Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2012: the view from the judges

The judges with the shortlist

There’s just one week until the winner of the 2012 Roald Dahl Funny Prize is announced – and as the excitement builds, who better to introduce you to these hilarious reads than the judges who chose them?

First up we have the titles shortlisted for the 0-6 category – a treasure trove of chuckle-filled storybooks with amazing illustrations and giggle-inducing plots, from tantrums to roars, from badly behaved pirates to devious pets…and the universal issue of getting stuck.

Here's what our judges had to say about the shortlisted books:

The Baby That Roared by Simon Puttock, illustrated by Nadia Shireen

‘This is an example of tremendous artwork - what you can do with picture books is move away from a realistic approach and exaggerate. So, this baby we discover is a monster. But of course, we all know that babies are monsters anyway. It’s a two-edged gag, and a great book for performing.’
-    Michael Rosen

My Big Shouting Day by Rebecca Patterson

‘I loved the heroine’s spirit. She reminded me of one of my favourite characters when I was young, Ramona (from the Beverly Cleary novels). It just made me grin throughout, partly, I suspect, because my son is too young yet to have tantrums; when he does, perhaps I will find it more of an Awful Warning than a hilarious read!’
-    Lucy Mangan

Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton

‘What I love is how so much humour is conveyed through the expressiveness of George’s eyes. I was a dog owner as a small child and I instantly recognized that look of fearful guilt! You can also the split in George’s mind – can he behave, will he behave…will he resist temptation or just do what he wants? It’s a visually beautiful, and beautifully simple, funny book.’
-    Ed Vere

The Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle

‘From the first turn of a page, you feel like you're entering a different world, almost like a mini film. There's so much detail in the drawings and the characters are really beautifully observed and very funny. It's a great story too with the pirates turning up next door and stirring up trouble for the town of Dull-On-Sea. I particularly love the fact that every time you read - or look at this book - you can find something else to laugh at (in a good way) that you might have missed before.’
- Liz Pichon

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

‘It's a beautifully put together book that takes a theme –  getting something stuck in a tree - then cleverly avoids the obvious solutions until the tree is groaning with all manner of objects and people. It’s also stuffed full of quirky little details and very original page layouts, that all help with the pace of the story that builds up to a very funny ending too. Kids and adults will identify with this situation!’
-      Liz Pichon

The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

‘This book takes the best traditions of a fairytale and twists them with fresh and very funny results. The illustrations are lovely and manage to cram in even more humour onto every page.  Altogether it's a great combination of very funny text and drawings with a satisfying and hilarious ending.’
-     Liz Pichon

Read more about the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2012 and the shortlisted books

Take a look at what our judges got up to on a day out at the Roald Dahl Museum