺賵丿鬲賵賳 賳禺賵丕賳蹖丿卮 賲鬲賵噩賴 賲賳馗賵乇賲 賳賲蹖鈥屫促堐屫�.
郾鄞郯鄢/郾鄄/郾鄣
亘趩賴 讴賴 亘賵丿賲 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵賱蹖賳 亘丕乇 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 乇賵 禺賵丕賳丿賲. 禺蹖賱蹖 丕夭卮 禺賵卮賲 丕賵賲丿. 蹖丕丿賲賴 禺蹖賱蹖 亘丕賴丕卮 禺賳丿蹖丿賲!
丕賱丕賳 亘毓丿 丕夭 郾鄄 爻丕賱 丿賵亘丕乇賴 禺賵丕賳丿賲卮! 賵 亘毓丿 丕夭 鬲賲丕賲 卮丿賳 讴鬲丕亘 賮賯胤 蹖賴 噩賲賱賴 鬲賵蹖 匕賴賳賲 鬲讴乇丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫簇� 丕蹖賳 趩蹖 亘賵丿 賲賳 禺賵賳丿賲責!! 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘賴 卮丿鬲 毓噩蹖亘鈥屬堌贺臂屫� 賵 禺賳丿賴鈥屫ж辟�! 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 蹖讴蹖 丿蹖诏乇 毓噩蹖亘鈥屫�!
亘賳馗乇賲 鬲丕 禺賵丿鬲賵賳 賳禺賵丕賳蹖丿卮 賲鬲賵噩賴 賲賳馗賵乇賲 賳賲蹖鈥屫促堐屫�.
郾鄞郯鄢/郾鄄/郾鄣
October 18, 2016
禺蹖賱蹖 毓丕賱蹖 亘賵丿.禺蹖賱蹖 倬爻賳丿蹖丿賲卮.蹖丕丿 乇賵賱丿 丿丕賱 丕賮鬲丕丿賲.賴賲丕賳 賯丿乇 讴賴 丕夭 噩賵丿蹖 丿賲丿賲蹖 賲鬲賳賮乇賲 亘賴 禺丕胤乇 賱賵爻 亘賵丿賳卮貙毓丕卮賯 丕蹖賳賲 亘乇丕蹖 賱賵爻 賳亘賵丿賳卮!禺蹖賱蹖 賴賳乇 賲蹖 禺賵丕賴丿 丕蹖賳胤賵乇 賳賵卮鬲賳 賵 亘賴 亘蹖乇丕賴賴 蹖 亘蹖 賲夭诏蹖 賳乇賮鬲賳.
丕賱亘鬲賴 亘賴 蹖讴 亘趩賴 蹖 賴卮鬲 爻丕賱賴 讴賴 丿丕丿賲卮 鬲丕 亘禺賵丕賳丿貙趩賵賳 卮賵禺蹖 亘毓囟蹖 賯爻賲鬲 賴丕 乇丕 賳賲蹖 賮賴賲蹖丿 亘賴 丕賳丿丕夭賴 蹖 賲賳 禺賵卮卮 賳蹖丕賲丿 賵賱蹖 丕賵 賴賲 倬爻賳丿蹖丿.
毓丕賱蹖 亘賵丿.
亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 賯爻賲鬲卮 賴賲 賮氐賱 趩丕蹖 禺賵乇丿賳 丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲 亘賵丿:)))
賮讴乇 賳讴賳賲 鬲丕 丌禺乇 毓賲乇賲 讴鬲丕亘蹖 诏蹖乇賲 亘蹖丕蹖丿 讴賴 亘賴 丕賳丿丕夭賴 蹖 丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲 丿賵爻鬲卮 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮賲.丕爻鬲賳鬲賵賳 毓夭蹖夭鬲乇蹖賳 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 蹖 丿賳蹖丕爻鬲 亘乇丕蹖 賲賳.賵 丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲貙丿賱亘乇鬲乇蹖賳 卮禺氐蹖鬲蹖 讴賴 鬲賵 毓賲乇賲 丿蹖丿賲!
