sometimes manny knows best

Male nannies may be in hot demand, but they're still enough of a novelty to be the focus of a new book, The Manny, by Holly Peterson (Harper Collins, 10). Holly, who's a high-flying TV news producer in New York and employer of mannies, told Professional Nanny that not only are male nannies a good role model for children, they can provide more active fun - 'men are so much more physical; they play with kids like puppies'. While Professional Nanny could never condone how physical the fictional hunky manny in the book gets with his female employer, it's nice to see a trend in the cinema portraying nannies as from heaven rather than from hell - The Manny is set to be made into a movie, hot on the heels of the forthcoming The Nanny Diaries, starring Scarlett Johansson, from another book about life among New York's jet setters. Back down to earth, a new London-based agency specialising in male childcarers is at www.mybigbuddy.com (tel: 0780 9777884). Australian owners Annie Merrylees and Susie Everitt, who both still do nannying themselves, say they've placed about 20 men since starting the agency last summer and also provide casual work out of school hours and at children's parties.