Winners of the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize were named at an awards ceremony in London yesterday and presented with checks for £2,500 (US$3,700). The two books honored were:
- Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under: The Witch's Children Go to School by Ursula Jones, illustrated by Russell Ayto (Orchard Books)
- Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen: Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman (Egmont Press)
Michael Rosen, who chaired a panel of five judges that included Sophie Dahl--granddaughter of the legendary author--said, "Children love funny books but when adults draw up lists of the best books they nearly always leave the funny ones out. When I became the Children's Laureate, I said that my job should be as an ambassador for fun. That's why I came up with the idea of this funny prize, all part of the job!"