M rs.

D o u btfire
THE B R I L L I A N T L Y FUNNY FILM FROM
T W E N T I E T H C EN T U R Y FOX
BASED ON THE NOVEL

M adame
D oubtfire

ANNE FINE
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12,6
4G UIN REA DERS (A)
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 Madame Doubtjive

A N N E FINE

Level 3

Adapted by J.Y. K. K err from a novel by A nne Fine

Series Editors: Andy H opkins and Jocelyn Potter

S p * ’*-

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Stadtbibliothek
N e u k S lin
Hauptoibliothek
Heiene-Nathan-Bibtiothek
 Pearson E d u cation L im ited
Edinburgh Gate, Harlow,
Essex CM 20 2JE, England
and Associated Companies throughout the world.

ISBN: 978-1-4058-8192-0

First published by Hamish Hamilton Children’s Books 1987

This adaptation first published by Penguin Books Ltd 1995
Published by Addison Wesley Longman Ltd and Penguin Books Ltd 1998
N ew edition first published 1999
This edition first published 2008

3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Text copyright © J.Y. K. Kerr 1995

Illustrations copyright © Rowan Clifford 1995

The moral right o f the adapter and o f the illustrator has been asserted

Typeset by Graphicraft Ltd, H ong Kong

Set in ll/1 4 p t Bembo
Printed in China
S W T C /02

A ll rights reserved; no part o f this publication may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transm itted in any fo rm or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying *recording or otherwise, without the
prior written permission ^ the Publishers.

Published by Pearson Education Ltd in association with

Penguin Books Ltd, both companies being subsidiaries o f Pearson Pic

For a complete list o f the titles available in the Penguin Readers series please write to your local
Pearson Longman office or to: Penguin Readers Marketing Department, Pearson Education,
Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, Essex CM 20 2JE, England.
 Contents

page
V
Introduction
A Q uiet A fternoon Tea w ith Dad 1
C hapter 1
N aked in Front o f the N eighbours 7
C hapter 2
A Visit from the Stone W om an 10
C hapter 3
Saying the R ig h t Thing 14
Chapter 4
Learning to D o the N ew Job 16
C hapter 5
H appy Families 22
C hapter 6
Actors and Happy Pigs 25
C hapter 7
C hapter 8 D o n ’t M end the R o o f on the Day
o f a Storm 29

C hapter 9 A B ook at Bedtim e 34

Activities 40
 Introduction

W ANTED: C L E A N E R W H O C A N A L S O L O O K A F T E R
CHILDREN. P H O N E 43184.
Suddenly; Daniel had a wonderful idea. . . he quickly put a line
through Miranda's telephone number and wrote his number.

Daniel and M iranda Hilliard are m arried but they d o n ’t live

together. In fact, they are at war, and that war is hurting their
three children, Lydia, C hristopher and Natalie. Daniel loves his
children. He wants to see them m ore often. B ut M iranda, their
mother, doesn’t let him. M iranda has the house, M iranda has
the children. And Daniel can’t do anything about it. B ut then
Miranda decides to get a cleaning wom an, and Daniel has a crazy
plan. . .

Anne Fine was b o rn in Leicester, England, one o f five girls. After

university, she becam e a teacher and got m arried. She w rote
her first book in 1978. She and her husband and two daughters
lived in Scotland, Canada and California. W h en her m arriage
ended, she returned to Britain. She has w ritten about tw enty-
five books, mostly for young readers. Some o f them are about
children w ith divorced parents. O thers are about children w ith
problems at school. T he children in her stories are often wiser
than the adults.
Anne Fine learned to w rite stories at school. T he teacher gave
the class story titles, and the children had to w rite in silence for
two hours. Today, Anne Fine still writes her stories w ith a pencil
and rubber —and in silence.

The book Madame Doubtfire came out in 1987. T here is now a

successful film o f the story called Mrs Doubtfire. It was made in
1993 and R o b in Williams plays the part o f M rs Doubtfire.

v
 Chapter 1 A Q u iet A ftern o o n Tea w ith D ad

It was tea-tim e on a Tuesday. T he three children were on the

stairs, going up to their father’s apartm ent. N obody w anted to
carry the envelope. Lydia, w ho was the tallest, pushed it inside
Christophers shirt. C hristopher pulled it out and said ‘Here,
Natty, give this to D ad.’ Natalie shook her head angrily and put
her hands behind her back, so C hristopher dropped it dow n the
front o f her dress. W h en D aniel Hilliard opened the door to
welcome them , he could see tears in N atalie’s eyes.
‘W hat is it you do to your sister?’ he asked the other two.
‘She’s going to cry again.’ Lydia looked away. C hristopher
turned red.
‘Sorry,’ they said.
Daniel carried Natalie, his youngest daughter, into the kitchen
and sat her on the table. T h en he noticed the letter inside her
dress and took it out.
‘Aha!’ he said. ‘A nother letter from the Stone Woman! And
how is she, your m other?’
‘She thought she was getting a cold last week,’ said Lydia, ‘but
then she got better.’
‘That’s a pity,’ said D aniel.‘I m ean, I’m glad.’
Nobody spoke. C hristopher was sitting next to his pet quail in
its box, singing to it softly. T he bird looked like a little grey ball.
It jum ped up and down, m aking excited noises.
‘Daddy, M um m y sends you her love,’ said Natalie sweetly.
‘Love from the Stone W oman? I d o n ’t believe it,’ answered
Daniel.
Natalie looked sad and hid her face.
‘Poor Natty, it’s hard for you, isn’t it?’ said Daniel and gave her
a kiss.

1
 ‘W hy d o n ’t you try a bit harder?’ said Lydia. ‘You d o n ’t make
it any easier for her, know.’
‘W hat do you m ean by that?’
‘I m ean we only com e here on Tuesdays for tea and every
second weekend,’ Lydia explained. ‘It isn’t m uch — we all
know that. So it’s nicer for N atty if she doesn’t have to spend the
time listening to all the unpleasant things you say about our
m other.’
‘You’re right,’ said Daniel. ‘I must try harder. And I w on’t
read the letter now. I’ll read it later. I’m sure it’s not
im portant.’
Lydia and C hristopher looked at each other quickly. They
already knew what the letter said. T hen the w arm smell o f
cooking reached them from the oven. ‘T he bread!’ said Daniel.
‘Are you ready to eat?’
T he three children suddenly became alive. Lydia moved her
father’s papers from the table top. C hristopher looked for clean
plates, knives and spoons for each person. Natalie w ent to bring
glasses and a bottle o f milk. Daniel took the hot bread out o f the
oven and put it on a dish. It lay there for a minute, big and round;
then suddenly it got m uch smaller.
‘W hat a pity!’ said Natalie sadly.
‘M um says that often happens if you cook it too long,’ said
Lydia. But Daniel didn’t agree. ‘I didn’t cook it too long,’ he told
them . ‘It waited too long. Like me, it had to wait forty minutes
until your m other was ready to bring you here.’
This annoyed Lydia. ‘It isn’t very easy for her, you know, being
a single parent,’ she said.
‘You d o n ’t need to tell me that,’ said Daniel. ‘I’m a single
parent too. Your m other has the three o f you w ith her for most
o f the week but I d o n ’t. N ow I’ve lost forty m inutes o f the very
short time I have w ith you, just because she can’t be here on time
and doesn’t w orry about my feelings.’ Picking up a big kitchen

