Francessca Simon's books are a real pleasure to me. When I am feeling stressed and need someone to uplift or amuse me, I always read one of the Horrid Henry books and I feel so much better already. In fact the books are so good with hilarious situations and dialogue and a naughty but still endearing titular character, that when I occasionally work at my mum's school and there's nothing for me to do the Horrid Henry books are something I love to read.
When I first heard of this series, I wasn't so sure whether it would work. The books are so good and wholly deserving of a series, but I was worried it would perhaps turn it into some moralistic programme with little of the humour that helped make the books so engrossing. Actually, it wasn't that. In spirit, this respects the books very nicely and it is a wonderful and very funny series on its own.
The animation is very nice. The characters in general are drawn very well, and the background and colours are plentiful and easy on the eyes. The music is good too, the background music doesn't intrude too much while the main theme is zany. The stories are a lot of fun, with lots of hilarious situations, the pace is fast and crisp, and the writing often makes me laugh.
The characters are engaging too, Henry is everything his counterpart in the books is, and all the other characters show great personalities and are endearing in their own way. The voice acting is excellent with no weak links but also nobody who outclasses everybody else.
Overall, this is a wonderful and very funny series. 9/10 Bethany Cox
