Lollies 2023: The Poetry Shortlist Q&A

Posted on 27 April 2023

Hear from the creators of our rib-tickling titles in the Poetry Shortlist for the Laugh Out Loud Awards 2023!

We sat down with Joshua Seigal (JS) and Sarah Horne (SH), author and illustrator of Yapping Away, Barry Timms (BT) and Ged Adamson (GA), author and illustrator of This is NOT a Unicorn!, and Michelle Harrison (MH), author of Midnight Magic: Mirror Mischief, 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?

JS: It is a real honour. I work really hard on my writing, and it is wonderful to have my work appreciated. Thank you so much.

SH: It’s a real honour! Thank you so much.

BT: I couldn’t be more proud. I’ve followed the Lollies for some years now and still can’t quite believe I’m on the shortlist. How did that happen?!

GA: Wonderful! Barry’s text for This Is NOT a Unicorn! is very funny so my aim with the illustrations was to maximise that humour. Being shortlisted for these awards makes me feel like I did his words justice!

MH: Thank you very much! It’s wonderful to have made the shortlist in the first place. It feels as though I’ve told a good joke and people are laughing. Everyone likes that feeling, don’t they? Normally when people say nice things about my stories it’s to do with them being magical or having twisty plots, so to be recognised for being funny is a lovely thing.

Why do you think funny books are important?

JS: They are hugely important. It is always good to laugh and smile. It is also important because it can hook in those who might be otherwise reluctant to read. Funny books can help with mental health, and they bring light and joy to the world.

SH: I think joy and laughter is so needed in life. We can’t be sensible all the time!

BT: Who doesn’t like a good laugh? It can turn a glum day into a real corker. But speaking more seriously, humour is a brilliant way to engage young readers, and for children and adults to connect. A shared joke counts for a lot and can help us to overcome our differences.

GA: There is nothing more healing and theraputic than laughter. I think one of the best things you can do as a parent or teacher – or anyone spending time with kids – is allow and help children to develop a sense of humour. It’s an amazingly useful thing to have. It can cushion life’s tough moments and make social situations easier. Funny books can play a big part in this. There is a whole universe of humorous kid’s’ literature out there and it’s needed now more than ever.

MH: Funny books are a bit like laughter itself. They’re infectious and you can’t help wanting to share them so everyone else is in on the joke, too. I think that’s why they’re so good at engaging children and encouraging them to read for pleasure, which I’m passionate about because it’s proven to be life-changing. More than that, I believe comical books are good for the soul. Thanks to the fast-moving world we live in today and the ready access to technology, children are more aware of things that we might not want them to be. We’re living through what some experts call a mental health epidemic, so it feels more important than ever that we experience things that can boost our mood and keep us happy. There’s a saying that ‘laughter is the best medicine’ and I believe there’s some truth in that.

Can you tell us more about your shortlisted book?

JS: It is a book of poems, with illustrations by Sarah Horne. There are poems about all sorts of things, like cats, dogs, ice cream, yetis and unicorn poo. Most of the poems are quite short, lots of them are funny, but one or two are actually a little bit sad.

SH: It’s a beautiful book of very funny poetry written by the amazing Joshua Seigal.

BT: This is NOT a Unicorn! is full of silly wordplay, which is something I really enjoy. On a deeper level, it’s about a budding friendship between a young girl and a mysterious creature who looks a bit like a unicorn but turns out to be many other things – a tune-icorn, a spoon-icorn, and even a rocket-to-the-moon-icorn! It’s also about inventiveness and looking beyond your first impression of someone. Most of all, though, it’s about making up silly words. I hope readers will want to invent some of their own.

GA: It’s about a small girl who befriends an animal that looks remarkably like a unicorn. But it’s NOT a unicorn! It’s actually a creature that can do all kinds of wonderful, funny and impressive things. When I thought about how I was going to illustrate this magical character, I wanted to make it as least like a horse as possible. Which is why it walks around on two legs for one thing. Also I can’t draw horses.

MH: Mirror Mischief is about the antics of a magical black cat called Midnight and her best friend, a little girl named Trixie. When Midnight enchants her reflection in the mirror one day it seems like harmless fun at first, but then the mirror gets smashed and the rascally reflection escapes to cause all kinds of havoc! It’s written in rhyming verse so there were some challenging moments, but it was a lot of fun thinking up all the naughty things a magical cat might get up to. Elissa Elwick’s witty and charming illustrations bring it to life perfectly!

Why should children vote for you?

JS: Because if you don’t I might have a tantrum and smash stuff, and that is never a good thing.

SH: It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s cheeky and so much fun – vote for us or we will send that Yeti over to camp out on your settee, until you do!

BT: Because this book has something for EVERYONE! If you like unicorns then you’ll love it. And if you don’t like unicorns, you’ll love it even more, because it’s not actually about one!

GA: Because obviously we’re definitely the nicest and best people on the shortlist.

MH: This is tricky to answer without sounding needy or like you’re trying to be noble! So all I will say is that this book manages to rhyme ‘confetti’ with ‘yeti’ and ‘scooter’ with ‘computer’, which are probably four things you’d never expect to find in the same story. Failing that, I have given you a simple and hilarious World Book Day outfit. All you need is a toilet roll or two and a quick look at Dad on page 60.

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

JS: Go for it! Pick something you are interested in and care about, and have fun with the process! And if you can’t find a publisher, then publish it yourself. That’s what I did with my first book.

SH: A huge big GO FOR IT! We need your incredible imagination; we need your voice and your stories out there.

BT: Read as much as possible – especially books that are the sort of thing you’d like to write. This will help you understand how stories work and the kind of tricks you can do with them. Also, be sure to keep a note of your ideas so you don’t forget them. Spend lots of time writing, too. It’s a bit like exercise – the more you do it, the easier it will feel. You don’t want it to feel like homework. Writing should be a playful place, somewhere you go when you want to be imaginative and have fun!

GA: I would say that’s a lovely ambition to have! Try and keep thinking of different ideas and practice your art all the time (if you want to illustrate that is). But absolutely read and look at as many books as possible – especially in the genre you want to write in.

MH: I hope you do! You may not get it right first time, all authors and illustrators have to work really hard and practise LOTS, so don’t give up. Read as many books as you can and think about what makes you fall in love with a story or a character. If you enjoy what you write about then others will enjoy reading it, too. Good luck!

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

Cast your vote

Buy the shortlist