2
Daniel took the hot bread out of the oven and put it on a dish.
It lay therefor a minute, big and round; then suddenly it got
much smaller.
knife, Daniel pretended to cut the teapot’s throat. C hristopher
watched w ith a bored face but Natalie was ready to start crying
again.
‘O h, please stop being so stupid, Dad,’ said Lydia, still
annoyed. ‘N atty s going to cry again. You tell us not to do it
and then you do just the same.’ She turned to her sister.
‘Stop being a baby, Natty. H e hasn’t hurt the teapot. O r
M um . H e can’t control himself. You just have to learn not to
notice.’
‘I promise you I’ll be better in future,’ said Daniel
quickly. ‘W h en your m other brings you on Friday, I’ll be
perfect - wait and see.’
Lydia and C hristopher kept quite still. Natalie noticed this
immediately. H er eyes got bigger and m ore tears began to fall.
Daniel gave her his handkerchief. ‘T here’s no problem w ith
next weekend, I hope?’ Lydia and C hristopher looked away
and said nothing. Suddenly Daniel understood. Pushing
Natalie to one side he jum ped up, took the envelope and
opened it quickly.
‘O h how can she be so selfish, so thoughtless —’
‘Dad!’
‘R ob b in g me o f my weekends. H ow dare she!’
‘Dad, please!’
‘I’ll m urder her! Sometimes I feel I want to cut her throat!’
‘No, Daddy, no!’ Natalie ran over to her father and started
hitting him as hard as she could.
Lydia was just as angry. ‘Really, Dad! W hat are you thinking
o f? ’
C hristopher, deeply unhappy, w ent to sit on the floor next to
H etty the quail. H e hated quarrels. H e asked his fat little pet what
she thought o f all this screaming and shouting.
‘I’m sorry, Natty,’ said Daniel. ‘I promise I w o n ’t say any more
unkind things about your m other.’

4
Daniel pretended to cut the teapot’s throat.
 ‘Really and truly?’ said Natalie, looking straight at him. ‘W hat
does the letter say?’
‘Your m other thinks that Lydia and C hristopher need some
new clothes. So, instead o f bringing you here, she’s keeping
you all over Friday night to take you shopping on Saturday
m orning.’
‘It isn’t right,’ said C hristopher. ‘It is D ad’s weekend this
tim e.’ H e tu rned to his father. ‘Phone her up and tell her it’s
your weekend, not hers.’
‘Perhaps she’ll say yes this time,’ said Natalie.
‘She never does,’ said Lydia hopelessly.
Daniel looked at the three sad faces. From the next room came
the sound o f the telephone. They sat silent. ‘I’ll get it,’ said
Daniel finally.
‘N o,’ said Lydia, T/Z get it.’ W hen she left the room Daniel
saw Natalie putting her fingers in her ears. W hen she came back,
Lydia’s face was white. ‘That call was really for you,’ she said
to her brother. ‘M um couldn’t wait until you got home. She
w anted you to know at once.’
‘K now what?’ asked Christopher, looking frightened.
‘T he cat killed your pet hamsters, H enry and Madge. T hey’re
both dead. T here was blood all over the floor.’
Lydia was in tears. C hristopher hid his face, his shoulders
shaking. Natalie put her fingers in her ears again. Daniel
looked at his shocked children. ‘It’s just like M iranda to make
us all unhappy,’ he said. ‘O ne day I really will cut her throat!’
Luckily Natalie, w ith her fingers still in her ears, couldn’t hear
him.
 Chapter 2 N aked in Front o f the N eigh b ou rs

It was six o ’clock - nearly time for the children to go. Daniel
h ad a piece o f news w hich he w anted to tell them personally.
‘L isten,’ he said, ‘I’ve got a jo b .’ (Daniel was an actor but these
days h e was always out o f work.) T he children looked up, trying
n o t to laugh. ‘It’s dow n at the art school: four m ornings and two
evenings a week. It’s not really an acting jo b but it’s quite well
p a id .’
Lydia asked, ‘W hat do you have to do, Dad?’
‘And w hat do you have to wear for this job, Dad?’ called out
Natalie, laughing.
‘You knew! You knew already!’ shouted Daniel.
C hristopher gave a big smile. ‘M u m ’s terribly angry about it,’
he said. ‘I’ve never seen her so w ild.’
‘I d o n ’t know why she’s angry. She’s always telling me that
I’m late w ith the m oney I send her. W hy isn’t she pleased that
I’ve got a jo b at last?’
‘But what a job, Dad,’ said Lydia. ‘M odelling w ith no clothes
o n !’
‘It’s a real job. Som eone has to do it. I think I’m quite good
at it.’
‘Mrs H ooper thinks so too,’ C hristopher told him.
‘Mrs Hooper? Your n ext-door neighbour? H ow does she
know ?’
‘She’s a student in one o f the art groups. She’s painted you.’
‘I d o n ’t believe it,’ said Daniel.
‘It’s true,’ said Natalie. ‘M r H ooper came round to show the
painting to M um . H e said it was shocking.’
‘O h did he?’ said Daniel. ‘And w hat did your m other
say?’
.‘She said it was shocking too; but she also laughed at it.’
Your m other is usually m uch too busy w ith her w ork at the

7
Lighting C entre to laugh about anything. W hy is everyone
against my new jo b ?’
‘M um says you w o n ’t make m uch m oney from it,’ explained
Lydia.‘N o t as m uch as our cleaning-wom an, she says.’
Daniel was surprised. ‘B ut you d o n ’t have a cleaning-woman;
and you d o n ’t need one. Your m other’s house is beautifully
clean. H ow m uch does she pay this person?’
‘Three pounds an hour.’
‘W hat?’ Daniel was shocked. ‘Three pounds an hour for
cleaning a house that’s clean already? Are you sure?’
‘Part o f the jo b is looking after us w hen we get back from
school - until M um gets hom e at half-past six. T here’s a bit o f
cooking, too,’ Lydia explained.
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Daniel. ‘So that’s how she spends the
m oney I send her.’
‘It probably isn’t your money,’ said Lydia. ‘It’s probably hers.
She says she has to travel a lot this year and she needs to leave us
w ith the right kind o f person.’
‘W hy can’t she leave you w ith me? I ’m the right kind o f
person and I’m also your father.’
‘You know she w on’t agree to that, Dad,’ said Christopher.
‘We did ask her but she said it just gives her too many problem s.’
‘We like being here w ith you m uch m ore than being there
w ith som ebody we d o n ’t really know. But it isn’t going to
happen, is it?’ said Lydia.
‘I can ask your m other,’ said Daniel. The children were silent.
‘O r perhaps I’ll try som ething different.’ A far-away light came
into his eyes: it m eant that he was daydreaming again. W ithout
thinking, he took out his purple handkerchief and tied it round
the loaf o f bread in front o f him. H e pulled hard and pieces o f
bread flew all over the room.
T he children looked at him w ith shocked faces but said
nothing.
He took out his purple handkerchief and tied it round the loaf of
’read in front of him. He pulled hard and pieces o f breadflew all
over the room.
 C hapter 3 A V isit from the Stone W om an

