A welcome change of pace from deep heavy themes and thrilling intrigues and conspiracies, this is a story of family and children and also a narrative of movie making.I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted family friendly tale! A mysterious nanny with magical powers appears just when the Green family needs her most. Father has gone off to war (World War II), the rich, bratty cousins have come to escape the bombing in London, and Mrs. Green will lose the farm if she can't get the barley harvest in. Her job at a general store is in chaos due to the elderly and confused owner who puts everything in the wrong places and there is also chaos at home, as her children and their cousins simply cannot get along. Here comes Nanny McPhee to the rescue, a fatter and uglier version of Mary Poppins, but no less effective in getting unruly children to actually want to behave themselves! Amid many mishaps, including an unscrupulous uncle and a septet of unusually talented baby piglets, order is finally restored and everyone is happy again.In amongst the "chapters" of the storyline are interspersed entries of Emma Thompson's diary of the filming of the movie. I found this somewhat distracting, and would rather have read the diary separately from the story. It was entertaining in itself, though.

I typed in the ISBN for a hard copy, but this indicates that it is a Kindle edition. It is in fact a hard copy.

Funny, funny, funny! Emma Thompson is a treasure. Chapters alternate between the Nanny McPhee story and Emma telling us about her experience making the movie. ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

What an absolute delight! NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS was a very entertaining story for the entire family to listen to! I've not seen either movie or read any books associated with Nanny McPhee, but that didn't hinder me from enjoying this tale. Read by the author and well-known actress Emma Thompson, the listener is transported to the English countryside.

The story introduces the listeners to the Green family. Their mother was born to a wealthy family, but after she falls in love with a poor farmer, she is disowned. That suits her fine, and the family is happy and content. But then Mr. Green has to serve in the military, and the mom and three children are left to run the farm until his return.

Mrs. Green's sister dumps her two children at the farm to protect them from the war, and the five children are at odds from the beginning. Mrs. Green is desperate for money and can't handle all five children, and is worried they will lose the farm. It is at this point that Nanny McPhee enters the picture to save the day.

Throw in the magical presence of Nanny McPhee, an unscrupulous brother-in-law trying to convince Mrs. Green to sell the farm, and adorable little piglets, and you get the enchanting story that is NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS.

The audio book recounts both the story as well as includes a verbal diary by Ms. Thompson of the filming of the movie. The diary entries are as funny, if not sometimes more so, than the actual story being told.

A discretionary note here, though. Though the story itself is suitable for all ages, especially as the main characters are young children, there may be a few objectionable words in the diary. Nothing vulgar, but a few swear words, and a reference to a woman's upper body parts. The usage is quite amusing, but some parents may find it unsuitable. ( )