Monday, September 07, 2009


David Walliams is shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize
Comical cross-dressing deemed deliciously Dahl

The comedian David Walliams, best known for his grotesque comedy creations on the BBC series Little Britain, has been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, which honours the funniest books for children.

Walliams’ debut book The Boy in the Dress is illustrated by Quentin Blake, the iconic illustrator famed for his own long-term collaborations with Dahl.

Walliams will face stiff competition on the shortlist from a number of highly regarded and well-established children’s authors including Allan Ahlberg, Nick Sharratt and former Children’s Laureate Anne Fine.

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize was founded in 2008 by Michael Rosen as part of his Children’s Laureateship.
It is the first prize of its kind; founded to honour those books that simply make children laugh.
The winner of each category will receive £2,500, which will be presented at an awards ceremony in London on 10 November.

The judging panel comprised the comedian Bill Bailey, author, founder and Chair Michael Rosen, author and illustrator Mini Grey, author Louise Rennison and author and winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2008 Andy Stanton.

The shortlist is:
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under

The Great Dog Bottom Swap by Peter Bently, illus. Mei Matsuoka (Andersen Press)
Octopus Socktopus by Nick Sharratt (Alison Green Books)
Elephant Joe is a Spaceman! by David Wojtowycz (Alison Green Books)
Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All! by Sean Taylor, illus. Hannah Shaw (Frances Lincoln)
Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd (Orchard Books)
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, illus. Bruce Ingman (Walker Books)

The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen

The Galloping Ghost by Hilda Offen (Catnip Publishing)
Eating Things on Sticks by Anne Fine, illus. Kate Aldous (Doubleday)
Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illus. Jim Paillot (Faber and Faber)
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, illus. Quentin Blake (HarperCollins)
Purple Class and the Half-Eaten Sweater by Sean Taylor, illus. Helen Bate (Frances Lincoln)
Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan (Simon & Schuster)


Bill Bailey commented:

‘It was great fun judging the Booktrust Roald Dahl Funny Prize, mainly because the standard of the books was so high…it’s so hard to choose between them, and at one point it got so tense we got through a whole plate of chocolate brownies…it’s tough this judging lark.’

2 comments:

Melinda Szymanik said...

Crikey! The title, The Great Dog Bottom Swap reminds me of the central premise of Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms?

Unknown said...

I'm rooting for the boy in the dress! I have always loved Quentin Blake! I was very excited to see the new "Time for a Rhyme" feature in the September Storybox book, illustrated by non other than Quentin! http://www.storyboxbooks.com/ The new feature "Time for a Rhyme" presents a read-aloud celebration of poetry and art for children and publishing these pages, StoryBox supports the International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY) , a non for profit organization working to defend every child's right to read.