W hile they were still picking bits o f bread off the floor, they
heard the sound o f M iranda’s car from the street. Daniel looked
at the time: it was only tw enty minutes to seven.
‘T h at’s M um ,’ said Natalie.
‘Surely not,’ said Daniel. It’s m uch too soon.’ B ut the
children began to run around the room picking up their
things.
‘Stop!’ Daniel shouted. ‘Listen to me, all o f you. This can’t go
on. She brings you here forty minutes late and you d o n ’t dare
to say a word to her. And now she comes to get you twenty
minutes early and you’re all afraid that maybe she’ll have to wait
for half an hour. You’re not just her children, you’re my children
too. You have to tell your m other that this time she has gone
too far!’
‘No,’ said C hristopher, 'you have to tell her that!’
‘W ho? M e?’ said Daniel. ‘All right, I will.’
Just then there was a loud noise and the front door
flew open, hitting the wall. M iranda Hilliard, businesswoman
and D irector o f Hilliard’s Lighting Centre, stood in the
doorway.
‘G ood evening, D an.’
‘Evening, M iranda.’
‘Your front d o o r’s a bit hard to open.’
‘It was locked.’
‘O h, was it?’ She looked back at the door, not very
interested. She began to look round the dirty, untidy room.
‘W h at’s this thing here?’ she asked, pointing to the quail in its
box.
‘T h at’s Hetty, C hristopher’s quail. D o n ’t you rem em ber?’
‘Does it make m uch mess? O r noise?’ she asked. ‘If it’s not
noisy, w e’ll take it.’

10
Miranda Hilliard, businesswoman, stood in the doorway.
 ‘Listen/ said Daniel. ‘This isn’t a shop, it’s a home. It’s
C hristopher’s quail. You can’t buy it.’
‘D o n ’t be so silly, Daniel. I d o n ’t want to buy it, I want to
take it. It will be nice for C hristopher to have in place o f his
dead hamsters. Try not to be so selfish. Now, children, pick up
your things. We must hurry.’ She took an envelope from her
bag. ‘We have to leave this at the newspaper office on the way
hom e.’
‘Is that the advertisement for the cleaning-wom an?’ Lydia
asked her m other. It was D aniel’s time to speak, but he didn’t
know w hat to say. ‘Can I read it?’ he asked. It said:

WANTED:
C L E A N E R W H O C A N ALSO
LOOK AFTER CHILDREN
P H O N E : 43184

Daniel saw Natalie’s face, full o f hope, watching him. ‘Miranda,

you d o n ’t need to pay a cleaning-wom an or a housekeeper. T he
children can com e here after school and you can pick them up
on your way hom e from w ork.’
M iranda was not really listening. ‘I’ll think about it,’ she said,
looking bored. Daniel could see another big tear but this time
it was running dow n C hristopher’s face. It fell on to the
w riting o f the advertisement and made a small blue river down
the paper.
Suddenly Daniel had a wonderful idea. ‘Here, I’ll put that
right,’ he said, pointing to the place w here the tear fell. H e
pretended to make the w ord clearer. At the same time he quickly
put a line through M iranda’s telephone num ber and w rote his
num ber instead. ‘There, that’s better,’ he said. H e put the piece
o f paper back in its envelope and pressed the envelope shut. ‘D o
you need a stamp, M iranda?’ he asked.

12
He quickly put a line through Miranda’s telephone number and wrote
his number instead.
 ‘N o thanks. C hristopher can drop it into the letter-box at the
newspaper office on the way. Goodbye, Daniel. T he children
will see you on Saturday w hen w e’ve finished our shopping. I’m
not sure w hat tim e that will be.’
Daniel put his arms round each o f the children. They looked
at him sadly. After they left, he began to dream o f new ways o f
killing his difficult wife.

C hapter 4 Saying the R igh t T h in g

M iranda got only four telephone calls in answer to her

advertisement. This was surprising. All the w om en w ho called
had strangely low voices. T he first caller said she didn’t like
girls and another caller thought that these children were too
old for her. T he last call came many hours later, just
w hen M iranda was beginning to lose hope. Like the other
callers, the speaker’s voice was quite deep and not very clear.
‘Two girls and a boy? T h at’s just lovely! I like children o f any
age.’
‘T h ere’s a little cooking,’ said Miranda.
‘I only do real cooking, you know,’ said the voice. ‘N o food
from packets. N o w w hen shall I com e round and see you? Seven
thirty tom orrow evening? And your name, dear? And the
address?’
M iranda quickly agreed. ‘And you are . .. Mrs . . . ?’
‘M adame, dear. M adame Doubtfire. Till tom orrow
th en .’
Natalie was the first to m eet her. She heard a quiet knock
on the front door and opened it. M adame Doubtfire was a
very big person, dressed in a full pink coat, a long thick skirt
and heavy black shoes. H er hair was tied up in a kind o f
towel. ‘You must be little Natalie,’ she said. ‘I’m M adame

14
Doubtfire, dear. Going up to bed, are we? C om e on then, up
we go.’
Natalie quickly cleaned her teeth and sat on the toilet.
Soon she was in bed. M adame Doubtfire picked up N atalies
favourite storybook and read it to her from beginning
to end.
‘G ood night. Sleep well.’
‘G ood night, Daddy.’
‘Shhh! You m ustn’t call me that. I’m M adame
D oubtfire.’
‘All right, M adame D oubtfire.’
‘T h at’s better.’ H e gave her a kiss but already she was fast
asleep. W hen M adame Doubtfire w ent downstairs again, she and
M iranda m et in the kitchen.
M iranda was very surprised. ‘Asleep? Are you sure?’
‘Q uite sure,’ said M adame Doubtfire.
‘I’ll just go up and look,’ said Miranda.
‘Please do.’
W hile M iranda ran upstairs, Daniel said a quick hello to H etty
the quail and looked round the kitchen.
‘Sleeping beautifully,’ said M iranda. She made some coffee
and began to look closely at this large, strange wom an w ith the
heavy m ake-up on her face. She looked odd but she seemed very
kind.
‘You d o n ’t live w ith your husband, dear?’ asked M adame
Doubtfire.
‘No, w e’re divorced, I’m glad to say. H e ’s a very difficult m an.’
Madame D oubtfire got to her feet but M iranda said quickly,
‘Please d o n ’t go yet. Stay and m eet the other two children. And
then, if you like them
Just then they heard the sound o f laughing at the back door.
Here they are, back from swimming. And they’ll be so hungry.’
Miranda w ent to the fridge.

15
 M adame D oubtfire turned to m eet the newcom ers. ‘Hello,
I’m M adame Doubtfire. I’ve com e about the housekeeping job. I
hope w e’ll be friends.’
Lydia looked very hard at this big, strangely dressed woman.
N obody spoke. T hen C hristopher threw his wet swimming
things on the floor and said angrily, ‘W hy can’t D ad look after
us?’
‘Young man, is that the way you usually speak to your
m other?’ said M adame Doubtfire. C hristopher turned bright
red. Lydia’s m outh fell open. M iranda nearly dropped the plate
she was holding. M adame Doubtfire w ent on:
‘Your m other has had a long, hard day, m aking m oney to pay
for your hom e and your swimming. And now you are rude to
her in front o f a perfect stranger. We do n ’t like to hear that from
you, C hristopher.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said C hristopher quietly.
M eanwhile Lydia was looking very hard at M adame
Doubtfire. She seemed strangely excited. ‘O h C hristopher,
you’re so stupid,’ she said, pulling him by his jacket. ‘C om e on!
Upstairs! W e’ve got so m uch hom ew ork to do, we must get
started. So nice to m eet you,’ she called to M adame Doubtfire.
‘I’m sure w e’ll be great friends. And C hristopher too, o f course.’
M iranda lay back in her chair. ‘Well, M adame Doubtfire,
everybody likes you, you see.’
‘T h ey ’re lovely children, dear. But I do think your little boy
needs a strong hand.’
M iranda smiled. ‘I quite agree,’ she said. ‘And M adame
Doubtfire, the jo b ’s yours!’

