You’ll just have to excuse this temporary aberration given my usual grumpy self, but I’m afraid I’ve been totally blown away by this year’s Sainsbury’s Christmas advert starring Mog the Cat, the creation of world renowned author and illustrator Judith Kerr, which comes with the publication of a new book starring the accident-prone feline.
Mog’s Christmas Calamity is only available in Sainsbury’s and every penny of the profit – at least £2 per book – from sales of the book will be donated to Save the Children to be used towards improving child literacy in the UK.
Fans of the Mog the Cat books – there are 15 books in all, with – will know that Judith’s most famous creation last appeared in a new adventure some 13 years ago, after she died of old age in Goodbye, Mog.
In this new adventure, when Mog falls asleep on Christmas Eve, she unwittingly creates unimaginable chaos and the Thomas family fears that Christmas will have to be cancelled. However, with a little help from Mog, the neighbours and their friends, the Thomas family manages to share a very special Christmas together after all.
Sainsbury’s worked in partnership with HarperCollins Children’s Books and Judith to create the Christmas story, with the message “Christmas if For Sharing”.
The Guardian notes that The 92-year old Kerr, whose books include The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the autobiographical When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, makes a cameo appearance in the TV ad.
Kerr says that Mog’s resurrection is not out of character as the series of books was never written in a chronological sequence, with the catflap always left open for a new tale.
• There’s more about the new book here on the Sainsbury’s web site and you can buy it online here
• Buy the other Mog the Cat Books from amazon.co.uk
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
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