About the book

Mr. and Mrs. Twit are a nasty, unwashed couple who occupy a windowless house and spend their days playing spiteful practical jokes on one another. Mr. Twit hides glass eyes in beer mugs and Mrs. Twit bakes earthworms into spaghetti. Their cruelty extends to a family of Muggle-Wump monkeys, whom they keep caged and force to stand on their heads for hours. The plot centers on the monkeys’ revolt, aided by the colorful Roly-Poly Bird, as they use buckets of glue to trap the couple in a permanent, upside-down state.

Young readers who enjoy dark humor and physical comedy read this book for its focus on justice and hygiene. It provides children with a clear moral framework, famously stating that kind thoughts make a person beautiful while ugly thoughts visible on the face cannot be hidden by physical traits. Readers finish the story with a sense of satisfaction as the bullies undergo "The Shrinks" and disappear, proving that malice eventually leads to one's own ruin.

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