Chapter 5 Learning to D o the N ew Job

It was two weeks later. Lydia and Christopher, back from school,

16
'Hello, I ’m Madame Doubtfire. I ’ve come about the housekeeping
job. I hope we’ll befriends.’
 were working hard, cleaning and tidying their bedrooms, while
M adame Doubtfire watched them . She was sm oking a small
cigar. ‘M ake the house really tidy,’ she told them , ‘or I’ll lose my
jo b .’
‘W hy do you get the m oney for cleaning the house
while we have to do the work?’ asked C hristopher, feeling
annoyed. ‘And w hat are we having for supper? W e’re so
hungry.’
‘Listen,’ said M adame Doubtfire, ‘I help you w ith your
hom ework. I do the washing. I haven’t time to do all the
shopping and cooking too. W hat about quail for supper?’
‘You mean eat H etty?’ said Christopher, terribly shocked. ‘We
can’t possibly do that! D o n ’t w orry about cooking the meal.
Lydia and I will do it.’
M adame Doubtfire sat dow n and looked out o f the w indow
w ith a smile on her face.
T he two older children understood that Daniel and M adame
Doubtfire were the same person. Lydia thought it was funny.
C hristopher was always w orried, asking himself, ‘W hat if our
m other finds out?’ B ut Natalie wanted to believe in M adame
Doubtfire. So now Daniel was careful to drink his beer in a
teacup and to smoke his cigars only w hen Natalie wasn’t there.
Every day before tea-tim e he locked him self in the bathroom for
a second shave.
Natalie liked to follow M adame Doubtfire round the house,
talking about her school, her games and her daddy.
‘I’m going to give my daddy a tie for his birthday,’ she said. ‘A
pink one.’
‘T h at’s nice, dear,’ said M adame Doubtfire.
‘D o you think he likes pink?’
‘W hy not ask him , dear?’
‘Yes, I will ask him, w hen we go to tea next Tuesday.’
W hen M iranda got hom e, she was very tired.

18
 ‘J ust before I go, dear,’ said M adame Doubtfire, ‘the children’s
father phoned.’
‘O h God, w hat did he want this tim e?’
‘H e doesn’t phone very often, you know,’ said M adame
Doubtfire.
But M iranda didn’t forgive people easily. ‘H e doesn’t need to
phone at any time. H e knows the children’s program me o f visits
perfectly well by now. So w hat did he want?’
‘H e wants to take the children to the theatre on Saturday
afternoon.’
Natalie gave a happy, excited scream.
‘This Saturday? B ut it’s my weekend this Saturday,’ said
M iranda, looking angry.
‘But you’re away until six on Saturday, dear, at that m eeting in
W olverhampton. T h at’s w hat you said,’ M adame Doubtfire told
her.
C hristopher ran up to his m other. ‘O h, please can we go w ith
Dad on Saturday, M um? We haven’t been to the theatre for
years! Please, please, please!’
‘O h I d o n ’t know,’ said M iranda, feeling annoyed. ‘W hy does
he always give me problems? H e ’s impossible!’
It was time for M adame Doubtfire to speak. ‘I think this is
your m o th er’s way o f saying “yes”, dears,’ she said. ‘Your father
is Daniel Hilliard, isn’t he? I’ve seen him acting, you know. H e ’s
very good.’
Lydia was smiling, but C hristopher was w orried that his father
was trying to be too clever. ‘Your bus!’ he cried. ‘You m ustn’t
miss your bus!’
M adame Doubtfire picked up her coat and bag and ran to the
door, blowing kisses at the children. ‘Goodbye, my dears,’ she
called.‘U ntil tom orrow !’
W hen M iranda w ent upstairs, she found every room clean and
tidy. ‘M adame Doubtfire is wonderful,’ she thought, ‘but she’s

20
(Oh, please can we go with Dad on Saturday, Mum?
We haven’t been to the theatre for years!’
also very odd.’ She turned to C hristopher. ‘H ow do you like
M adame D oubtfire?’ she asked.
‘O h she’s great, just great,’ was the answer.
‘W hat do you think, Lydia?’ M iranda w anted to know. ‘D o n ’t
you think she’s strange?’
‘Well,’ Lydia sm iled,‘she is a little strange.’
‘B ut d o n ’t you think it’s better than having m ore time w ith
your father?’
‘Well, perhaps not better, but I have to say it’s different.’
N atalie’s answer was, ‘I think M adame Doubtfire is the person
I like best in the w hole w orld.’
‘B ut w hat about Dad?’ Lydia asked her.
Natalie suddenly looked terribly frightened. At first she didn’t
answer. T hen she breathed deeply and said, ‘I think I like them
both .. .just the same!’

C hapter 6 H appy Fam ilies

‘H ow about a nice cup o f tea, dear?’

M iranda, just back from her work, was sitting in front o f the
w arm fire. She gladly took the cup w hich M adame Doubtfire
was offering. T he tea, the fire, the comfortable chair: everything
was perfect. M adame Doubtfire did look a little strange but she
was perfect too. It was wonderful to com e hom e to a clean house
and find the supper ready and the children quietly doing their
hom ework.
‘I’ll just build up the fire before I go,’ said Madame
Doubtfire.
‘You’re wonderful, M adame Doubtfire. You’re better than a
husband!’
‘O h really?’ said M adame Doubtfire, picking up her handbag.
‘W hy is your husband so terrible?’

22
 ‘O h h e ’s just an impossible person!’ And M iranda began to
tell her about all D aniel’s crazy adventures, starting w ith their
wedding day. ‘You hope people will change after they get
married, but they d o n ’t. In the end I felt so ashamed o f all the
terrible things he did. I was very unhappy.’
‘Well, it all happened long ago, dear,’ said M adame Doubtfire.
‘It’s all over now.’
‘You think it’s over?’ said M iranda w ith strong feeling.
‘Just look at this! M r H ooper from next door brought it round
a few days ago.’ She pulled som ething out from behind a
cupboard. It was one o f Mrs H o o p er’s paintings from the art
school. It showed D aniel’s naked body, all out o f shape and
painted in unpleasant pink and purple colours, looking terribly
ugly. T he worst thing, o f course, was that he had no clothes
on.
Daniel w anted to shut his eyes but he had to look. ‘O h my
God!’ he said weakly.
Lydia and C hristopher began to laugh. ‘It isn’t funny,’ said
Miranda. ‘And w hat’s worse, I found out today that your father
is planning to do his m odelling right here in my own
hom e.’
T hey were all too surprised to speak. D id M iranda know the
true facts about M adame Doubtfire? ‘T h at’s right, look
shocked,’ M iranda continued. ‘H e ’s going to be here in this
room m odelling for the art group —naked! It’s all because the art
school is closing for half-term and Mrs H ooper has w orkm en in
her house. I told her the group could m eet here. O h, why was I
so stupid?’
M adame Doubtfire was looking w orried. ‘I’m sure they can
find another place to m eet, dear.’
‘T h at’s w hat I thought; but they say they can’t.’
‘So they’re all com ing here?’
‘At ten o ’clock next Tuesday m orning.’

