David Walliams

[Navelgazers]

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.

Instead try these series:

• Magic Faraway Tree
• Pippi Longstocking
• Dog man
• Captain Underpaints
• 13 Story Treehouse
• The Worst WItch

And Finn Family Moomintroll, Arabell and Mortimer, Mrs Pepperpot and all the books by Dick King Smith (Sheep Pig is the best of course!)

What is it with these men, Gavin Williamson, James corden, David Walliams. They are simply abusive. It’s just awful . Williamson apparently telling civil servants to fuck off or slit their throats, corden abusing waiting staff , Walliams calling people a cunt and making sexually derogative comments. Wtf is actually wrong with these men?

and what kind of defence is the comments were not meant to be broadcast. What the hell difference does that make. We know that. No one is stupid enough to think they were planning on broadcasting Walliams calling a pensioner a cunt. It’s totally missing the point of the issue.

My boys love David Baddiel’s kids books. They seem a lot more ‘in touch’ with modern kids, kids humour etc

I found the David Williams books a bit odd and out of touch, strange humour, trying to be like Dahl. I’m always surprised how successful they are.

Also Onjali Q Rauf does fab kids books

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.
Hannah Sparks is amazing- kind of mythical books about a dragon that flies up to the clouds with a little boy and girl. They’re only around 100 pages so my 10 year old son felt he could manage it

He's the worst man in Britain by a long shot. He should be deported

i have agree. My daughter was/is a reluctant reader but hearing other kids talk about DW’s books she got interested and reads them so I bite my tongue. 🙄

You know you can still buy them right?

It does to me. I chose not to give money to people like him.

I'm not surprised at all. After seeing him on Big Fat Quiz of the Year about 10 years ago, I have hated him.

How old is your child?

The Hilo books by Judd Winick are excellent, very funny, good male and female characters and multicultural. DS (10) adores them, along with the Dogman books and the Zita the Spacegirl books by Ben Hatke. Another vote for the Phoenix comic books and also (old school) the Beano, he adore the Beano.

I hate to tell you OP and anyone else recommending Enid Blyton that she was horrific as well. A terrible mother, nasty to other children. And occasionally racist.

There’s a lot more to come out about Walliams, this is just a warm-up.

Awful aunty and ratburger are actually very good books!

But yes.... I hear you.

My sister is horrified by DS gleefully recounting how the man's head died and the dogs body died so they stitched dogs head onto the man's body.
The body of a man, the head of a dog, the HEART of a HERO!!

😂😂😂

DS reads these on repeat, and Cat Kid. He reads Capt Underpants less but was him last year for WBD and of course, its Dog Man this year.

I brought the 21 story tree house books too but he's reluctant to read anything Pilkey hadn't written 🙄

I hate this trope.

A man said this to me when I said I could no longer support a band who had a member with a history of sexual abuse allegations. “But I can separate the art from the artist”. Good for you pal, probably because you’ve never been sexually abused.

You don’t have to separate the art from the artist. If you don’t want to line David Walliams pockets with cash you don’t have to, there are loads of other amazing writers out there.

The legacy of Roald Dahl pays for some wonderful nurses - one of which has been vital for my child. The family have done lots of good from his work.

Hear, hear 👏

www.roalddahlcharity.org

Jamie Smart, John Patrick Green and Aaron Blaby (The Bad Guys) are your friends.

My kids are loving the demon headmaster series of books.

His whole thing is hiding in plain sight. He's hideous.

It feels like risk-taking behaviour, pushing the boundaries and flirting with the chance of being caught.

I wonder if he feels untouchable because of his network and reach, as Savile did? A case of 'hiding in plain sight', perhaps?

I hesitate to make the comparison but I've always felt very uneasy about Walliams. He has a dark side, flashes of which can be seen in his interviews.

Tbh I see where people are coming from and I am disgusted by his comments but it saddens me because 16yr old DD was a very reluctant reader and Gangsta Granny was one of the books that she loved - we even went to see the stage play and it was great. She had a shelf full of his books because they appealed to her. She's not got a nasty bone in her body and is very compassionate and tolerant so I don't think she got any messages of sexism, racism etc.

She had a range of books and authors read to or with her including many of those mentioned above but prescribed reading never seems to work (or didn't with my DC). We introduced them to a range of suitable literature but you can never predict what is going to capturetheir imagination and what is going to be left on the shelf.