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I got to be a judge in the final year of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, and since it ended, there's been a big gap in the recognition of funny books. Many of the best of these books are illustrated, but too wordy to bag the Greenaway illustration medal, and too reliant on pictures to win the Carnegie writing prize. Funny books are more difficult to write than serious books or even books that make us cry. It's easy to dismiss funny things as less consequential or important than serious ones, but political cartoons that cleverly capture an idea often have far more impact than an impassioned article. Sales show that kids LOVE funny books, and laughing at a situation can often help take away the fear of things that would otherwise be scary or worrying. Comic timing is one of the most difficult skills to master... so why haven't we been heralding Britain's best?

Well, never fear! Some of my friends are ON THE CASE and have been scheming to develop This Book is Funny!, with plans to seek out the funniest books. I was at the pub a couple weeks ago with Alex Milway, Gary Northfield, David O'Connell and Matt Baxter (who all make funny books and comics) and Matt showed me the red logo he'd designed. Here it is!



And the very first book they're featuring on the website - www.thisbookisfunny.com - is my studio mate's upcoming book, Julius Zebra. Wahoo! Here are a few words from Alex Milway about the project:




And here is their very straightforward mission:



So plans for this include reviewing funny books on the website, hosting events, and supplying a red sticker to booksellers so that customers can more easily find funny books if they know that's what their kids love.

Now, my studio mate Gary Northfield has been making funny comics and books for years. You might recognise some of these titles - Derek the Sheep (his first book with some of his collected Beano strips), The Terrible Tales of the Teenytinysaurs (dinosaur adventure comics), Gary's Garden (collected strips from The Phoenix Comic) and his ongoing Phoenix Comic work.



But Julius Zebra is Gary's first book that isn't a comic. I couldn't help smiling when I saw his tweet, the first time he saw it printed up:



And here it is! It's a lovely thing, a solid hardback with beautiful stripey zebra endpapers.



This book's going to be a winner with so-called 'reluctant readers' because every single story page is lightened by at least one picture. (The Horrible Histories book team also made this decision, as it proves so effective in keeping kids turning pages.) Schools will love it because of its researched ancient Roman theme, but serious history doesn't get in the way of plain silliness.

The book's a pleasing mix of plain text and cartoons, such as these, when we first meet young Julius. He hates going to the stinky water hole with his family and shows off his new-found independence:



Look at him go, he's so confident, is Julius:



Ha ha, oh wait, maybe not!



Oh no! A lion has driven the animals away from the watering hold and Julius is separated from his family. The lion chases Julius and the warthog and all three of them fall into a hole, which turns out to be a TRAP. They're captured by humans and taken all the way across the sea, to Rome!



At first, Julius is quite excited, because he's heard that they're all going to the circus. He's excited to see juggling monkeys. But then he discovers they won't be watching the circus, they're going to be performing:



He gradually learns that it won't even be a jolly sort of performance...



They are going to be thrown into the arena to fight trained GLADIATORS.



And bizarrely, they don't do too badly on their first appearance in THE COLOSSEUM! After Julius panics, he tries to fight back and hits a gladiator with a sword, and the crowd takes pity on him. Emperor Hadrian spares the animals' lives and enrolls them in his world-famous Gladiator School, Ludus Magnus. Their instructor, Septimus, is used to training tough men, and is less than thrilled when they present themselves at roll call.



One of my favourite things about the book is the way the text breaks for little comic aside comments. This one's quite sweet:



I love the way Gary draws, even his wobbly energetic lines are funny, with their bugged eyes and gaping mouths. Don't be deceived in thinking this kind of drawing is fast and easy; Gary really poured himself into this book and it took AGES to write and draw (and redraw and redraw).



You might notice that all the pages have Roman numerals instead instead of our standard Arabic numbering system. Which means each page number is like a code to be worked out, and Gary provides an explanation at the end of the book:



He also includes a four-page glossary, that's mostly educational, but Gary's personality keeps coming through.



And right at the end of the book... oh, look! It's a photo I took across the desk, from where I sit in the studio.



Gary worked with editor Lizzie Spratt at Walker Books, the same person who edited his Derek and Teenytinysaurs books, and with designer Jack Noel.



Oo, and look, it's funny writer Philip Ardagh, author of The Eddie Dickens trilogy with David Roberts and The Grunts books with Axel Scheffler! So what does Ardagh have to do with this book?



Ah, look there, right across the top of the book. A lovely quotation!



So this book launches at the beginning of March with Walker Books and will make a fabulous gift and be perfect for stocking in libraries. I anticipate people asking which age it's best for, and I'd say ages 6-12, but younger kids will enjoy it being read to them, and there's no reason to say adults and Gary's comics fans won't enjoy it, too. Gary's busy working on the second Julius Zebra book right now.