23
She picked up the painting. ‘Isn’t it really and truly terrible? going
to throw it out right now!>
 ‘I’m so glad I d o n ’t com e on Tuesdays, dear. Thankfully I shall
miss it.’
‘But you must be here!’ said M iranda. ‘T hink o f all those
strangers in the house! W hen you started this job, you agreed to
come at other times if I needed you. This is one o f those times. I
must have you here.’ She picked up the painting. ‘Isn’t it really
and truly terrible? I’m going to throw it out right now !’ M iranda
went to leave the picture outside the back door, and D aniel’s
eyes followed every m ovem ent she made. H e pretended to throw
a bom b at her, then turned and saw the three children watching
him.
‘N o t here, Dad,’ said Lydia quietly. ‘N o t here in her own
hom e.’
‘Sorry,’ said Daniel, feeling asham ed.‘Sorry, Lydia.’

C hapter 7 A ctors and H appy Pigs

The trip to the theatre was not as enjoyable as Daniel hoped. The
tickets were cheap ones and they couldn’t see the play very well
from that part o f the theatre. Natalie tried to see better by sitting
on D aniel’s knee, but she fell asleep almost immediately. In fact
the play wasn’t very suitable for children, so he was glad that she
slept through it. It was about a husband and wife w ho were
happily m arried and another husband and wife w ho were
unhappily m arried. There was a lot o f shouting and screaming.
Natalie felt so heavy that D aniel’s arm and both his legs lost all
feeling by the end o f the play. B ut both Lydia and C hristopher
thought the play was wonderful. ‘T he best acting I’ve ever seen,’
said Lydia. ‘T heir feelings were so real, w eren’t they?’
‘O h, it’s just acting. It’s just a job,’ said Daniel. ‘You d o n ’t
really have to feel all those feelings w hen you’re acting, you
know.’

25
The play was about a husband and wife who were happily married and
another husband and wife who were unhappily married.
 ‘Is it time to go hom e now?’ asked C hristopher. Daniel knew
that ‘h o m e’ for the children m eant Springer Avenue. This
annoyed him, so he decided to take them back to his hom e
instead o f to M iranda’s.
W hen they were in D aniel’s flat, C hristopher suddenly said,
‘You’re a good actor, Dad. W hy didn’t you stay in the family and
pretend to be happy instead o f leaving? You’ve just told us acting
is only a job, you d o n ’t really feel all those feelings, so why didn’t
you stay?’
Suddenly Daniel became so angry he seemed to go crazy. H e
took C hristopher by the neck and threw him against the wall.
‘Why, why, why?’ he shouted. ‘Because a jo b is just a jo b but real
life is real!’ Slowly he began to control him self and took his
hands away from his son’s throat.
‘I’m sorry,’ C hristopher said, very frightened. ‘I didn’t mean
any o f that.’
‘O f course you m eant it!’ said Daniel, still angry. ‘You want
me to live in that house day after day, year after year, living a lie
w ith your m other, just pretending it’s an acting jo b ?’
To his surprise it was Lydia w ho said, ‘And why not? You
and M um had us children to look after. You can’t just stop
being a father because you decide you can’t live w ith your
wife.’
Daniel became m uch angrier than before. ‘H ow dare you?’ he
shouted. ‘Have I ever stopped being your father?’
‘B ut you didn’t have to leave, Dad. W hy not just act, the way
C hristopher said?’
‘Because I’m a living person, that’s why! I’m real! I breathe, I
think, I feel. I have only one life and I want to live it, not act it.
I’m not a happy pig!’
Slowly Daniel became calmer. T he three o f them w ent to the
sitting-room w here Natalie was. ‘W hat did you mean about
happy pigs?’ asked Lydia finally.

27
 ‘It’s just that some things are im portant,’ answered Daniel. ‘A
famous man once said, “It is better to be an unhappy thinker
than a happy pig.” ’
T he children thought about this. ‘Probably he was right,’ said
Lydia. C hristopher agreed but Natalie didn’t. ‘I like pigs,’ she
said.
‘I can’t spend every day acting just to have a quiet life,’ said
Daniel.
‘B ut what about you and M adame Doubtfire? T h at’s acting,
isn’t it? And the worst thing is that we have to act too. Being
w ith M adame Doubtfire isn’t like being w ith you w hen you’re
D ad.’
Just then they heard the sound o f the phone.
‘I’ll get it,’ said Daniel. ‘Listen to this piece o f acting!’ H e
began speaking into the phone. ‘Lovely to hear from you,
M iranda. W hat, seven o ’clock already? And you want them back
immediately? You’re sending a taxi and want me to pay? O f
course. N o problem. So sorry. Yes. Goodbye, M iranda.’ H e
gave the telephone to Lydia. ‘Here, your m um wants a quick
w ord.’
Lydia’s conversation was m uch the same. C hristopher was
sm iling.‘Maybe Lydia is good at acting too.’
‘It’s true,’ said Lydia. ‘It wasn’t a very real phone call, was it?
We can all stop, you know.’
‘All stop what?’
‘Stop acting. And being happy pigs. We can say w hat w e’re
really thinking, instead.’
It was time for the children to go. Daniel gave Lydia the
m oney for the taxi and said goodbye. ‘You realize that if
there’s no m ore acting, M adame Doubtfire will have to leave her
jo b ?’
‘W e’ll think o f some other way to see m ore o f you,’ Lydia
called back, waving from the taxi. >

28
 T he taxi drove away and Daniel began daydreaming again.
‘War,’ he said softly ‘War.’ This tim e he dreamed o f sending
aeroplanes to bom b M iranda in Springer Avenue.
‘And now M adame Doubtfire has to w rite and tell her
that she can’t go on w ith the job,’ he said to himself,
smiling.

C hapter 8 D o n ’t M end the R o o f on

the D ay o f a S torm

Daniel arrived for work at Springer Avenue on Tuesday m o rn ­

ing, wearing a clean skirt and a pretty new hat. H e was surprised
to find his three children waiting for him.
‘W hy aren’t you in school?’ he asked.
‘T h ere’s a strike. Natalie gave you the letter yesterday.’ Daniel
now rem em bered that there was a letter from school w hich he
forgot to read.
‘O h well, it doesn’t matter,’ he said. But then he remembered:
the art group! His face w ent white. ‘Yes it does m atter!’ he said.
‘You can’t stay here today.’
‘W hy not?’
‘Because the art group is m eeting here this m orning. I have to
model for them —naked.’
‘T h at’s all right,’ the children said politely. ‘W e’ve seen you
naked before.’
‘But it’s not all right for me. N o, no, no!’ shouted Daniel.
‘C an’t you go and play somewhere? O r read or paint or cook?
O h God, w hat shall I do?’
T he children ran upstairs laughing. Daniel hurried into the
kitchen to get the coffee ready. There was a knock at the door. It
was Mrs H ooper, the next-door neighbour. ‘G ood m orning,
M adame Doubtfire,’ she said brightly.

