Lollies 2023: The Ages 6-8 Shortlist Q&A

Posted on 21 April 2023

Hear from the creators of our superbly silly titles in the Ages 6-8 Shortlist for the Laugh Out Loud Awards 2023!

We sat down with Joanna Nadin (JN) and Rikin Parekh (RP) author and illustrator of The Worst Class in the World Gets Worse, Steven Lenton (SL), author/illustrator of Genie and Teeny, and Thomas Flintham (TF), illustrator of A Monster Ate My Packed Lunch, to ask them all about their shortlisted works, and why funny books are so important.

Congratulations on being shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Awards 2023! How does it feel to have your work recognised by the judges?

JN: It feels amazing! The only prize I ever won as a child was some hair conditioner from a magazine in a lucky draw, so this is super exciting, and all the more so because it’s for a funny book.

RP: It feels REALLY COOL, I am so proud of everyone involved!

SL: Thank you! It is VERY exciting to be shortlisted, I am thrilled. Us authors and illustrators spend so much time on our own creating our books, you never know if what you’ve been working on is going to be enjoyed by readers, so this recognition from readers and the Lollies judges is wonderful, and has really spurred me on to create more characters and stories.

TF: It’s a great honour! I love working on this series, I laugh a lot while drawing the illustrations! It’s great to see the hilarious stories and characters Pamela has created get acknowledged for being so funny.

Why do you think funny books are important?

JN: There’s a strange belief among some people that funny books are somehow less important than serious ones, and I disagree. Laughing is therapeutic – it makes you feel better, so that’s important on its own. But being funny doesn’t mean a book can’t have a message as well, and The Worst Class in the World Gets Worse is full of messages about kindness, and it also helps you understand what it’s like to be all sorts of different people. It just does it with a Smelly Death Log and a Poo Wagon thrown in as well. (Also, being able to make people laugh is like a superpower – it feels amazing.)

RP: I think funny books are important because they make us laugh, and when we laugh we are having fun – and having fun is what it’s all about.

SL: Nothing beats a really good belly laugh, it makes everyone feel good, so I think that funny stories and illustrations are so important to help bring smiles and joy to readers of all ages. They make us feel better don’t they, so read as many funny books as you can, especially if you are feeling a bit flat.

TF: I think funny books really encourage kids to read. Adults too! Who wouldn’t want to do something that makes them laugh?

Can you tell us more about your shortlisted book?

JN: The Worst Class in the World Gets Worse follows the madcap antics of Class 4B who are LITERALLY the worst class in the world (at least, according to their headteacher, Mrs Bottomley-Blunt, who makes a noise like a horse when she is annoyed, which is a lot). In these two adventures, we find out the reason the school has a Poo Wagon (spoiler alert: Manjit floods the actual toilets) and exactly how Harvey Barlow smuggles a penguin out of the zoo.

RP: It’s a journey in the realms of madness with over-flowing toilets, penguins, and just your everyday happenings with a really lovely (but sometimes bonkers) Year 4 class who are always trying to do the right thing. I’ve worked with children and classes just like this!

SL: Genie and Teeny is a really funny and magical read, but it also deals with themes of belonging and what home means. It is full of interactivity, illustrations and even has a drawalong at the back to help you draw your very own Grant the Genie. I think it also has just the right balance of magic, emotion and flatulence!

TF: Izzy and her friends are on a school trip to a mysterious lake. Everything gets really spooky (and silly!) when they start to suspect they’ve found a dangerous crisp stealing monster!

Why should children vote for you?

JN: I’d say because otherwise the Ghost Pigeon might get you or you’ll go on the Disappointing Day Board, but that would be wrong! So the real answer is: because it’s hilarious, and it would LITERALLY make Manjit’s head explode if we won.

RP: Children should vote for Jo and I because we really know what funny is all about and we both have first-hand experience about what 4B are doing, have done and will do – me working as a teaching assistant in a primary school, and Jo having her own schools stories and her own stories about her daughter that are just laugh-out-loud funny!

SL: Well, I think if you have read Genie and Teeny and loved it, then of COURSE please do vote for me! I love creating stories and characters so I really hope that readers up and down the land have enjoyed the first in the series of Grant and Teeny’s silly but heartfelt adventures as much as I enjoyed dreaming them up.

TF: If they like spooky mysteries with a lot of laughs too, then this is the book for them!

What would you say to anyone hoping to one day write or illustrate their own book?

JN: READ! There is no better way to learn to write better than to read as much as possible. And practise your writing or drawing too. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come out how you want at first, because, just like playing the violin or doing gymnastics, the more you do it, the better you get.

RP: Do it. Keep a sketch book for all your drawings, draw everything everywhere, write down your ideas, you don’t want to forget them. Read as much as you can, do as much as you can to make your writing and drawing more expressive. And probably the most important thing, never give up. Never give up. You will fail at some things but that’s because you just don’t know yet how to win them.

SL: Keep jotting down ideas as and when they pop into your head, and the same goes for character or illustration ideas. A top tip is to draw SMALL first in a small sketchbook or piece of paper and when you have drawn lots of little characters, start drawing them slightly larger, adding more detail until you are happy with your creation!

TF: You can do it! The best thing you can do is practice, and practice, and then practice some more! The more you draw or write the better you’ll get.

Don’t forget to read the shortlisted books and vote for your favourites!

Cast your vote

Buy the shortlist