Congratulations, Gary! You've gone and written a blinkin' novel!

First, here are a couple more pics I made for the Beauty & Beast boutique in Monsterville. These will pin up next to the mirror where people (and monsters) will go for their fancy wig fittings.



And here's a little tailor chappie to greet you when you come into Beauty & Beast. It's sort of like those funny gentlemen shops you find on Jermyn Street with big shaving brushes and shoe-horns. Except it also sells Marie Antoinette alien wigs.



It's funny, I'm not much of an expert on gentlemen's fashion, and I keep thinking, if I had more time, I'd love to get in three illustrators who know loads about this kind of thing. They would be my dean from art college Christopher Sharrock, Philip Reeve and David Roberts. These guys know everything about men's fashion, ha ha. Oh...Hurrah! I just saw that David Roberts finally got himself a website! I'm bookmarking it to go back and have a long look. David's attention to clothing detail - well, everything, really - is AMAZING.


Christopher Sharrock, David Roberts (I couldn't find a good full-outfit photo so one of his characters is standing in for him), Philip Reeve

So you can come see my monster boutique Lolliplops old-fashioned soda fountain and ice scream shop. And the other fab stuff Ed Vere and Neal Layton have been coming up with! Here are the details:

Welcome to Monsterville - FREE OPEN DAY - Sat, 28 May - All day
***To ensure a space on events please call 020 8536 5555 to pre-book.***

Set off a Monster Bank Holiday by coming along to the FREE launch of Welcome to Monsterville with the brilliant Sarah McIntyre (Morris the Mankiest Monster), Neal Layton (Emily Browne and the Thing) and Ed Vere (Mr Big).

11.30am 0+ Mini Monsters: Enjoy Story time for babies and toddlers in our Story Glade in the garden (inside if wet!)

1 & 2.30pm 5+ Monstrous Trail: Our Story Builders will take visitors on a tour around Monsterville - can you spot all the monsters lurking in the shadows? Are you up to the challenges and games?

12 - 12.45pm 4+ Ed Vere: Author of Mr Big and The Getaway will be coming along to delight us with live drawing we can join in with. Introducing us to his new book Bedtime for Monsters and telling us how he came up with his monster creations for Welcome to Monsterville.

1-145pm 4+ Sarah McIntyre: Fabulous illustrator Sarah McIntyre will be reading from her absolutely disgusting book Morris the Mankiest Monster and talking about how she created Monsterville's Lolliplops Cafe and Beauty and Beast Salon.

2.30pm 4+ Monster Draw-off: Monsterville makers Ed Vere, Sarah McIntyre will be drawing to become the most despicable champion monster creator of all time. Who will fashion the most terrible creature? Who will you vote for ?

3.30pm 4+ Neal Layton: Join Neal Layton illustrator extraordinaire as he shows of his sketchbooks and talks us through how he produced his amazing range of monsters for Welcome to Monsterville. Discover's Story Builders will then present Emily Brown and the Thing.

Monster Top Trumps: Drop into this event and draw your own monster, decide what their special pow

Today I'm wearing my Simon's Cat t-shirt from Expo. Isn't it great? Gary and I have just been having a Team Simon fan moment here in the studio.




YouTube link

Here's a fab reworking of my Vern and Lettuce book cover by Hester!, one of Warwick Johnson Cadwell's 'nippers', as he calls them. Still don't know nipper's name, but a big thanks to you if you're reading this! Love the potted plant pattern on Lettuce's dress and the reimagining of the sousaphone (which Vern erroneously calls a 'tuba' in the story, but just so it will fit in speech bubbles, he's a considerate sheep).



And speaking of Warwick Johnson Cadwell, his poster now has pride of place over my desk. He's compiled drawings he made of passengers on the boat he captains on Chichester Harbour, and you can see loads of the individual sketches over on his blog.



I was hoping I'd be able to make more sketches in a similar vein from my table at Expo, but between battling Mo-Bots and table tending, I only had time to make these here. (I didn't get Lucy's feet in because even when I stood up, I couldn't see them over the table.)



And here's a card from the lovely Alex Milway, who's just reported seeing a first printed copy of his latest Mythical 9th Division yeti book. Hurrah! I still haven't got around to making a full post with the film footage I took at the recent Crystal Palace Children's Book Festival, but a massive thanks to Alex for his hard work in organising it... and meeting his book deadline! I am at once hugely grateful and deeply impressed.