29
 ‘You’re a little early I’m afraid, dear,’ said Daniel; but Mrs
H ooper pushed past him. B ehind her, Daniel could see other
people in the group w ith their paper ai}d paints. H e ran back to
the kitchen and began serving coffee. Soon there were eleven
people, all eating and drinking.
D aniel’s plan was to disappear, change and com e round to the
front door dressed like Daniel. B ut suddenly he realized the
terrible fact: he didn’t have any m en ’s clothes w ith him! N o
jacket, no trousers or shoes.
‘Have you finished your coffee, everyone?’ M adame
Doubtfire called sweetly. ‘I’ll just go and get M r Hilliard for
you.’
Leaving the art students in the sitting-room , Daniel ran
upstairs. C hristopher was waiting for him. ‘Q uick, help me
change,’ Daniel said. ‘I need one o f your m other’s dresses to put
round m e.’ H e cleaned the m ake-up from his face and took off
M adame Doubtfire s clothes. H e looked wildly for som ething to
cover him self w ith but nothing seemed right. Finally he decided
to wear a brightly coloured beach towel round his middle.
‘M um doesn’t know about the strike,’ explained Christopher.
‘She thinks that w e’re at school. We left as usual this m orning
and then hid in the garden until she w ent to w ork.’
‘W hat if she’s read M adame D oubtfire’s letter?’ said Daniel,
looking w orried. ‘Maybe she’ll com e hom e early to ask her not
to leave.’
‘If she comes back early, you’re a dead m an!’
‘O h G od!’ said Daniel and ran downstairs. T he students
spent some tim e asking him to sit in this way or that, but finally
everyone was pleased w ith the m odel. Tim e passed and Daniel
began to feel calmer. T he children were out o f the way, M iranda
was at w ork and nobody was asking for M adame Doubtfire.
But in fact trouble was already on the way. Suddenly he
noticed the heads o f his three children outside, looking'* in

30
(Youyre a little early Vm afraid, dear/said Daniel; but Mrs Hooper
pushed past him. Behind her; Daniel could see other people in
the group with their paper and paints.
 through the w indow w ith big smiles on their faces. And then -
m uch worse - he saw M iranda Hilliard. She was hurrying
towards the house. ‘O h dear God,’ said Daniel to himself, ‘please,
please save m e!’
H e could hear M iranda shouting at the children. ‘W hy aren’t
you in school? W hat? A strike? W h ere’s M adame D oubtfire?’
They went in by the back door and then w ent upstairs, Miranda
still shouting. It was too m uch. H e ju m p ed off his chair.‘Sorry!’
he said, ‘back in a m inute!’ and ran out o f the room.
H e m et her half-way up the stairs. M iranda was holding
M adame D oubtfire’s clothes in her hand, looking confused.
‘W hat are you doing here? W here’s M adame D oubtfire?’ She
looked at him closely, then at the clothes. Suddenly she
understood. ‘ You were M adame Doubtfire all the tim e!’
‘Miranda, please. I can explain.’
She threw the clothes in his face. ‘H ow dare you! H ow dare
you make a fool o f me like this! And get my own children to tell
lies to m e!’
‘T h at’s enough, Miranda,’ said Daniel. ‘It was you w ho didn’t
like the children spending their time w ith me. You usually
brought them hours late.’
‘Yes, I was late sometimes. Because I have a job. For fourteen
years I’ve worked long hours to keep this family. And you just sit
in your messy old flat waiting for me to bring the children to
you. You d o n ’t know w hat hard work is!’
T he quarrel grew longer and louder and m ore hateful. The
children sat listening at the top o f the stairs, their faces white.
Below, the students o f the painting group silently left the house,
pretending not to hear anything. ‘I’ll never forgive you for this,
Daniel. Never! T he children understand, d o n ’t you?’ M iranda
looked round at them but none o f them moved or spoke.
‘They w o n ’t stop loving me. I am their motherV
‘They w o n ’t stop loving me. I am theirfatherV

32
‘You were Madame Doubtfire all the time!}
 Lydia stood up. ‘I hate you bothV she said, in a shaky voice. She
went into her bedroom and shut the door.
M iranda turned to Natalie but C hristopher picked his little
sister up. ‘Go on w ith your stupid quarrel!’ he shouted, ‘and just
leave us alone!’ T hey followed Lydia into her bedroom and again
the door shut.
Daniel felt terrible. ‘M iranda —’
‘Get out o f this house!’
‘W hat about the children? It is Tuesday, rem em ber.’
M iranda’s face was w hite and angry. Quickly, Daniel ran
downstairs. H e took off his towel and put on Madame
D oubtfire’s clothes again. M iranda sat on the stairs w ithout
m oving or speaking. Daniel left the house.

C hapter 9 A B o o k at B ed tim e

Daniel w ent hom e feeling deeply unhappy. W hen he reached his

flat, the first thing he did was to put on his usual clothes. T hen he
put all M adame D oubtfire’s hats, coats and skirts into a black
plastic bag and left the bag outside the back door.
T hen he w ent out to buy things for cleaning the house. He
washed the kitchen floor until it shone and then he cleaned
the dirty old oven. N ext he cleaned the kitchen walls and all
the windows in the flat, inside and out. H e was just finishing
w hen there was a knock at the door. His older daughter stood
outside.
‘Lydia! You’ve com e!’
‘Yes, here I am .’ H er voice was not veryvfriendly.
‘C an I make you some tea?’
‘No, thank you.’
She walked past his clean kitchen and sat down in the
sitting-room . Daniel sat down too. They were silent for a little.

34
‘T h a t was quite a quarrel betw een your m other and me,’ said
Daniel shyly.
‘It was terrible, just terrible. I d on’t want to talk just now. I
only came because it’s Tuesday afternoon.’
‘Because Tuesday afternoon is my tim e?’
‘T h at’s the agreem ent, isn’t it? And, yes, there is som ething I
w a n t to say. Your life w ith M um has been a mess, hasn’t it? You
a re n ’t really friends any more. T he only good part in all this mess
is us children. It’s only because o f us that you go on seeing each
o th e r. D o you understand?’
‘Yes, I see w hat you m ean.’
‘So it’s not enough to say w hat you w ant and w hat
M um wants. You have to listen to w hat your children want
too.’
‘D id you tell your m um this?’
‘I tried to tell her but she wasn’t listening. She was too angry.
She didn’t want me to com e here. And then I said she must stop
thinking o f herself all the time and think about us. She and I had
a quarrel too, you see.’
‘W hat were you trying to tell her?’
‘T hat you can give people orders and still not win; that you
can try to control people and still lose them . She has to realize
that.’
‘I think she will realize it,’ said Daniel softly.
‘So I just left the house and took a bus and now I’m here. But I
do feel tired. C an I have a rest for a little?’
‘O f course.’ Daniel helped her to lie dow n on the sofa and
went to find som ething w arm to cover her with. W hen he came
back, she was already asleep.
It was N atalie’s voice that woke Lydia up. She ran into the
house calling,‘Daddy, Daddy!’ looking in every room.
‘Surprise, surprise!’ Daniel said.‘Is C hristopher w ith you?’
‘H e ’s com ing up w ith M um .’