丕賱亘鬲賴 亘賴 蹖讴 亘趩賴 蹖 賴卮鬲 爻丕賱賴 讴賴 丿丕丿賲卮 鬲丕 亘禺賵丕賳丿貙趩賵賳 卮賵禺蹖 亘毓囟蹖 賯爻賲鬲 賴丕 乇丕 賳賲蹖 賮賴賲蹖丿 亘賴 丕賳丿丕夭賴 蹖 賲賳 禺賵卮卮 賳蹖丕賲丿 賵賱蹖 丕賵 賴賲 倬爻賳丿蹖丿.
毓丕賱蹖 亘賵丿.
亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 賯爻賲鬲卮 賴賲 賮氐賱 趩丕蹖 禺賵乇丿賳 丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲 亘賵丿:)))
賮讴乇 賳讴賳賲 鬲丕 丌禺乇 毓賲乇賲 讴鬲丕亘蹖 诏蹖乇賲 亘蹖丕蹖丿 讴賴 亘賴 丕賳丿丕夭賴 蹖 丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲 丿賵爻鬲卮 丿丕卮鬲賴 亘丕卮賲.丕爻鬲賳鬲賵賳 毓夭蹖夭鬲乇蹖賳 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 蹖 丿賳蹖丕爻鬲 亘乇丕蹖 賲賳.賵 丌賯丕蹖 诏丕賲貙丿賱亘乇鬲乇蹖賳 卮禺氐蹖鬲蹖 讴賴 鬲賵 毓賲乇賲 丿蹖丿賲!
May 11, 2020
Read- May 2020 for Believathon II (Poacher's Pocket Inn- First book in a series)
- Me and my brother used to read these books together all the time back when we were younger and we used to love them. I will admit that I 100% see the appeal of these books but I really couldn't get over the blatant fat-phobic language in this book. I will be carrying on with my re-read of this series though because I never finished it the first time around.
- Me and my brother used to read these books together all the time back when we were younger and we used to love them. I will admit that I 100% see the appeal of these books but I really couldn't get over the blatant fat-phobic language in this book. I will be carrying on with my re-read of this series though because I never finished it the first time around.
July 16, 2024
chose to read this instead of poor things because i just could not hack it after having my teeth drilled into and feeling sore and sorry for myself.
read it in about three hours at work (whilst doing my job in between times). so worth it. actually as good as i remembered??
read it in about three hours at work (whilst doing my job in between times). so worth it. actually as good as i remembered??
September 27, 2018
Ehk盲 parasta, mit盲 mulle on tapahtunut sitten viime torstain jolloin k盲vi niin ett盲 kun tulin kotiin niin huomasin ett盲 joku oli tuonut sinne laatikollisen 盲idin suklaapalleroita.
October 14, 2018
Absurd & just plain fun. We're listening to the author narrate it on audiobook and we all--from ages 2 to 35--cracked up when he started singing the song about "the chocolate you deserve." I was delighted to see it is one of a series because we are going to keep laughing for awhile. It's hard to find an audiobook that has such wide-ranging appeal for our whole family.
Reminds me of Roald Dahl for having a bit of a dark sense of humor and offering up caricatures as if they were plausible people. Reminds me especially of Sarah Courtauld's The Perilous Princess Plot (which cracked up both my daughter and I when we read it) because it trusts the reader to pick up on subtle jokes. Also takes me back to the years where I waited for new Jon Sciezka/Lane Smith books to come out and tried to read all of Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories from Wayside School series.
Reminds me of Roald Dahl for having a bit of a dark sense of humor and offering up caricatures as if they were plausible people. Reminds me especially of Sarah Courtauld's The Perilous Princess Plot (which cracked up both my daughter and I when we read it) because it trusts the reader to pick up on subtle jokes. Also takes me back to the years where I waited for new Jon Sciezka/Lane Smith books to come out and tried to read all of Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories from Wayside School series.
