Nurse Matilda facts for kids
| Nurse Matilda, Nurse Matilda Goes to Town, Nurse Matilda Goes to Hospital
|
|
| Author | Christianna Brand |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Edward Ardizzone |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Brockhampton Press |
| Published | 1964–1974 |
| No. of books | 3 |
The Nurse Matilda books are a popular children's book series. They were written by a British author named Christianna Brand (1907–1988). Her cousin, Edward Ardizzone, drew the pictures for the books.
These stories are based on tales their great-grandfather used to tell them. They are about a very unusual nanny named Nurse Matilda. She looks quite ugly, like a witch, but she is very good at her job.
Contents
The Story of Nurse Matilda
Nurse Matilda is hired by Mr. and Mrs. Brown to look after their many children. The Brown children are known for being extremely naughty. They have scared away many nannies before Nurse Matilda arrives.
Teaching Naughty Children
Nurse Matilda uses her special ways to teach the children to behave. She helps them learn good manners and how to be kind. She also deals with their strict and fussy Great Aunt Adelaide Stitch.
In the end, the children learn their lessons and become good. Once they are well-behaved, Nurse Matilda leaves. She goes to help another family with naughty children.
What Happens Next?
In the next books, the Brown children sometimes forget their lessons and become naughty again. When this happens, Mr. and Mrs. Brown have to call Nurse Matilda back.
In the second book, the children go to live with their bossy Great Aunt Adelaide. They stay at her big house in London. In the third and last book, the children end up in the hospital. This happens after one of their pranks goes wrong.
The Nurse Matilda Books
Nurse Matilda first appeared in a collection of stories put together by Christianna Brand. This book was called Naughty Children and came out in 1962. Edward Ardizzone also illustrated this book.
The three main Nurse Matilda books were published later:
- Nurse Matilda (1964)
- Nurse Matilda Goes to Town (1967)
- Nurse Matilda Goes to Hospital (1974)
These three stories were also released together in a special set in 2005.
Nurse Matilda Films
The Nurse Matilda books were made into two movies. These films are called Nanny McPhee (2005) and Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010).
Differences in the Films
In the first movie, there are only seven children, not many. Also, Nurse Matilda's name is changed to Nanny McPhee. Her first name is not mentioned in the film.
A big change from the books is that Mrs. Brown is not in the movies. In the books, Mrs. Brown is alive and well. But in the first film, she has passed away. Mr. Brown is forced to marry a mean woman named Selma Quickly. This character was not in the original books.
The second movie, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, is also based on the books. However, it does not follow the exact story of the books. Still, some scenes in the film are taken from the three books. Emma Thompson started writing the script for this movie in 2007.
A third movie was planned at first. But the second film did not make enough money. So, the plans for a third Nanny McPhee movie were stopped.
