We were on holiday in Norfolk when my son bought his first Beano annual and discovered the chaos and mischief of Dennis and Gnasher. For us it was rather special because as a child with Asperger Syndrome he loved factual books and he was very uncomfortable about reading fiction. I remember him crying when he read Cat in the Hat because it didn't make sense. Dennis led him into a world of mischief and imagination and the Beano was his first stepping stone towards enjoying fiction. He was passionate about his comics and he amassed a huge collection of Beano annuals and comics and everything had a Beano theme. He had a wooden go-kart, pea shooters, a collection of catapults and other essential items to emulate his hero.Perhaps Dennis the Menace wasn't a perfect role model, but he wasn't so bad, he taught my son to have fun, and the cartoons always showed that bad behaviour has consequences. Best of all he managed to turn my son into an enthusiastic reader and the little boy who loved the Beano so much is now a young man who hopes to study English at university.
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