November 22, 2010
You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum is one of the funniest books I've read. The first time I read it I was reading it to myself, but I did read my mom the really funny bits. So inevitably I ended up reading it all to her. In my opinion, it's funnier than The Twits. Don't get me wrong-- I LOVE Roald Dahl, it's just that the Twits are the crazy ones and the rest of the world is fairly normal in respect to there are not little girls called Peter and the Twits don't have to keep their garden tidy or an angry fairy will appear in their bathtub and start wacking them with a frying pan. Every single sentence in this book is funny. Mr. Gum is so absolutely disgusting that you can't help but love him. But it's not all Mr Gum being disgusting. There are lots of good characters like Jake that massive whopper of a dog, and Friday O'Leary, and Mrs. Lovely, and who can forget about Jammy Grammy Lammy F'Huppa F'Huppa Berlin Stereo Eo Eo Lebb C'Yepp Nermonica Le Straypek De Grespin De Crespin De Spespin De Vespin De Whoop De Loop De Brunkle Merry Christmas Lenoir? If you're her friend you can just call her Polly, but if you're not her friend you'll have to say Jammy Grammy Lammy F'Huppa F'Huppa Berlin Stereo Eo Eo Lebb C'Yepp Nermonica Le Straypek De Grespin De Crespin De Spespin De Vespin De Whoop De Loop De Brunkle Merry Christmas Lenoir every time you read the name Polly. If you like complete insanity or you just have a sense of humor, you will love this book. Anyone from 3 to 100 can enjoy this book.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
October 10, 2011
Even though this is a book designed for 8 or 9 year olds I found myself laughing out loud all the way through at the glorious language employed. Definitely in the vein of Roald Dahl or other absurdists like Spike Milligan this is the first in a series of books about the antics and misadventures of an ageing misanthrope known only as Mr Gum. He's the sort of larger than life character that children will love and if read aloud to the class you'll have trouble controlling them afterwards! He is described as lazy, dirty, fierce, violent and generally repugnant. He spends most of the time in his decrepit house only leaving to maintain his garden. This is monitored by a fairy with a frying pan who assualts Mr Gum if he is found lacking.
This particular outing concerns a large dog damaging Mr Gum's garden and his decision to poison it. In this he is thwarted by a little girl called Polly and a very kind (if a bit weird) old man called Friday O'Leary. Brilliant stuff.
This particular outing concerns a large dog damaging Mr Gum's garden and his decision to poison it. In this he is thwarted by a little girl called Polly and a very kind (if a bit weird) old man called Friday O'Leary. Brilliant stuff.
August 24, 2011
This book made me laugh out loud. It is the incredibly funny story of the complete horror Mr Gum, who has "two bloodshot eyes that stared out at you like an octopus curled up in a bad cave", who has a filthy house but a lovely garden. He's not a keen gardener, but is whacked with a frying pan by the fairy who lives in his bathtub if it gets untidy. A lovely big dog- Jake, who is "as friendly as toast"- takes a liking for rolling around in Mr Gum's garden and leaving him "presents" on the grass, so Mr Gum comes up with an evil plan to get rid of Jake. Luckily, a little girl named Polly overhears him...
The inventive use of language would make this a great read aloud book. The crazy illustrations and use of typefaces would attract reluctant upper KS2 readers. I loved it, and recommend it and other Mr Gum books particularly to Roald Dahl fans.
The inventive use of language would make this a great read aloud book. The crazy illustrations and use of typefaces would attract reluctant upper KS2 readers. I loved it, and recommend it and other Mr Gum books particularly to Roald Dahl fans.
March 17, 2008
Children's books about miserly, nasty, no good, rotten old men go one of two ways. Either the old man is redeemed at the end and Tiny Tim lives, etc. etc. or you get to the end of the book and the miserly, nasty, no good, rotten old man hasn't changed a jot. He's just been thwarted. A kind of Count Olaf ending, if you will. The nice thing about Andy Stanton's Mr. Gum books is that they're written with a two-dimensional villain in place with whom you never, at any point, sympathize. Stanton is a fan of goofiness and is willing to pile a whole bunch of weirdness on top of itself in the hopes that there will be enough funny material to keep the kids ah-reading. For the most part, You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! works and even when it doesn't it just seems to be so pleased with itself that you can't help but feel some affection for it. This isn't the strongest silly book for kids I've ever read, but it has its heart in the right place.