Upcoming events!
Sat, 6 Nov: I'm speaking with my dear friend Layn Marlow, and the writers Mary Hoffman and Philip Pullman in Oxford for the open conference of the Federation of Children's Book Groups.
Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, 9:15am - 3:45pm (Lunch included plus a tour of the University Press Museum 12:30 - 1:30, £35 for membrs, £40 for non-members.

Sat & Sun, Nov 13 & 14: Speaking on panels at the Winter Conference and book launch party with the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, details here. My panels include:
How to Sell your Book, with Lucy Coats, Nina Douglas & Jon Mayhew

Social Networking: a blessing or a curse?, with Candy Gourlay & Keren David
SCBWI is a great organisation; if you're trying to get into publishing, or are already publishing but want to meet other fab people in the industry and get insider industry info, this is the group to join. It's very friendly and approachable, so great if you're a bit shy.

Sat, Nov 20 Thought Bubble comics festival, Leeds
I've never been to this festival, but I've heard AMAZING things about it and had to get in on the action! The writer of You Can't Eat a Princess!, Gillian Rogerson, has never been to a comics festival and I'm l

Exciting! The marvellous Gosh! Comics, across the street from the British Museum, is selling an exclusive, limited edition bookplate run of Vern and Lettuce! I recently bought a bookplate version of the DFC Library's Mezolith, and the bookplates are very lush. I had fun drawing this one, it's based on the scene where Serge the ferret tailor is getting V&L kitted up for their talent show appearance. Get details and read their review of Vern and Lettuce here!



Also good news, I just heard from comics reporter Matt Badham that David O'Connell and I feature in an article about the small press that he wrote in the latest edition of Comics Heroes magazine. Thanks, Matt!

Look, we made ourselves a studio sign! Yesterday we had an appointment with Steve Pill from Artists & Illustrators to interview me and photograph our working space to feature in their magazine. Steve said not to do any tidying up, that they wanted to see us in our element, but then he sent through this earlier article about a guy's studio in Chelsea that looked like rooms from the Wallace Collection. After we'd all rolled around on the floor wetting ourselves with laughter at the comparison, we decided we at least needed to hoover and then thought we should make that sign we'd been talking about for at least six months. So here it is! That's Steve on the right, looking shocked at the state of our tiny paper and yarn sweatshop.



I hadn't read a copy of A&I for a couple years, it always seemed more of a Sunday painters kind of magazine than a cutting-edge journal on illustration. But Steve gave me a recent copy and I was pleasantly surprised to see a three-page article about one of my favourite printmakers, who's become a bit of a British icon, Angie Lewin. She follows on from a rich tradition of artists such as Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden (and loads of '50s and '60s textile and ceramics artists that I vaguely know of but have lots more to learn about). Good stuff. Steve said my interview and studio photos should be in the October issue.



Last night Alex Milway rallied a bunch of writers, illustrators and publishers who will be involved in the upcoming Crystal Palace Children's Book Festival (Oct 23, book now!) to meet each other over drinks at the Royal Festival Hall. What a great evening! I'd never met Lerryn Korda before, and was totally taken with the aesthetics of her Little Nye books. I managed to come home with a signed copy of Rocket to the Moon, and I'm sitting here oo-ing over her colour palettes and nicely shaped blocks of colour that don't rely on outlines. I need to get all four books and read the stories, but the artwork is superb. Here's a version of Little Nye's house that you can print, cut out and stick together.

This afternoon I popped into the Institute of Contemporary Arts to watch the Little Pencil drawing workshop. Kids listened to music picked by an artist (this time it was illustrator Rob Matthews), then watched short films by Norman McLaren. It would've been nice to have had another drawing session after the films, because everyone started out drawing very figuratively, and it would've been interesting afterward to see the kids drawing responsively to the music in an abstract way, more like they'd seen McLaren draw. But when I was a kid, I probably still would've drawn a robot or something. So here are the happy robots I drew:



Here's one of my favourite drawings; again, who knows what it had to do with the music, but hey, isn't the space suit so fabulous?



I was a bit naughty and took some photos during the McLaren cinema screening, curious to see how they'd come out. Really pretty, actually! The screen looked like fireworks.



So I am doing the Little Pencil thing on Nov 6th, do send your kids along to it!

While I was sitting on the floor drawing, Alex Milway and Katie Lee popped their heads into the room and Alex gave me one of the uncorrected advance copies of his new book, The Mythical 9th Division: Operation Ice Age, which is part graphic novel and part solid text. And it stars yetis, I can't wait to read it; started a bit already on the train and it looks like a cracking good read. Yay, thanks, Alex! (He loves having his photo taken, as you can see.)



Now I am off home to try out a new recipe with big mushrooms and a super fancy cheese that has such a fancy name that I forget what it is called. Something that starts with a 'T', I think.