For my parents Peter and Brenda Clary JC For my nephew Joel Roberts-Maloney DR
A word of warning before I start it’s probably best to keep this book away from grown-ups They just won’t understand it They’ll say it’s a load of silly nonsense or ask Why don’t you read something more sensible Well grown-ups aren’t always right I’m a grown-up myself so I should know They read boring newspapers and tedious thick books with no pictures and no jokes in them where nothing interesting happens ever So much happens in THIS book I’m not even sure where to begin It is a very unusual 1
book As you are about to find out But unusual doesn’t mean it is silly or a load of nonsense It is a true story Make no mistake about it You will understand that Grown-ups won’t And if a grown-up happens to be reading this to you as a bedtime story then they must keep their remarks to themself There then I’ve gotten that off my chest so let’s begin Have you ever heard of the Bolds You probably have They’re a lovely family who live at 41 Fairfield Road in Teddington They’re always laughing always joking Mr Bold works in the local Christmas cracker factory writing the jokes Mrs Bold makes and sells elaborate hats at
the local market And their twins Betty and Bobby are such sweet adorable children Also living with them are Uncle Tony and Miranda who they rescued from a safari park Yes that’s right a safari park you did hear me correctly Because the Bolds are a rather unusual family who do unusual things We all have secrets but their secret is BIGGER and hairier than most You see behind closed doors they’re not a family like yours or mine A human family Oh dear me no They’re a family of hyenas pretending to be humans from the tips of their furry ears right down to their paws No one knows Except us 3
