My Dog Ate the Bathroom Justin Christopher Raymond McGrath

My Dog Ate the Bathroom

My Dog Ate the Bathroom Author: Justin Christopher Illustrator: Raymond McGrath Scholastic (2025) 32 pages, paperback ISBN 978 1 77543 905 9 ‘My name is Ella and this is my naughty dog, Mr Nut. And when I say naughty, I mean really naughty!’ Ella’s story begins quietly with her dog chewing Dad’s slipper but Mr Nut goes one step further and the fun begins. ‘Firstly Mr Nut ate Dad’s slippers…’ begins a catalogue of canine crimes that grow exponentially more incredible. After eating the TV remote, dolls and books, Mr Nut starts eating the bathroom. This might sound impossible but Justin Christopher’s skilfully pared-back story-telling technique makes it completely plausible. ‘Mr Nut ate the sink, and the shower and the cupboard.’ What could be simpler? Of course, Mr Nut grows bigger with each snack so, while the family are reacting to life without a bathroom, Mr Nut is busy eating the garage. What follows is logically developed and witty, with an ending which young readers will thoroughly enjoy. Raymond McGrath’s colour illustrations deftly capture the whimsical mood of this tall tale and make it momentarily plausible and permanently hilarious. Mr Nut is portrayed as a lively set of linked globular shapes, which perfectly capture the essence of excited doggy behaviour. (Think of a cross between a blue dachshund and a striped labrador.) Raymond McGrath makes brilliant use of colours and shapes to create a semi-abstract world which is immediately recognisable. When Mr Nut shows Mum how to wash her hair without a bathroom, his slurpy tongue takes up an entire page, totally engulfing a tiny Mum. A nice New Zealand touch is that when the dog eats Ella’s favourite action figure, we can see that it is Xena, warrior princess, being swallowed. My Dog Ate the Bathroom is a cheerful tall tale, gracefully told and skilfully illustrated. It is, not surprisingly, also a delight to read aloud. Trevor Agnew 5 Nov 2025 (3812)