Mr. Gum was nasty, to begin with. Nasty heart, nasty soul, nasty housekeeping skills, the whole enchilada. The one thing about Mr. Gum that is not nasty is his lovely little garden. Lest you attribute this to something noble in his soul, you should know that the only reason he keeps it tidy is that if he doesn't the angry fairy that lives in his bathtub will hit him repeatedly on the head with a frying pan. It's one of those deals. All would be well and good if it were not for a big massive whopper of a dog named Jake. Jake likes gardens and he especially likes Mr. Gum's garden. After getting whopped continually by the fairy every time Jake makes a foray into his yard, Mr. Gum comes up with a malicious plan to take care of the friendly canine forever. Now it's up to a little girl named Polly and an eccentric old man named Friday O'Leary to save Jake from Mr. Gum's nefarious intentions before (or possibly after) it's too late.
The jokes are what make the book work, because when they're on, they're on. When we first meet Mr. Gum, for example, we hear that "the bed was never made. (I don't mean that the duvet was never put back on the bed, I mean that the bed had never even been made. Mr. Gum hadn't gone to the bother of assembling it. He had just chucked all the bits of wood on the floor and dumped a mattress on top." What's more, "He would much rather hear a piano being demolished by illegal bulldozers than a Mozart concerto." I love that it couldn't be just any bulldozers. It would have to be ILLEGAL bulldozer. Jake, on the other hand is, "a furry wobbler and friendly as toast."
Individual British terminology appears to have been maintained, for the most part. Mr. Gum's punishment from the fairy is called "pan-whacks". A man is described as moving like "a footballer" rather than a soccer player, which is interesting. And continuing a trend I've seen in more than a few books for children this year, there is a glossary of amusing terms at the back of the book ala Lois Lowry's (though many of these are referring to Britishisms and the like). Here's an example of one of the definitions then. "Scotland: It's a place near England where everyone's got beards, even the women. And the men wear skirts and everyone shouts a lot and has an okay time. By the way, it's freezing up there in winter, so don't bother." There you go then.
Sometimes the book is right on track and sometimes it skews a little too far towards the goofy. I mean the plot hangs together, which is important. You don't want to get to the end of a children's book and find the storyline erupt into some kind of Blazing Saddles/Monty Python and the Holy Grail unsatisfactory unfunny descent into madness. It doesn't do that, but at the same time there are things that never entirely work. Friday O'Leary, for example, is a pretty superfluous character. The jokes have moments when they just don't click. It's all going to come down to the personality of the person reading the book, really. If the kid reading You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! thinks that the inanity of a frying pan lobbing fairy is funny without explanation (and, of course, there never is one) then this will be the book for them.
Credit where credit is due to illustrator Chad Dezern too. While I've nothing against the British illustrations to this book, Dezern has a penchant for clear cut lines and heavy shading that complements Mr. Stanton's words nicely. Plus, some of his images are more than a little interesting if you're willing to peer really closely at them. For example, there is an image of a newspaper that Mr. Gum has purchased solely for the purpose of glaring at the picture of the boy on the front page (sometimes Mr. Gum just need a good glare at a child to make himself feel better). Of course, if you look at the newspaper, I mean really look, you'll read not a story about a 10-year-old burping champion (as the headline suggests) but a story about a 53-year-old India born Toronto resident named Yegmb Varbade. This probably wasn't intentional on the artist's part, but I don't think I'm the only reader who felt inclined to peer closely at the picture so as to tease out the story. It's not entirely clear to me whether or not Mr. Dezern would have actually have been responsible for that item, though. In the book there are some fun "found item" types of things in this book, like slightly crinkled pieces of sheet music and the like. Is that the work of the illustrator or of the Art Director? It's a bit unclear.
All in all You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! is almost a kind of post- title. There are lots of pictures, making this an ideal early chapter book for those kids not quite ready for full 200-page pictureless work of fiction. What's more, I think that as a bedtime story, Andy Stanton's book is ideal for reading aloud. Teachers may wish to try it out on their third graders, fourth graders, and maybe even fifth graders too. It has some gaps and some oddities, but like that massive whopper Jake, its heart is in the right place. For a certain kind of kid, this book will answer their prayers.
Ages 8-13.
