Liz Pichon wins Roald Dahl Funny Prize
8th November 2011
Author and illustrator Liz Pichon has won the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize for the funniest book for children aged seven to 14 for The Brilliant World of Tom Gates.
She is joined by Peter Bently, who won the prize for best book for children aged six and under for Cats Ahoy!, illustrated by Jim Field.
The winners each received a GBP 2,500 prize at a ceremony at the Unicorn Theatre in London today, presented by Roald Dahl's widow Felicity, who praised each title for honouring her late husband's mantra of always making a book funny.
Michael Rosen, chair of the judging panel, said the winning titles stood out from two strong shortlists for being 'masterclasses' in how to write amusing 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,' he added.
Bently and Pichon follow in the footsteps of Louise Yates and Louise Rennison, who picked up the 2010 Roald Dahl Funny Prizes for Dog Loves Books and Withering Tights, respectively.