35
 And there M iranda was, red-eyed and white-faced. Daniel
looked at her and she looked at him. They both felt deeply
ashamed.
‘Please,’ said Daniel, ‘stay for a cup o f tea. You look so white
and tired.’ H e showed M iranda into the kitchen, now shining
like new.
‘O h, it looks a lot better,’ she said immediately. ‘Before it was
so dirty that I didn’t like the children having meals here. B ut
Daniel, please understand: I d o n ’t want M adame Doubtfire
back.’
‘D o n ’t worry. She’s dead and gone. I’m sorry about all my
acting. It wasn’t a kind thing to do. H ere’s your tea.’
‘Thank you,’ said M iranda. She drank from her cup. ‘It’s nice
— but not as good as M adame D oubtfire’s tea! N ow listen,
Daniel. I d o n ’t want you back as a housekeeper. You did a good
jo b but I d o n ’t want you in the house. B ut w hat about becom ing
the gardener? If you w ork in the afternoons, you’ll still see the
children after school.’
‘T h at’s a great idea. I love it,’ said Daniel. They both suddenly
smiled and shook hands.
‘T he children can stay the night, if you like,’ said Miranda,
‘because the strike at the school is still on, and I have to go to
B irm ingham early in the m orning.’
‘Wonderful! T hey’ll be back at your hom e w hen you get
back.’
‘Thanks a lot, D an.’ M iranda gave him a quick kiss and left the
apartm ent, waving goodbye to the children.
‘That w ent well, didn’t it?’ said C hristopher, w hen the front
door closed.
‘W hy were you listening?’ said Daniel. ‘It’s not your
business.’
‘N o t my business?’ said Christopher, surprised. ‘W ho do you
think got M um to com e round here? N atty and I w ent on

36
There Miranda was, red-eyed and white-faced. Daniel looked
at her and she looked at him. They both felt deeply ashamed.
and on telling her, “Its Tuesday: we have to be at D ad’s
place.’”
N atty was in the sitting-room . ‘W ill you read my book to
m e?’ she asked, showing Daniel her favourite story. ‘I’ve decided
to keep it in your house now,’ she told him.
‘Your m other says you can all stay the night,’ Daniel said, ‘so
w e’ve got lots o f tim e.’
Just then they heard the sound o f the telephone. It was
M iranda. Daniel answered, choosing his words carefully. ‘D o you
want the children back?’ he asked.
‘O h no,’ she answered. ‘I’ve just got hom e and - oh, it’s Hetty!
She’s lying in her box w ith her feet in the air. I’m afraid she’s
dead. Will you tell Christopher, please? You do it so m uch better
than m e.’
‘OK. I’ll tell him. B ut not until tomorrow. W e’ve all had quite
enough for one day.’
‘I’m glad the children are w ith you, Dan. T hat means
you w o n ’t miss your dear friend M adame Doubtfire too
m uch!’
B oth o f them ended the conversation laughing. Daniel sat
dow n and took Natalie on his knee. H e picked up the book and
began to read her favourite story to her. C hristopher and Lydia
pretended not to be interested, but Daniel knew that they were
listening too.
T he war betw een the Hilliards was over at last.
 ACTIVITIES

Chapter 1

Before you read

1 Read the Introduction to this book.
a What are the three Hilliard children called?
b What are their parents’ names?
c Who do the children live with?
2 Look at the Word List at the back of the book and find the new
words in your dictionary.
a Find two words for animals and two words for people,
b Find six words that can describe people,
c Choose three other words from the list and use them in
sentences.

While you read

3 Are the sentences right ( /) or wrong (X)?
a The Hilliard children have a letter for their father,
b Daniel Hilliard still loves his wife very much,
c Christopher has got a pet bird,
d The children visit their father every day.
e The children never help their dad with jobs in the house............
f Daniel often feels annoyed with Miranda,
g Natalie sometimes cries about her parents’ quarrels.
h The children are spending next weekend with their father. ....
i Christopher’s two hamsters are killed by the cat.

After you read

4 Answer these questions,
a Who is the letter from?
b Why don’t Lydia and Christopher want to give the letter to their
father?
c Why do you think Natalie cries a lot?

40
 d Do you think Daniel really wants to kill Miranda?
e Miranda tells the news about the hamsters on the phone. Do
you think that is a good way to tell it?

Chapters 2-3

Before you read

5 Answer these questions.
a What different kinds of acting work are there?
b Is it easy for actors to get work?
c What do actors do when they can’t get acting work?

While you read

6 Who:
a has a job modeling in an art class? .........................
b works at the Lighting Centre? ..........................
c gets £3 an hour to work for Miranda? ..........................
d is going to travel a lot this year? .........................
7 Circle the correct word in italics.
a Miranda comes to pick the children up early/late.
b Daniel’s house is very tidy/untidy.
c Miranda needs a housekeeper/ secretary.
d She is going to p u t/h a s p u t an advertisement in the
newspaper.
e Daniel wants to look after the children before/after school
every day.
f Daniel writes his mother’s /h is own phone number on the
advertisement.

After you read

8 Answer the questions.
a Why doesn’t Miranda see the changed phone number?
b Is Miranda is going to get phone calls from the people who see
her advertisement? Why (not)?

41
Chapter 4

Before you read

9 Discuss these questions.
a What does a housekeeper do? Think of six things,
b How can a man look and sound like a woman?
c Is it easy to work all day and then cook, clean and look after
children?
d How do people choose a person to look after their children?
What kind of person do they want?

While you read

10 Complete each sentence with the correct word,
clothes advertisement daddy difficult
housekeeper kind mother voices
a Four people call Miranda about th e ...........................
b All the callers have very d e e p ...........................
c Madame Doubtfire is very big and she is wearing strange

d Natalie likes Madame Doubtfire and calls h e r...........................

e Miranda thinks Madame Doubtfire is strange but

f Miranda tells Madame Doubtfire that her husband, Daniel, is

v e ry ..........................
g Madame Doubtfire tells Christopher not to be rude to his

h Miranda gives Madame Doubtfire the job o f ...........................

After you read

11 Discuss these questions.
a Why does Natalie call Madame Doubtfire ‘Daddy’?
b Do Christopher and Lydia realize that Madame Doubtfire is their
father?

42
Chapters 5 -6

Before you read

12 What do you think?
a Will Madame Doubtfire work hard as a housekeeper?
b Will all the children realize that she is their father?
c Will Miranda talk to Mrs Doubtfire about Daniel?
d Will Daniel keep his job as a model for the art class?

While you read

13 Choose the right way to finish each sentence.
a Madame Doubtfire tells the older children t o ....
buy cigarettes do housework play in the garden
b Lydia and Christopher know that Madame D oubtfire....
is Daniel is a bad cook likes the colour pink
c Natalie doesn’t know yet that Madame Doubtfire i s ....
looking after her her father in the house
d Madame Doubtfire says the children should g o ....
to buy a tie to the theatre to an art class
e Miranda says the next Tuesday art class is going to b e ....
at the theatre at Mrs Hooper’s house at her house
f She says that at that class Daniel is going to b e ....
the teacher a student the model
g Madame Doubtfire says she can’t work for M iranda....
on that Tuesday any more in the afternoons

After you read

14 Discuss these questions.
a Do you think the children can go to the theatre with Daniel next
weekend?
b Why can’t Madame Doubtfire be at Miranda’s house when the
art class is happening there?
c Why does Miranda listen to Madame Doubtfire but not to
Daniel?

43
 Chapter 7

Before you read

15 Discuss these questions.
a When and why do people hide their feelings or pretend about
their feelings? Give some examples,
b What’s the difference between an actor and a person who
pretends in real life?
c Should people always be honest about their feelings?

While you read

16 Who says these things?
a Their feelings were so real, weren’t they?’ ..........................
b ‘It’s just acting. It’s just a job.’.............................. ..........................
c ‘Why didn’t you stay in the family and
pretend to be happy?’ ..........................
d ‘Because a job is a job but real life is real!’ ..........................
e ‘You can’t just stop being a father.’................................................
f ‘I have only one life and I want to live it,
not act it.’ ..........................
g ‘I like pigs.’............................................................. .........................
h ‘It wasn’t a very real phone call, was it?’ .........................
i ‘Stop acting. And being happy pigs.’.................. ..........................
j ‘Madame Doubtfire has to write and tell
her that she can’t go on with the job.’ ..........................