Mr. Gum was nasty, to begin with. Nasty heart, nasty soul, nasty housekeeping skills, the whole enchilada. The one thing about Mr. Gum that is not nasty is his lovely little garden. Lest you attribute this to something noble in his soul, you should know that the only reason he keeps it tidy is that if he doesn't the angry fairy that lives in his bathtub will hit him repeatedly on the head with a frying pan. It's one of those deals. All would be well and good if it were not for a big massive whopper of a dog named Jake. Jake likes gardens and he especially likes Mr. Gum's garden. After getting whopped continually by the fairy every time Jake makes a foray into his yard, Mr. Gum comes up with a malicious plan to take care of the friendly canine forever. Now it's up to a little girl named Polly and an eccentric old man named Friday O'Leary to save Jake from Mr. Gum's nefarious intentions before (or possibly after) it's too late.
The jokes are what make the book work, because when they're on, they're on. When we first meet Mr. Gum, for example, we hear that "the bed was never made. (I don't mean that the duvet was never put back on the bed, I mean that the bed had never even been made. Mr. Gum hadn't gone to the bother of assembling it. He had just chucked all the bits of wood on the floor and dumped a mattress on top." What's more, "He would much rather hear a piano being demolished by illegal bulldozers than a Mozart concerto." I love that it couldn't be just any bulldozers. It would have to be ILLEGAL bulldozer. Jake, on the other hand is, "a furry wobbler and friendly as toast."
Individual British terminology appears to have been maintained, for the most part. Mr. Gum's punishment from the fairy is called "pan-whacks". A man is described as moving like "a footballer" rather than a soccer player, which is interesting. And continuing a trend I've seen in more than a few books for children this year, there is a glossary of amusing terms at the back of the book ala Lois Lowry's (though many of these are referring to Britishisms and the like). Here's an example of one of the definitions then. "Scotland: It's a place near England where everyone's got beards, even the women. And the men wear skirts and everyone shouts a lot and has an okay time. By the way, it's freezing up there in winter, so don't bother." There you go then.
Sometimes the book is right on track and sometimes it skews a little too far towards the goofy. I mean the plot hangs together, which is important. You don't want to get to the end of a children's book and find the storyline erupt into some kind of Blazing Saddles/Monty Python and the Holy Grail unsatisfactory unfunny descent into madness. It doesn't do that, but at the same time there are things that never entirely work. Friday O'Leary, for example, is a pretty superfluous character. The jokes have moments when they just don't click. It's all going to come down to the personality of the person reading the book, really. If the kid reading You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! thinks that the inanity of a frying pan lobbing fairy is funny without explanation (and, of course, there never is one) then this will be the book for them.
Credit where credit is due to illustrator Chad Dezern too. While I've nothing against the British illustrations to this book, Dezern has a penchant for clear cut lines and heavy shading that complements Mr. Stanton's words nicely. Plus, some of his images are more than a little interesting if you're willing to peer really closely at them. For example, there is an image of a newspaper that Mr. Gum has purchased solely for the purpose of glaring at the picture of the boy on the front page (sometimes Mr. Gum just need a good glare at a child to make himself feel better). Of course, if you look at the newspaper, I mean really look, you'll read not a story about a 10-year-old burping champion (as the headline suggests) but a story about a 53-year-old India born Toronto resident named Yegmb Varbade. This probably wasn't intentional on the artist's part, but I don't think I'm the only reader who felt inclined to peer closely at the picture so as to tease out the story. It's not entirely clear to me whether or not Mr. Dezern would have actually have been responsible for that item, though. In the book there are some fun "found item" types of things in this book, like slightly crinkled pieces of sheet music and the like. Is that the work of the illustrator or of the Art Director? It's a bit unclear.
All in all You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! is almost a kind of post- title. There are lots of pictures, making this an ideal early chapter book for those kids not quite ready for full 200-page pictureless work of fiction. What's more, I think that as a bedtime story, Andy Stanton's book is ideal for reading aloud. Teachers may wish to try it out on their third graders, fourth graders, and maybe even fifth graders too. It has some gaps and some oddities, but like that massive whopper Jake, its heart is in the right place. For a certain kind of kid, this book will answer their prayers.
Ages 8-13.
