13 Storey Treehouse.... I don't get it!

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

I know these books are hugely popular, and I can see how appealing the pictures are...but so far the story is just about how the two main characters (the author and illustrator) we're supposed to write a book, and instead they've been pissing about, and have nothing to give their editor.

Why does this appeal to young children? I don't get it! Do they get better?

We love them. Ds and I met the author a couple of years ago and he was lovely and just the same as his character.

I don’t get it either. We got the audio book and I don’t think my 5 year old really did either.

My DS loves them. It's a bit off the wall, and there are lots of recurring jokes.

DD is loving them now aged 7 but didn't get very far with them when we first got them, I think it went over her head a bit.

Yes, my DS is 7.5. I don't think he'd have been interested much younger.

I'm sure they are both great guys, but it reminds me of that song by Natasha Bedingfield about having studio time booked but not having anything to write about.

DS is 6 and he seems to like them...it's me that just doesn't get it.

it's zany and wacky and fun and a riot for the imagination with a dash of humour. It's also easy to read with lots of fun pics which makes it engaging for the age group.

I do find them funny, but the humour is over the heads of younger children, I think you need to be at least 8 to get it. For example, the health and safety rep from the local authority who wants to knock down the treehouse.

My 9 and 7 yr olds love these books.

The bit about instead they've been pissing about, and have nothing to give their editor happens in every book. With some quite extreme and off the wall pissing about in some books.

@HotPenguin

I do find them funny, but the humour is over the heads of younger children, I think you need to be at least 8 to get it. For example, the health and safety rep from the local authority who wants to knock down the treehouse.

I have every sympathy with the health and safety rep on that. It’s a ludicrously dangerous structure.

In fairness zany and wacky are generally not my cup of tea.

I like the angry ants best.

I was thinking the same as @SixDegrees
The plots are loosely the same for all of them . They are meant to write a bol for a deadline for mr big nose and for various odd adventures it's always a last minute rush to get it to him
But my ds loves them. He is not an enthusiastic reader but is very able. This was the series of books he genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to. He also enjoys flat Stanley and has now moved onto tom gates.
I'm not sure how It works as an audio book as the pictures are alot of the book
Ds is 7

They like them because they are funny. I really enjoyed them- until we got a set of audio CD's for the car and now I have heard them a million times.

Funnily enough we were just discussing today about Andt and Terry being Australian - apparently the kods never knew. Not even after we got the audio CD's....and I read them out loud in my best accent....

I liked Edward scooperhands

And gill

It’s not designed for an adult audience, I bought the box best from Costco and my international class absolutely love them, they are accessible to even the most reluctant reader and the feeling of being able to read a big long book is also a draw for my kids. TuckMyWin I have no idea how they would work as an audio book though!

Yes Edward Scooperhands

And the flying cats!

I don't think you are the target audience...
I just left my DS to read them himself. Whatever you do, don't start the Beast Quest series if you will be doing the reading, they are awful 😣

I don't think you are the target audience...

I can safely say I'm not!

I don't mind his Tom Gates books, Asterix, even Captain Underpants. But apart from the pictures, these are a mystery to me.

I can cope with a small amount of Captain Underpants but I'd rather not!

Hmm, maybe I’ll try them in book form now the 5 year old is 6 and more able to read them.

My little boy loved this series as a 6 year old and flew through the whole set. It was the gateway, for him, for reading really independently and loving a series of books and being excited to get stuck into the next one. He is now 7 and is obsessed with Tom Gates.

I think part of the draw for him is that he loves drawing and loves coming up with more and more elaborate versions of something. So the treehouse that keeps getting more and more themed storeys (many of which are just silly) is totally up his street.

We bought these last year when ds was 7. He absolutely loved them. If he had his way we would read them over & over & never look at another book!! We all like different things tho don't we?

Regular conversation now in our house goes - oh mummy's been an idiot again... which one is the idiot? Andy or Terry? - then he tells me again... - cue much laughing from both of us

Like Marjorie these books were the gateway into paperback books that my 7 year old needed. He has always been a good reader but struggled with the transition to a book with more than 30 pages and smaller text. I now find him giggling in his room reading them. His brothers old Tom Gates books have just been pulled down from the attic ready for when he's finished this series.