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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel a bit ill about David Walliams?

355 replies

HelloYouTwo · 22/11/2019 11:15

Apparently he’s made over £100m from his books. Shock

There are so many better books out there than that pile of repetitive mildly racist, stereotype-laden junk that he peddles off the back of being a bit famous. I feel sorry for all the decent non-celeb authors out there.

News article if anyone interested:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-walliams-sitting-comfortably-in-100-million-book-club-gmp6bwm6b?shareToken=170904334320775f0850152088ce45a1

OP posts:
JohnCRaven · 22/11/2019 11:34

I do not like David Walliams the man or actor because I find him insincere. But hats off to him, my kids LOVE his books like they love Roald Dahl. If it gets kids interested in reading how can he be a bad author? Michael Rosen's poems and books are almost entirely dreadful. But he's a very well respected author and my kids love them. I'm obviously not the target audience of Walliams but I don't deny my children the pleasure of him. And yes I've read almost all of them.

megletthesecond · 22/11/2019 11:35

Yanbu.
I won't buy them for the dc's, they have to spend their own money on DW. I read a couple with them and though they were just feeble Roald Dahl knock offs.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 22/11/2019 11:36

Meh. Can't get worked up about it. I like Tony Ross's illustrations. World's Worst Teachers got my son into a bedtime story routine and also made him feel less nervous about starting school as his teachers weren't like that Wink so I'm kinda grateful to Mr Walliams to be honest.

BernardBlacksWineIceLolly · 22/11/2019 11:36

having slogged our way through the fucking Ice Monster, DS and I made a happy pact that no David Walliams book shall ever darken our door again

it was like eating bowl after bowl of bran flakes

shearwater · 22/11/2019 11:36

I'm not quite sure why he is so deserving of such pervasive fame either.

I'm no fan of Simon Cowell and I know it is supposed to be all in jest but I can't stand the way DW goes after him in such a sexually predatory way on BGT.

He's like an office joker who continually carries out the same practical joke to the point of bullying.

BernardBlacksWineIceLolly · 22/11/2019 11:37

you want great illustrations and anarchic humor? Go for the Mr Gum series - brilliant

LaurieMarlow · 22/11/2019 11:38

No it’s not a level playing field, but then nothing ever is.

What do you want us to say OP? This is how the world works.

His books are enjoyed by millions of kids, he’s doing something right. There are lots of celeb authors who’ve had a crack and while they got a leg up at the start, haven’t achieved anything like his success. It’s not just the marketing.

Wheredidigowrongggggg · 22/11/2019 11:38

Yes we noted it’s racism (stereotypical Asian shopkeeper with stereotypical accent in audio books, doing dodgy deals on out of date food), it’s trying to be Dahl but isn’t hitting the mark. My kids love them though so am conflicted. And the midnight gang was a great premise and a heart warming story. If you got rid of some of the little Britain stereotypes it would be much better though.

Helmetbymidnight · 22/11/2019 11:39

We have all his books - thus contributing to his great wealth - yet the kids don't much like them.

Sigh.

Pinkblueberry · 22/11/2019 11:39

I think YABU. Many kids don’t really know who he is - they just genuinely like his books. Plenty of celebs can try and write children’s books but they won’t repeatedly be successful if children didn’t enjoy them, although I agree he obviously has a bit of a head start as his celebrity status initially made parents buy them. That’s not the case now though, he’s very much an established children’s author. Don’t be a book snob!

HollowTalk · 22/11/2019 11:39

Has he sold 100m books or made £100m from them? There's a huge difference.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 22/11/2019 11:39

Oh and he hadn't a clue who he was obviously. I pointed him out on BGT and said That's who wrote your book and found the illustration of DW in it so he could compare. He was then quite thrilled it was the same person. I am not taking what moments of joy may son has (he has anxiety and sensory issues) away from him just because of Schadenfreude.

SouthernComforts · 22/11/2019 11:40

My dd is reading The Ice Monster for the second time, when she read it before it was the first time I'd ever seen her reading in her head and laughing out loud to herself, it was lovely to see.

Wheredidigowrongggggg · 22/11/2019 11:40

And I agree on the fame thing, my kids have no idea who he is and judge based on what they like. Tacit racism it seems.

SunshineAngel · 22/11/2019 11:41

Wow, someone's bitter.

Whitehorseinthehill · 22/11/2019 11:41

If kids didn't read them then they wouldn't sell. I think you'd struggle to force a child to read a book that they didn't enjoy.

theendoftheendoftheend · 22/11/2019 11:42

Funny some one mentioned Roald Dahl, he has certainly 'modelled' his style of writing on him.
I'm perfectly happy DD's don't choose to read his books.

WitchesCauldron · 22/11/2019 11:42

Absolutely agree. It seems anyone famous can jump on the author bandwagon and get a deal. So unfair to people starting out. I wouldn't buy his books on principle.

FizzyGreenWater · 22/11/2019 11:42

Yes. A wannabe Roald Dahl - sadly he just comes across as slightly unpleasant.

But I don't like his comedy persona one bit either, for exactly the same reasons.

However I respect him for his charity work.

frogsbreath · 22/11/2019 11:42

My ds (7) was given a set of his books a few months ago and we were shocked by their poor quality. They are difficult to read aloud and although we can forgive Roald Dahl his fat jokes I really don't understand why a 21st century writer thinks they are necessary.

We read Mr Stink and agreed the message was good so plowed through it. Then rat burger when we decided we'd had enough.

We've stuffed them deep into a cupboard and hope ds outgrows them before he finds them.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 22/11/2019 11:43

The kids love the books- why do you have to be so judgemental- some of the "classics" out there never resonated with me, I was obsessed with Jacqueline Wilson

Popular books encourage kids to read- YABU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

flouncyfanny · 22/11/2019 11:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sgtmajormummy · 22/11/2019 11:44

His books are translated into other languages and sell well in countries where they know nothing about his XFactor (creepy) or Little Britain (very creepy IMO but DD loved the books) fame.
YABU.

TheSerenDipitY · 22/11/2019 11:44

i think its best to focus on the important bits..... kids are reading :D

ThinkIamflyingundertheradar · 22/11/2019 11:45

I’m not a fan and am glad that my DC were too old for his books but I think every generation has authors that kids love and parents don’t. I was fed up of Jacqueline `Wilson when my DC were small but they loved her books. My younger brother loved Ronald Dahl and I thought the books were awful. Similarly I think my parents would happily have burned every Enid Blyton book on the planet but I couldn’t get enough of them.

I don’t think a child will be too swayed by the fact that DW is on tv. That might induce the parents or grandparents to buy the first book but after that there is obviously something about his writing that hooks the children in and keeps them wanting more. And IMO anything that that encourages reading is a good thing.