The Mona Lisa Mystery
Page 9
1981 The Mona Lisa Mystery is published
1994–1996 Presents and illustrates popular children’s television show, Rosie and Jim
1997 Titch, a book Pat wrote in 1971, is made into a television series
Photography © Morgan Hutchins
Where did the Story Come From?
Pat says:
The idea for the book came when my son, Morgan, told me that his class at school were going on a school trip to France.
I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be an exciting trip if they were involved in a plot to steal the most famous painting in the world?’
It was great fun to write and my husband, Laurence, really enjoyed doing the drawings.
Years later, the book was turned into a play by the Open Air Theatre in London, and the child actors were thrilled to meet the real Morgan, Sacha and Jessica, who they were playing, when we all went to the opening performance!
Guess Who?
A ‘And she don’t speak proper, neither!’
B ‘Bonjour, bonjour! Would you like to look at my wonderful menus?’
C She told amazing stories about her adventures in the city.
D ‘You have a very vivid imagination, child.’
E His eyes travelled down the columns of type on the page, trying to work out what the girl found so interesting.
ANSWERS:
A) Avril
B) The Manager
C) Jessica
D) Miss Parker
E) Morgan
Words Glorious Words!
We often come across new or unfamiliar words when we’re reading. Here are a few unusual words you’ll find in this Puffin book. Did you spot any others?
appendicitis when your appendix, an organ in your body, swells up
bonjour this word is French for ‘hello’
château this word is French for ‘castle’
forgery A false copy of something
gendarmes the French police
mon Dieu! this phrase is French for ‘good Lord!’
Quiz
Thinking caps on – let’s see how much you can remember! Answers are here. (No peeking!)
1 Where did the children go on their school trip?
a) Rome
b) Hampstead
c) Paris
d) Dover
2 Who put ketchup all over their chips?
a) Avril
b) Akbar
c) Mr Jones
d) The doctor
3 Who was afraid of heights?
a) Morgan
b) Mr Coatsworth
c) Jessica
d) Matthew
4 On what day is the Louvre closed?
a) Monday
b) Thursday
c) Friday
d) Tuesday
5 Where did Miss Parker hide the Mona Lisa?
a) In the hotel
b) Inside the bandage on her leg
c) On the ferry
d) In the castle
ANSWERS:
1) c
2) a
3) b
4) d
5) b
Popstar Britney Spears is born.
Prince Charles marries Lady Diana.
The Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark is released in cinemas.
English band Bucks Fizz wins Eurovision.
Muhammed Ali, a famous boxer, retires from the sport.
Make and Do
Make your own gallery! Just like the one in the Louvre.
YOU WILL NEED:
❋ Colouring pencils
❋ White paper
❋ A big piece of card
❋ Scissors
❋ PVA glue
❋ Coloured paper
1 Draw five pictures on the white paper. You need to make sure that all of them will fit on the piece of card together.
2 Carefully cut out the pictures and glue them on to the card, so that they look like paintings on a wall.
3 Draw some nice picture frames on the coloured paper. You could do different shapes to fit your pictures.
4 Carefully cut the frames out. Make sure to cut the middle out, so that you can see through it.
5 Glue the frames on top of your drawings so that they look like they’re in an art gallery.
Did You Know?
The Louvre was once a royal palace for the King of France, but it is now the biggest museum in the world.
The ghost of a mummy named Belphegor is said to haunt the Louvre.
The Mona Lisa has its own bodyguards because some people want to steal it.
The Mona Lisa is worth so much money that there is no number that can describe the amount.
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be knocked down in 1909, but it was used as a radio tower instead.
Puffin Writing Tips
Keep a travel journal when you go on holiday so you can capture all the exciting new sights and sounds.
Change your scenery and go and see something you’ve never seen before.
Two heads are better than one! Find a writing buddy to test ideas on and help you develop new ones!
Your story starts here …
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It all started with a scarecrow …
Puffin is over seventy years old. Sounds ancient, doesn’t it? But Puffin has never been so lively. We’re always on the lookout for the next big idea, which is how it began all those years ago.
Penguin Books was a big idea from the mind of a man called Allen Lane, who in 1935 invented the quality paperback and changed the world. And from great Penguins, great Puffins grew, changing the face of children’s books forever.
The first four Puffin Picture Books were hatched in 1940 and the first Puffin story book featured a man with broomstick arms called Worzel Gummidge. In 1967 Kaye Webb, Puffin Editor, started the Puffin Club, promising to ‘make children into readers’. She kept that promise and over 200,000 children became devoted Puffineers through their quarterly instalments of Puffin Post.
Many years from now, we hope you’ll look back and remember Puffin with a smile. No matter what your age or what you’re into, there’s a Puffin for everyone. The possibilities are endless, but one thing is for sure: whether it’s a picture book or a paperback, a sticker book or a hardback, if it’s got that little Puffin on it – it’s bound to be good.
www.puffin.co.uk
PUFFIN BOOKS
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Puffin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
www.penguin.co.uk
www.puffin.co.uk
www.ladybird.co.uk
First published in the USA by Greenwillow Books 1981
First published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head 1981
Published by Red Fox 1995
Reissued in this edition 2017
Text copyright © Pat Hutchins, 1981
Illustrations by Laurence Hutchins
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
Cover illustrated by Laurence Hutchins
ISBN: 978-0-241-32679-4
All correspondence to:
Puffin Books
Penguin Random House Children’s
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
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