January 26, 2022
锌械褉械褔懈褌褍胁邪谢邪 褑褞 泻薪懈卸泻褍 胁卸械 胁谐芯谢芯褋, 褨蟹 写懈褌懈薪芯褞, 褨 褖械 褉邪蟹 蟹邪褋屑邪泻褍胁邪谢邪 鈥� 褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 胁 薪褨泄 锌芯褋褌屑芯写械褉薪芯褩 谐褉懈 蟹褨 褋谢芯胁邪屑懈, 褋屑懈褋谢邪屑懈, 褎芯褉屑邪屑懈, 芯斜褉邪蟹邪屑懈.
褟泻 胁写邪谢芯 邪胁褌芯褉 谐褉邪褦褌褜褋褟 蟹 芯谐懈写薪懈屑, 斜褍褉谢械褋泻薪懈屑, 褟泻 胁褨谢褜薪芯 锌芯褔褍胁邪褦褌褜褋褟, 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写邪褞褔懈 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 鈥� 褨 褟泻 褑械 褔褍写芯胁芯 锌械褉械泻谢邪写械薪芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯褞!
褟泻 胁写邪谢芯 邪胁褌芯褉 谐褉邪褦褌褜褋褟 蟹 芯谐懈写薪懈屑, 斜褍褉谢械褋泻薪懈屑, 褟泻 胁褨谢褜薪芯 锌芯褔褍胁邪褦褌褜褋褟, 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写邪褞褔懈 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 鈥� 褨 褟泻 褑械 褔褍写芯胁芯 锌械褉械泻谢邪写械薪芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯褞!
September 3, 2017
Such an odd little book.
November 26, 2018
So funny I loved it !!!
February 9, 2013
Mr. Gum is indeed a bad man! He poisons dogs, hates little children and even picks his nose and eats his bogies! To make matters worse he is grumpy all the time too. But he has the 鈥減rettiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden鈥� in the world (if he does not keep the garden tidy then the fairy that lives in his bathtub will hit him over the head with a frying pan!) But along comes Jake the giant dog who destroys Mr. Gum鈥檚 garden leaving him to plot evil plans that involve poisonous meat. But his plans are soon thwarted by a little girl called Polly鈥�
You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum is one of those books that will make you laugh out loud and Stanton鈥檚 use of descriptive language will see you shudder at the thought of Mr Gum and his lack of hygiene! This book would be particularly suited to children aged 7-11, particularly those who would be able to appreciate Stanton鈥檚 use of humour. This would be an ideal book for children to use for drama and role play as well as activities such as hot seating as different characters from the book. Definitely a must read!
You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum is one of those books that will make you laugh out loud and Stanton鈥檚 use of descriptive language will see you shudder at the thought of Mr Gum and his lack of hygiene! This book would be particularly suited to children aged 7-11, particularly those who would be able to appreciate Stanton鈥檚 use of humour. This would be an ideal book for children to use for drama and role play as well as activities such as hot seating as different characters from the book. Definitely a must read!
Read
May 13, 2012Mr. Gum is a book by Alan Stanton with illustartions by David Tazzyman
Mr Gum is a nasty man, 鈥渁n absolute lazer who couldn鈥檛 be bothered with niceness and tidying and brushing his teeth鈥�. His house is a complete mess. But he has the 鈥減rettiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden鈥�. This is not, however, because he enjoys gardening, but due to the frying pan wielding fairy living in his bath who whacks him if the garden isn鈥檛 perfect. This first book of the series sees Mr Gum hatching a plan to poison Jake the dog, who loves to roll around in the garden. Can Polly, a lovely girl of nine with 鈥渁 smile as happy as the Bank of England鈥�, save the day?
The outrageous illustrations by David Tazzyman, the nonsense words, little jokes and puzzles, comments on the book from within the book, and varied typescript, this is a book perfect for reluctant readers in upper KS2. I would recommend it in particular to any child who enjoys the work of Roald Dahl
Mr Gum is a nasty man, 鈥渁n absolute lazer who couldn鈥檛 be bothered with niceness and tidying and brushing his teeth鈥�. His house is a complete mess. But he has the 鈥減rettiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden鈥�. This is not, however, because he enjoys gardening, but due to the frying pan wielding fairy living in his bath who whacks him if the garden isn鈥檛 perfect. This first book of the series sees Mr Gum hatching a plan to poison Jake the dog, who loves to roll around in the garden. Can Polly, a lovely girl of nine with 鈥渁 smile as happy as the Bank of England鈥�, save the day?
