Horrid Henry and the Library Visit

Disclaimer: I do not own Horrid Henry, his family, teachers and friends as they are from Francesca Simon's novels plus the hit CITV animated series.

Missing episode taking place post Horrid Henry and the Gross Question.

Henry's mum was sat at the white pine kitchen table with Perfect Peter and Horrid Henry as Dad was announcing a new Saturday family day out "We're going to Castletown Library to borrow some new reading books" he dreaded the elder boy's reaction at visiting the library, since Henry wasn't a regular reader preferring his Mutant Max and Gross Class Zero comics that he usually got with what pocket money his parents given to him on Fridays.

Perfect Peter trilled and beamed with a smile "The library? Ooh goody! I love going to the library, you can read fairy tales and find out information in the big encyclopaedias."

Horrid Henry groaned and shouted "The library?! That's not fair, it's worse than school and so boring! Why can't we go to Whopper Whoopie instead or the funfair? Can I watch Mutant Max and Rapper Zapper?"

Dad strictly wagged his finger at his eldest son "N-O spells no, Henry. Saturdays are for doing something like stamp collecting or educational trips."

Henry continued to argue "Oh, you're the meanest and most horrible parents ever!" Mum gave him a consequence "Henry it's the library or no Gross Class Zero comics for a week, and if you keep misbehaving then no pocket money for a month!"

XXXXXXX

Horrid Henry couldn't live with the threats of no pocket money and comics for a period of time, so he reluctantly brought down his Mutant Max school bag to carry the new books in, Peter had a beautifully pink butterfly bag with accents of purple; what a wormy worm Horrid Henry thought in private as the family finally got in their red Ford Mondeo Mk3 on their way to Castletown Library.

Horrid Henry asked Dad "Are we nearly there yet?" for 12607,804 times in the car with the same repetitive answer given "Not yet, just be patient" He used this as an excuse to pinch Perfect Peter's library book loans and drew moustaches on the pages with Queen Elizabeth II inside Queen Elizabeth's the II's Reign. Mum noticed the rude felt tip drawings inside his younger brother's books and snapped "Don't be horrid, Henry! Just look at poor Peter's library books, you'll have to pay for the damaged books out of your pocket money!" Henry was a Ruler of the Galaxy from a space themed computer game "I am Horrid Henry; ruler of the Galaxy, mhaaaaa!" Peter screamed "Help! Henry's throwing my books at me." He sobbed in terror and fright. When Dad finally got to the library "I am SO ashamed of you, Henry that's no pocket money for a month." Henry's dad stated to his wayward elder son "Now behave yourself or else."

XXXXXXX

When Henry's family were in Castletown Library; Dad, Mum and Peter marvelled at the tall shelves stacked full of books placed neatly by Dewey Decimal numbers much to Henry's interest.

In the children's section Horrid Henry was looking for younger children to bully, aha! He spied a Rhyme Time session with a librarian singing nursery rhymes playing an acoustic guitar to an audience of smelly nappy babies like Needy Neil, Lisping Lilly, Toddler Tom, Vomiting Vera and Weepy William.

He chose to replace some of the nursery rhyme lyrics with renditions of the Killer Boy Rats albums with the librarian looking horrified with the regards of their appropriateness "I don't think when you're down with homework is a nursery rhyme, you horrid boy!" she gave Henry the death stare but instead Henry was tormenting the toddlers with horror stories, several of them hid behind their parent's legs; wetting their nappies and wailing; some only just recently potty training.

# "When I'm down with homework, clock's ticking and your mates are waiting for you!" #

The librarian screeched "How dare you torment my Rhyme time regulars! How old are you?"

Horrid Henry answered the question quickly "Eleven."

"Exactly, so you are too old to be around toddlers aged 0-5 years old, go in the 11 Upwards section and find someone of your own age." She sternly told Henry where to go by pointing her forefinger at the Teen Section.

XXXXXXX

Henry discovered the graphic novels section of Castletown's Library and said "Maybe the library isn't so bad after all, as they call comics graphic novels." He went to borrow the brand new titles of Rapper Zapper, Mutant Max and Gross Class Zero scanned on to his library card as the librarian checked the barcodes and their authors on the computer, then printed out a ticket with the loans and dates of when they are due for return.

Perfect Peter was on one of Castletown's Library go online computers writing his Happy Hippos fanfiction on the computer as Henry usually always hogged the computer at home especially when it was his younger brother's turn and Mum would usually end up getting cross with Henry. For the oppressed younger sibling of the Lord High Majesty of the Purple Hand Gang this was paradise!

"Look at my Happy Hippos story I'm writing Mum," said a proud Perfect Peter, mum beamed "My clever and talented angel!" as he saved the story to his USB disk "Maybe you could print it out tomorrow to show Miss. Lovely on Monday."

Dad was in the Haynes manual section browsing under F for Ford humming to himself "Ah! Here's one for my Mondeo." And went to pick it up from the shelf, however Mum clocked and interpreted Horrid Henry's selections of books "Graphic novels is a fancy word for comics, they're not proper books go and borrow something else Henry or no TV for two months!"

Henry screamed "It's not fair, why can't I borrow graphic novels?!" Mum said with a stern look on her face "Because I said so, put them back right now!" The avid comic fan thought Mum was worse than Mrs. Battleaxe, Physical Education lessons with Soggy Sid and that slimy stringy stew Greasy Greta served in the Ashton Primary School canteen. Anything but fairy tales, information books and classical authors. Henry put the graphic novels in sight of the colouring tables filled with chubby looking kids scribbling on nursery colouring pages, when they wreck Henry's former loans in fat rainbow crayons and Berol felt tip pens.

The receptionist barked "Who defaced Castletown Library property?" as she spotted the overeager crayon marks on the graphic novels of Mutant Max, Gross Class Zero and Rapper Zapper done by the Rhyme time goers on most of the pages and the cover had worse marks of wobbly formed letters.

Henry stated strongly "It was the smelly nappy babies singing soppy nursery rhymes." As he tried to cover up his misdeeds, knowing he'll have pocket money damage penalties.

The receptionist put on her best teacher voice "Well you shouldn't have left the graphic novels on the colouring tables for toddlers to destroy, you should be setting an example as one of the senior child members."

Mum was embarrassed and gritted her teeth in shame "What do you say, Henry?"

Horrid Henry answered with a cheeky question "Wasn't me?"

Mum shouted "Get out of the library and into the car!"

Dad bemused at Horrid Henry's latest antics "I had to buy all those damaged graphic novels and I have never been so ashamed, Henry!"

Back at home Horrid Henry was punished severely for the library incident.

Mum shouted "Go to your room and that's no television for two months!"

Horrid Henry was sat on his bed with his comics and Fang his hamster "What's the point of parents who say you can't borrow any graphic novels from the library, as not proper reading books? I'll have to wait until I'm a grown up who can drive."