After you read

17 Discuss these questions.
a Who do you think is a better parent, Daniel or Miranda? Why?
b How have they acted badly with their children?
c Why is Daniel so angry with Christopher and Lydia?
d Whose opinions do you agree with: Daniel’s or the children’s?
e Is it ‘better to be an unhappy thinker than a happy pig’?

44
Chapter 8

Before you read

18 Daniel has to be Madame Doubtfire at Miranda’s house and a
model for the art class on the same day. How can he do it?
19 Do you think Miranda is going to find out that Daniel is Madame
Doubtfire?

While you read

20 Complete the story. Write one word in each space.
On Tuesday Daniel arrives at Miranda’s (a).......................... dressed
as Madame Doubtfire. The children aren’t at school because
there’s a (b)........................... Daniel has to model naked for the
(c)........................ group that day. He goes (d)........................ to
take off his clothes. He hasn’t got any man’s (e)........................
He comes downstairs wearing just a (f)........................... All the
(g).........................draw him. Suddenly Miranda comes back from
(h)........................ early. She is surprised because the children
aren’t at (i)...........................
21 Complete the story with the correct words.
angry fight leave runs same understandswhere
Daniel (a)........................ out of the art class. Miranda is holding
Madame Doubtfire’s clothes, ‘(b)........................ is Madame
Doubtfire?’ she asks. Then she (c).......................... that Daniel and
the housekeeper are the (d) person. The parents
have a big (e).........................in front of the children. The art group
leaves quietly. The children are very sad and (f).....................
Miranda tells Daniel to (g).......................... her house.

After you read

22 Discuss these questions.
a Should parents stay together while their children are young?
b Do children suffer more than parents after a divorce?

45
Chapter 9

Before you read

23 What must the parents do to end their war?

While you read

24 Write the correct names.
a Who spends a long time cleaning? ..........................
b Who visits Daniel alone?....................................... ..........................
c Who feels tired and has a rest? .........................
d Which two people feel
ashamed? ........................................................
e Who gives Daniel a job as a gardener? ..........................
25 Circle the correct word in italics.
a Miranda says the children ca n/ca n ’t stay the night with Daniel,
b Daniel promises/refuses to get them home on time the next
day.
c Natty is going to keep her favourite book at Daniel’s/M iranda’s
house.
d Miranda phones with g oo d/b a d news about Hetty, the pet
bird.
e Daniel is going to pass on the news immediately/tomorrow.
f The parents end their phone conversation laughing/crying.

After you read

26 Discuss these questions.
a How do the children help to end the war between the Hilliards?
b In what ways is Daniel a good parent?
c In what ways is Miranda a good parent?
27 Work in pairs. Have this conversation.
Student A: You are Miranda. Ask your child questions about
spending the night with Daniel.
Student B: You are one of the children. Answer Miranda’s
questions.

46
Writing
28 Write about Daniel and Miranda. What are they like? Compare
them. Which person do you prefer?
29 Describe the three Hilliard children. What are they like? How is
each one different? Which one do you like best?
30 Imagine you are Christopher. Write to a friend about your dead
quail, Hetty. Imagine you have a new pet now. Tell the friend about
it.
31 Imagine you are Lydia. Write a letter to the problem page of a
magazine. Tell the magazine about your parents’ fights. Then write
the reply from the magazine. Give suggestions to Lydia.
32 Write a conversation between Christopher and Lydia. Madame
Doubtfire has just started working as a housekeeper. They both
know she is really Daniel. Use these ideas: they both think it is
funny; they both think Daniel is brave; Lydia is annoyed because
Madame Doubtfire drinks and smokes in the house; Christopher is
annoyed because Madame Doubtfire doesn’t do the housework;
they are both afraid their mother will find out.
33 Mrs Hooper, Miranda’s neighbour, has just met Madame Doubtfire
for the first time. She is describing her to Mr Hooper. Write the
conversation.
34 You are Miranda. You are going out before Madame Doubtfire
arrives. Write a note to her about her jobs for the day.
35 Imagine you are Miranda. You have just found out that Madame
Doubtfire is Daniel. You are angry with Daniel and sad about the
children. Write to your best friend.
36 Imagine you are one of the Hilliard children. Your parents have
stopped fighting. Write about your father’s time as a housekeeper.
37 Write an advertisement for this book. Tell some of the story but not
all of it. Describe the best things about the book.

Answers for the Activities in this book are available from the Penguin Readers website.
A free Activity Worksheet is also available from the website. Activity Worksheets are
part o f the Penguin Teacher Support Programme, which also includes Progress Tests
and Graded Reader Guidelines. For more information, please visit:
www.penguinreaders.com.
 WORD LIST

advertisement (n) a ‘for sale’ or ‘wanted’ notice

annoyed (adj) a little angry
ashamed (adj) feeling bad or unhappy because you did a bad thing
control (v) to be the boss
dare (v) to be brave enough to do something; People also say ‘How dare
you!’ if someone has made them angry
divorced (adj) not married because one or both people have ended
their marriage
hamster (n) a small soft animal with no tail that is often kept as a pet
housekeeper (n) a person who works in a house, doing housekeeping
- cleaning and cooking,
instead (adv) in place o f another thing
Madame (n) the French word for Mrs
mess (n) an untidy or dirty state. Something in this state is m essy,
model (n/v) a person who is drawn or painted by an artist
naked (adj) not wearing any clothes
Odd (adj) strange or unusual
pretend (v) to show feelings that are not real, as an actor does
quail (n) a kind o f bird
quarrel (n) an angry disagreement
Shocked (adj) very surprised about something bad; if something is
shocking, it is very bad and surprising.
Strike (n) a time when a group o f workers stop working because they
want something from their employer,
throat (n) the inside o f your neck which food and air goes through
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w w w .p e n g u in re a d e rs .c o m
 S ta d tb ib lio th e k
LEVEL 3
N11 <02631783700

III I III I III 111 I III 111 I III I III

Neukolln / 1

Miranda Hilliard does not live with her husband, Daniel. He wants
to see the children m ore often, but they live with Miranda. O ne
day Madame D oub tfire comes to w o rk for Miranda and help with
the children. But Madame D oub tfire seems strange, m ore like a
man than a wom an ...

Penguin Readers are sim plified texts which provide a step-by-step

approach to the joys o f reading for pleasure.

Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter

E a s y s ta rts 200 headwords

L e vel 1 300 headwords Beginner
L e vel 2 600 headwords Elementary
Level 3 1200 h e a d w o rd s P re -In term ed ia te
L e vel 4 1700 headwords Intermediate
L e vel 5 2300 headwords Upper-Intermediate
L e vel 6 3000 headwords Advanced

Contemporary British English

Number o f words (excluding activities): 6,917

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX.—

BLUE WOLF. .CHRIS COLUMBUS- ROBIN WILLIAMS SALLY FIELD 'MRS. DOUBTFIRE' PIERCE BROSNAN
HARVEY FIERSTEIN-ROBERT PROSKY^RA|A GOSNELL'ssrANGELO GRAHAM c s s DONALD McALPINE~u|OAN BRADSHAW
•asMATTHEW RUSHTONBRANDI MAYEM SINGER-LESLIE DIXON-CHRIS C O L U M B U S A N N E FINE ™
-rMARSHAGARCES WILLIAMS. ROBIN WILLIAMS-MARK RADCLIFFE-tCHRIS COLUMBUS K0H

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