Guest Blog Post: The The Adventures of Jenny and Philip: The Naughtiest Girl in the World by Dawn Maria France

 May 2017, Grosvenor House Publishing, 28 pages, Paperback

Book Summary

This classic story of Jenny and her best friend Philip, a talking cat, tells of their friendship and the adventures they enjoy. Jenny - who lives with Philip and her aunt and uncle – aspires to be the naughtiest girl in the world but Philip hopes to teach her a lesson by taking her on adventures in her imagination.

Nayu's thoughts 

At the time of the review request I didn't want to read this book because of the war element which I believe is small, but I'd reached my limit on coping with world issues. However it sounded a story I thought you'd all like to hear about - it has a talking cat!!, so Dawn kindly offered to do a blog post instead of having a review from me to entice you further to read this story. I expect I will read it in the future, just not right now.

Guest blog post from Dawn Marie France about The Adventures of Jenny and Philip: The Naughtiest Girl in the World

Jenny, the naughtiest girl in Yorkshire, lives with her aunt and uncle, and her best friend, Philip – a talking cat. Jenny is loveable but headstrong; she knows her own mind. Not satisfied with being the naughtiest girl in Yorkshire, Jenny aspires to become the naughtiest girl in the world. 

Jenny gets up to all sorts of mischief: crayoning on Auntie Helen’s walls, and pouring milk into Uncle Jon’s hat. She gets sent to the naughty step, but that’s no punishment to her – she likes the step where Philip, the cat, sits. He shares his wisdom, and Jenny respects his opinion. His philosophy makes a difference to her, persuading her to change her ways.

This book combines fun, imagination and learning for 4 -7 year olds. It’s the perfect book for adults to read to pre-school children, and for young people to read for themselves. Interwoven with humour and learning, this book aims to guide younger children through basic issues of ethics and morality, understanding their place in the world. 

I wanted to write an original children’s story that is engaging and fun to read, which follows Jenny’s journey of life-learning and explores the relationship between Jenny and her best friend, Philip, the cat. 

As a young child, I remember how excited I was whenever I read a well-written book, and I wanted to write a book that would add enjoyment to children’s reading experience. As a former youth worker who has worked with young children, I ran many writing workshops for children within my youth worker’s role. Now, as a journalist, I’d like to inspire young readers to love reading and to live their lives well.

I have written a children’s book set in Yorkshire, because as a northern woman, a sense of place and home is important to me, and I’d like children to recognise that books can be set in many different cities and counties.

I wanted to include engaging characters and a storyline that instils a sense of a joy. I also wanted to create the main character as a strong little girl, with faults like everyone, but with an ability to listen and learn. 


This is the first book in the series, with each book following Jenny’s life learning journey – set to include more adventures with Jenny and Philip. I will introduce more characters and friends as the readers follow Jenny’s and Philip’s adventures throughout the series.

Book details

ISBN 978-1-78623-861-0

Price £6.67
The book is available to buy from Amazon