Books about crafty cat pirates and a cheeky schoolboy win the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2011

A rhyming picture book about pirate cats has seized the bounty for the funniest book for children aged six and under in this year‟s Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Cats Ahoy! is written by Peter Bently (who was also shortlisted in 2009 for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize), and illustrated by Jim Field. It is joined on the podium by The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, the winner of the seven to fourteen category, and the first in a series of books about Tom, an expert doodler and master of excuses, written and illustrated by Liz Pichon. Photo shows Felicity Dahl and judges.

Both winners received their award and prize cheque of £2,500 today (Tuesday 8 November 2011), presented at an awards ceremony at the Unicorn Theatre in London by the judges and Roald Dahl‟s widow Felicity Dahl.
Felicity Dahl comments on the Prize: ‘My husband, Roald Dahl, often said with regard to books for young people, "it's got to be funny!”. Although he often wrote about children faced with the most dire circumstances, and triumphing over them, there was always a strong vein of humour in his writing. Giving children a giggle and making them smile remains as important as ever. That's why I'm so delighted that the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, now in its fourth year, exists to celebrate the work of contemporary authors and illustrators who continue to honour Roald's mantra that "it's got to be funny!”.’

There must be something in the sea air as both Peter and Liz are coastal residents; Peter lives in Totnes in Devon, which he credits as the inspiration for Cats Ahoy! and Liz lives in Brighton, a veritable hub of funny writing talent, also being home to previous Roald Dahl Funny Prize winners, Sam Lloyd and Louise Rennison.

Michael Rosen, Chair of Judges, comments on the winning books:
„The real beauty of these books is not only the deep down in your belly, shoulder shaking laughter that the words induce, but the expertly crafted interactive relationship they have with the VERY funny illustrations. These two books are master classes in how to write and how to draw funny.’

Michael on Cats Ahoy! by Peter Bently, illustrated by Jim Field (Macmillan Children’s Books): ‘Cats marauding as ghost pirates to steal fishy bounty from lily-livered humans: what more do you want from a funny book? Jim Field’s illustrations of the cunning pirate cats and Peter Bently’s majestic rhyming words had the judges in fits of giggles, most notably Grace, who also snorted on five separate occasions. Apparently she likes cats.’

Michael on The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon (Scholastic):
‘Tom means to do his homework but is easily distracted, mostly by thinking up ways to annoy his sister Delia, get tickets to ‘the best band in the whole world’ Dude3 and to attract the attention of the class clever-clogs and Tom’s love interest Amy Porter. This book is a must for anyone who doodles, likes to wind up their sibling, has a serious caramel wafer habit and enjoys having their chuckle muscles exercised. That will be most people then.’
The 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize shortlists were:
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
 Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere (Puffin)
 Cats Ahoy! by Peter Bently, illustrated by Jim Field (Macmillan Children‟s Books)
 First Week at Cow School by Andy Cutbill, illustrated by Russell Ayto (HarperCollins Children‟s Books)
 Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson (Orchard)
 Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh (HarperCollins Children‟s Books)
 A Place to Call Home by Alexis Deacon, illustrated by Viviane Schwarz (Walker)
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen
 Animal Tales by Terry Jones, illustrated by Michael Foreman (Pavilion Children's Books)
 The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon (Scholastic)
 The Get Rich Quick Club by Rose Impey (Orchard)
 Letters from an Alien Schoolboy by Ros Asquith (Piccadilly Press)
 Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster by Joanna Nadin, illustrated by Jess Mikhail (Usborne)
 The Wrong Pong by Steven Butler, illustrated by Chris Fisher (Puffin)

The judging panel comprised: author and Twitter queen Grace Dent; author, Chair of Judges and founder of the Prize Michael Rosen; Horrid Henry author and illustrator duo Francesca Simon and Tony Ross; and Yes Man author and journalist Danny Wallace.
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