The outrageous illustrations by David Tazzyman, the nonsense words, little jokes and puzzles, comments on the book from within the book, and varied typescript, this is a book perfect for reluctant readers in upper KS2. I would recommend it in particular to any child who enjoys the work of Roald Dahl
May 15, 2015
Ihan ok. Poika (11v) tykk盲si 盲iti盲 enemm盲n ja lukin pikapikaa koko sarjan. Suuresti huvitti mm. luku nimelt盲 Herra Gummi juo kupillisen teet盲, jossa herra Gummi joi kupillisen teet盲. Piste. My枚s yst盲v盲mme Pollyn sivun mittainen oikea nimi aiheutti hepulin. Kirjassa leikit盲盲n sill盲 mit盲 ja miten voi ja ei voi kirjoittaa. Kirjallisuuden konventioista ja koulun tiukoista ainekirjoituss盲盲nn枚ist盲 menn盲盲n raamit kaulassa ryskytellen sek盲 yli, ali, ett盲 l盲pi.
February 26, 2017
Deliciously ridiculous. The sort of book that some children will love for its silliness/randomness and I personally can't stand. But if it gets kids reading, who am I to judge? I was thinking "X in my class would love this" all the way through. But they're 7 & 8 and I'm in my 40s (so not target audience!) - I won't be reading it as a class novel but I will be recommending it to 1 or 2 boys who I'm sure will love it!
May 4, 2023
It鈥檚 shocking how many people think they鈥檙e funny when they weren鈥檛 the ones to write this book.
August 3, 2019
H盲n piti puutarhansa jopa niin siistin盲, ett盲 se oli koko Lamonen-Pulin viehkein, vehrein, kukkaisin ja puutarhaisin puutarha. N盲in ihmeellinen se oli:
Ajattele numeroa yhden ja kymmenen v盲list盲.
Kerro se viidell盲.
Lis盲盲 kolmesataaviisikymment盲.
V盲henn盲 yksitoista.
Heit盲 kaikki numerot pois.
Ajattele sitten ihmeellist盲 puutarhaa.
Mill盲 tahansa numerolla aloititkin, ajattelet nyt ihmeellist盲 puutarhaa. Ja juuri niin ihmeellinen oli herra Gummin puutarha.
Herra Gummi -sarjan ensimm盲inen osa on ihan kiva ja nopsalukuinen pl盲j盲ys, t盲ynn盲 mahtavaa nonsense-huumoria ja kielell盲 leikittely盲. Jokusen jutun olisi voinut lapsille suunnatusta tekstist盲 j盲tt盲盲 poiskin (kuten "Minne se vanha herra Gummi meni?" h盲n kysyi. "Luultavasti juomaan p盲盲t盲盲n t盲yteen Ville Viljamin kanssa", Perjantai arvasi ja oli oikeassa.), mutta kaiken kaikkiaan t盲m盲 on hauska kirja - ja sopivassa mielentilassa luettuna varmastikin to-del-la-hauska. Saatanpa tarjota opusta my枚s kahdeksanvuotiaalleni ja siirty盲 itse seuraavan osan kimppuun.
Perjantai oli juuri p盲盲ssyt viimeisiin nuotteihin, kun puhelin soi. Perjantai juoksi vastaamaan, mutta my枚h盲styi, koska puhelin ei soinut h盲nen pirtiss盲盲n, vaan Erja Nuhjuston kotona sadan mailin p盲盲ss盲. Erjan yst盲v盲 Maarit soitti. "Hei, Erja", Maarit sanoi. "Miten menee?"
Ajattele numeroa yhden ja kymmenen v盲list盲.
Kerro se viidell盲.
Lis盲盲 kolmesataaviisikymment盲.
V盲henn盲 yksitoista.
Heit盲 kaikki numerot pois.
Ajattele sitten ihmeellist盲 puutarhaa.
Mill盲 tahansa numerolla aloititkin, ajattelet nyt ihmeellist盲 puutarhaa. Ja juuri niin ihmeellinen oli herra Gummin puutarha.
