Stars share write stuff
SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S AND THE WORLD’S GREATEST COMEDIANS ARE ALSO BECOMING BELOVED CHILDREN’S AUTHORS, WRITES
They say children can be the toughest critics. But that hasn’t stopped a growing list of comedians testing out their skills on the youngest of audiences. And we’re not talking about stand-up comedy here. From UK funnymen David Walliams (right), Ricky Gervais and Russell Brand to Aussies Dave Hughes, Anh Do, Frank Woodley and Peter Helliar, more and more comedians are trading in live gags for literary laughs.
THEY say children can be the toughest critics. But that hasn’t stopped a growing list of comedians testing out their skills on the youngest of audiences.
And we’re not talking about stand-up comedy here.
From UK funnymen David Walliams, Ricky Gervais and Russell Brand to Aussies Dave Hughes, Anh Do, Frank Woodley and Peter Helliar, more and more comedians are trading in live gags for literary laughs.
The latest to join the growing list is radio and television presenter Andy Lee, who released his second children’s book, Do Not Open This Book
Again, in October. Lee, who never intended for his first book to be published, may be a reluctant author but he says the big shift of comedians becoming children’s book writers makes complete sense.
“It stems from the fact that comedians don’t really ever grow up,” Lee says.
“We’re a lot that just love to be silly, and you never really lose that. This book comes from the angle that kids generally like to do the opposite to what they’re told, so tell them not to turn the page no matter what, and you know what they’ll do. It’s fun and mischievous. And let’s face it, Hamish and I have pretty much turned being mischiev- ous into a career.”
Lee initially penned the first picture book, Do Not Open
This Book, in 45 minutes on a plane. It was intended as a surprise gift for his nephew George’s first birthday. When he asked a publisher mate to turn it into a book for him to give to George, his friend talked him into having it published.
“He asked me, ‘Hey can we print this?’ and I said, ‘No, you’re not allowed’,” Lee laughs. “But he showed it to a few more people and eventually I agreed to come in and chat to them about it. I told them if they print it, they cannot promote it or advertise the fact the book even exists because it was meant to be a surprise for George’s birthday.
“Nervous times and a few funny discussions happened but they stuck to their word. And now I’ve got two books. I wrote the second one when my sister, Al, told me she was pregnant. The inscription on the inside cover says, ‘For Al Pal’s bump’.”
If Lee was a reluctant author, Peter Helliar from Network Ten’s The Project and
Cram had a more committed path to becoming an author. The Melbourne father says he started his publishing career as a primary school child, writing, creating and publishing his own stories to read to classmates before he’d even reached the age of 10.
“As a kid I used to really love the process of putting a book together, first in pencil, then pen when I got my pen licence, then I got it typed,” says Helliar, who released Frankie Fish and the Sonic Suitcase this year.
“I’d leave a space in the page for illustrations, which I did in Texta, or Derwent. And two bits of cardboard would be the jacket. Then I’d release them into the classroom, which I loved. The kids looked forward to receiving them.”
Helliar, who has written for television and film, plans to extend his Frankie Fish series and admits to being quite chuffed when youngest son Oscar, 9, told him his books remind him of those written by UK comedian David Walliams.
In the world of comedianturned-kids’-book-author, Walliams is the king.
The Little Britain co-creator is best known to his pint-sized audience as the author of World’s Worst Children, Gangsta Granny and The Demon Dentist. Walliams made the shift to writing children’s books in 2008 and is now the biggest selling children’s author in the UK – trumping even Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Roald Dahl.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge has been lauded for getting a generation of children to read – a situation the author can relate to himself.
“We used to go to the local library every couple of weeks to select books,” Walliams reminisced with the ABC’s Richard Fidler in a 2015 radio interview. “A lot of the time you’re guided by parents or teachers, but (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is one I picked off the shelf myself and I immediately loved the humour, the bizarre story and the character of Willy Wonka. It really got me hooked on reading.”
In Australia, stand-up comedian Anh Do’s books fly off the bookshop and library shelves. His WeirDo series of books have sold more than 700,000 copies in Australia alone. He says his children – aged between two and 13 – are his biggest inspiration
“They come home with all sorts of stories,” he says.
“My eldest got braces, so WeirDo got braces, and it goes like that. They help me a lot because we write together. “I’ll say to my son Luke, ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen if you’re trying to ask a girl to a dance?’ and he’ll say, ‘That the note is passed to the wrong girl’ and I’ll say, ‘That’s brilliant!’” Lee’s literary experience may have started out as an accident, but already his first offering has been translated into 28 languages and sold more than 150,000 copies since its September 2016 release. It’s also been short-listed for the Australian Children’s Book of the Year. Despite his success, the comedian doesn’t plan to give up is day job for a new career as a writer. “I’m not stopping radio or television to be a children’s writer,” Lee says, laughing. “The fact I wasn’t in the market to be a children’s author really took the pressure off (producing the books). “But I did really love the experience, a whole different part of the community was coming up to me and it was really cool to see so many kids dressed as the character for Book Week recently.”
WE’RE A LOT THAT JUST LOVE TO BE SILLY, AND YOU NEVER REALLY LOSE THAT. THIS BOOK COMES FROM THE ANGLE THAT KIDS GENERALLY LIKE TO DO THE OPPOSITE TO WHAT THEY’RE TOLD, SO TELL THEM NOT TO TURN THE PAGE NO MATTER WHAT, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THEY’LL DO. IT’S FUN AND MISCHIEVOUS. COMEDIAN ANDY LEE