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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

David Walliams

294 replies

Navelgazers · 10/11/2022 10:21

He's on the wall of my child's school as author of the month. I just do not see the appeal - as I see it he got into writing easily, already being a celebrity, and found success as he used the same illustrator as Roald Dahl - Quentin Blake.

There have been threads in the past about him, and now this
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/10/david-walliams-recorded-derogatory-remarks-britains-got-talent-bgt-contestants

Basically, saying really offensive things about some BGT contestants, on mic. Of course they were going to be leaked.

OP posts:
Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 10/11/2022 12:00

He is horrible.
I will never ever buy my children his books.

CheeseIsMyPatronus · 10/11/2022 12:00

I agree completely, @Freddosforall !

Cressida Cowell writes superb children's books, is a lovely human being and incredibly generous with her time for youing readers. My child wrote her a letter and although it took 6 months for the reply to come, she wrote a lovely long letter back answering his questions and covering the page and envelope with illustrations.

How Walliams books sell is a mystery - they are actively badly written. Eva Ibbotson, Katherine Arundel and Cowell are so very. very much more fun.

Ogh, and honourable mention for Lauren Child's Clarice Bean novels - very funny too.

AbsoluteYawns · 10/11/2022 12:02

Ahhhh Tom Fletcher..his books are fantastic! They made me and my DC laugh out loud. He and his wife also seem like really lovely people and I think his books have a good morale to them with strong female characters.

Dahl on the other hand - vile anti semitic prick. He should be banned.

Walliams - DC like his books but they definitely are not classics imo and some of the storylines are just not nice. If he is the creep he's made out to be we won't be buying anymore!

DeborahVance · 10/11/2022 12:02

His books are unbelievably shit and he is creepy AF. There is stuff out there that is SO much better

FunnyTalks · 10/11/2022 12:03

My kid got given one of his picture books. Had to remember to edit the story each time because the message really wasn't great. Tbf I do this a lot with old classics to try and balance out some of the sexism, but I don't expect to have to do this so much with current authors.

BlackLodge · 10/11/2022 12:04

Navelgazers · 10/11/2022 10:31

Can anyone make some suggestions for other authors? I know she's old school but I really loved the Enchanted Wood by enid blyton when I was about 6.

Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney are my children’s favourites (they are 6 and 8). Also love Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton but yes, neither of them were nice either.

pairofrollerskates · 10/11/2022 12:07

He is a creep. So was Roald Dahl. Their creepiness leaks over into their books as subtext. At least Roald Dahl could write (although that made his creepy work even more seductive). If kids only read one or two, I don't see the harm, but ... these creeps both wrote loads of books and a diet of garbage is not good for anyone. There is a real issue with the notion that any reading is good. It's not.

BlackLodge · 10/11/2022 12:07

BlackLodge · 10/11/2022 12:04

Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney are my children’s favourites (they are 6 and 8). Also love Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton but yes, neither of them were nice either.

Also Jamie Smart and Andrew McDonald

10storeylovesong · 10/11/2022 12:09

Enid Bottom was an awful person! I remember loving her books when younger and trying to read them with my boys and finding them smug and stilted.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/enid-blyton-racist-english-heritage-b1867577.html%3famp

SleepingStandingUp · 10/11/2022 12:09

Navelgazers · 10/11/2022 10:31

Can anyone make some suggestions for other authors? I know she's old school but I really loved the Enchanted Wood by enid blyton when I was about 6.

Dav Pilkey 😊

10storeylovesong · 10/11/2022 12:10

My boys love anything by Rick Riordan, the 12 storey treehouse books, the Goosebump series, and anything by Tom Fletcher.

SleepingStandingUp · 10/11/2022 12:11

BlackLodge · 10/11/2022 12:04

Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney are my children’s favourites (they are 6 and 8). Also love Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton but yes, neither of them were nice either.

Is Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpey Kid? I'm in a "DAC PILKEY IS A GOD" house we were desperately awaiting the new releases. Variety would be good 😂

JasonsSon · 10/11/2022 12:11

Mumsnet doesn't like him.

Kiplingroad · 10/11/2022 12:13

@SleepingStandingUp Yes the new Jeff Kinney is out. TBH his main character isn't that nice either sometimes either, but he is funny and not creepy.

Cat Kid Comic Club/Dog Man books are also great for reluctant readers and very sweet, not nasty at all.

CarrotRope · 10/11/2022 12:14

SleepingStandingUp · 10/11/2022 12:11

Is Jeff Kinney Diary of a Wimpey Kid? I'm in a "DAC PILKEY IS A GOD" house we were desperately awaiting the new releases. Variety would be good 😂

Yes! Sorry I have just name changed and can’t be bothered changing back. If they’ve not tried Jamie Smart yet I’ll bet they’d love him (Bunny vs Monkey).

TheKeatingFive · 10/11/2022 12:16

Looshkin (also Jamie Smart) was a huge hit in our house.

Dav Pilkey is such a legend. I adore Dogman (I'm 42 ) and the end of the last Cat Kid Comic Club made me cry 😳

Kiplingroad · 10/11/2022 12:18

thekeatingfive the haiku in Cat Kid Comic Club.... adorable.

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 10/11/2022 12:19

I used to find him funny, but he is turning out to be a talentless smug, racist, sexist cunt.

fruitpastille · 10/11/2022 12:19

Books for topics is brilliant for recommendations for different ages. It also has 'branching out' ideas for children who like a particular author.

www.booksfortopics.com/key-stage-book-lists

Is anyone actually surprised that David Walliams made those comments??!

CarrotRope · 10/11/2022 12:19

Captain Underpants and Super Diaper Baby are also fabulous!

Upthebracket22 · 10/11/2022 12:20

Dermot O’learys cat books also nice.

Not even remotely surprised about David Walliams- always suspected he was a mysogynistic tosser. We stopped reading his books a while back as I found his potrayal of women a bit dodge

Guiltycat · 10/11/2022 12:22

I usually judge the book not the author. Some of my childhood favourites are considered awful people by todays standards (rightfully so in most cases), but as long as the books are well written and enjoyable I can separate art from the artist.

David Walliams books are awful, at least the three I read were (I used to read the books before reading them to dc when they were younger, to check they were good/interesting/appropriate).

Unfortunately, like many of the celebrity books for children, they were published (and sold well) just due to his name. I do wonder how many J.K.Rowling's there are out there that would be unlikely to get a chance now, because all the big budgets go to 'sure thing' celebrity authors.

Hopefully parents stop buying the trash, actively avoiding anything with a random famous name stuck on it. Then we might start to see many more high-quality, fun books that could become classics for children.

RedToothBrush · 10/11/2022 12:27

BlackLodge · 10/11/2022 12:07

Also Jamie Smart and Andrew McDonald

Add investigators by John Patrick Green to the list for reluctant readers aged 6 to 8.

We've just discovered The Phoenix comics (Jamie Smart regularly still does cartoons in them and his early books are strips that originally were in the comic).

The have a twitter account and regularly have a book of the week (the comic is part of David Fickling publishing who specialise in children's publishing - they are using the comic as a way to promote reading to reluctant readers - and to sell books off the back of it)

Both are worth following on twitter - they regularly have books that appear on the Book Trust recommendations lists. The comic is a fantastic idea and comics do help dyslexic kids in particular.

There is a real craze for comics in my son's class which is fantastic.

ArabellaScott · 10/11/2022 12:27

So help me, I thought BGT was the latest iteration of LGBTQ, with the logical progression of leaving the 'L' out altogether ...

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