Herra Gummi -sarjan ensimm盲inen osa on ihan kiva ja nopsalukuinen pl盲j盲ys, t盲ynn盲 mahtavaa nonsense-huumoria ja kielell盲 leikittely盲. Jokusen jutun olisi voinut lapsille suunnatusta tekstist盲 j盲tt盲盲 poiskin (kuten "Minne se vanha herra Gummi meni?" h盲n kysyi. "Luultavasti juomaan p盲盲t盲盲n t盲yteen Ville Viljamin kanssa", Perjantai arvasi ja oli oikeassa.), mutta kaiken kaikkiaan t盲m盲 on hauska kirja - ja sopivassa mielentilassa luettuna varmastikin to-del-la-hauska. Saatanpa tarjota opusta my枚s kahdeksanvuotiaalleni ja siirty盲 itse seuraavan osan kimppuun.
Perjantai oli juuri p盲盲ssyt viimeisiin nuotteihin, kun puhelin soi. Perjantai juoksi vastaamaan, mutta my枚h盲styi, koska puhelin ei soinut h盲nen pirtiss盲盲n, vaan Erja Nuhjuston kotona sadan mailin p盲盲ss盲. Erjan yst盲v盲 Maarit soitti. "Hei, Erja", Maarit sanoi. "Miten menee?"
December 17, 2018
Thank you, GR friend Laura, for recommending this on audio! It was perfect for my road trip today鈥� I laughed out loud a lot. The author is the audiobook reader. While sometimes that turns out to be a bad idea, in this case, it was perfect.
The humor is droll and absurd, with the most deliberately nonsensical similes I鈥檝e ever heard. Characterization of the baddies is grotesque in a style similar to Roald Dahl鈥檚.
Oddly, I鈥檓 not sure who to recommend this to, other than adults who like children鈥檚 books. It鈥檚 clearly a children鈥檚 book, but Mr. Gum really is a bad man who plots something pretty horrific against the town鈥檚 beloved stray dog. It would have upset me greatly when I was a child. I鈥檓 not a parent, but I am an aunty who gives books as gifts, and I think I鈥檇 be more likely to give this to my grown nieces and nephews (on audio, of course).
It was great fun for me, anyway, and I would recommend it to fans of Lemony Snicket or Roald Dahl.
The humor is droll and absurd, with the most deliberately nonsensical similes I鈥檝e ever heard. Characterization of the baddies is grotesque in a style similar to Roald Dahl鈥檚.
Oddly, I鈥檓 not sure who to recommend this to, other than adults who like children鈥檚 books. It鈥檚 clearly a children鈥檚 book, but Mr. Gum really is a bad man who plots something pretty horrific against the town鈥檚 beloved stray dog. It would have upset me greatly when I was a child. I鈥檓 not a parent, but I am an aunty who gives books as gifts, and I think I鈥檇 be more likely to give this to my grown nieces and nephews (on audio, of course).
It was great fun for me, anyway, and I would recommend it to fans of Lemony Snicket or Roald Dahl.
April 20, 2020
I read this book by reading it to a Year 3 class over the course of a placement during teacher training. It was entertaining for myself by also, the class found it a hilarious read. They were fully engaged with the story and had good memories about what had happened in the story whilst trying to predict what was going to happen next. The book it almost made to be read to a class or to someone else, as a lot of the different aspects the reader would pick up through the text are they explained to the listeners e.g. Engerland is written as such and then explained in the next sentence so that the listener knows it was intended to be spelt and said in such a way.
May 6, 2023
Ich schreibe eine Review mit dem Titel 鈥渋ch schreibe eine Review鈥� die ich gerade schreibe.
( Au脽erdem hab ich noch eine andere Review mit dem Titel 鈥渁ber die schreibe ich gerade nicht鈥� geschrieben, aber die schreibe ich gerade nicht)
( Au脽erdem hab ich noch eine andere Review mit dem Titel 鈥渁ber die schreibe ich gerade nicht鈥� geschrieben, aber die schreibe ich gerade nicht)
November 22, 2017
Great year 3 text - very funny in a very clever way!
August 17, 2018
So, so, so funny. I laughed out loud multiple times.
October 19, 2018
I will explain!
March 10, 2020
Hilarious insanity!
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