From Number One best selling children’s author David Walliams comes an explosively funny space adventure for children of 3 and up. Two big hippos. One ENORMOUS dream. Who can make it to the moon first?
Adapted for the stage by acclaimed award winning theatre company Les Petits comes a fantastical adventure featuring puppetry, music, mayhem and a giant space race to the moon!
For tour dates and tickets, click here!
Never one to rest on his laurels, David’s had a particularly busy weekend. From meeting the World’s greatest illustrator to a book signing at one of the World’s most famous shops, it was pretty jam-packed – even by his standards!
Yes, on Saturday November 14th, David was invited along to the Hastings Story Festival by its patron and the most amazing children’s illustrator on the planet, Sir Quentin Blake. He read from ‘Grandpa’s Great Escape’, took part in a Q&A session, then scribbled down his autograph for some patiently waiting fans.
And on Sunday 15th? He simply popped along to Harrods department store in London and made a few people’s days by signing copies of his latest novel Grandpa’s Great Escape and his new picture book The Bear Who Went Boo!
Phew! Time to put your feet up, David!
David Walliams has written an exclusive children’s picture book for Comic Relief! THE QUEEN’S ORANG-UTAN will be published on 26th February 2015, ahead of Red Nose Day on 13th March. David will donate all his proceeds from the book to Comic Relief, as will Harper Collins UK, David’s global publisher.
THE QUEEN’S ORANG-UTAN is a right royal mash-up of mischief and mayhem! And, Tony Ross is on hand to bring the wickedly funny line-up of characters to life with his always-amazing illustrations. Tony has worked with David on FIVE of his bestselling novels and will also donate his earnings from the book. Two of their previous picture book collaborations The Slightly Annoying Elephant and The First Hippo on the Moon, both rocketed to Number One in the picture book chart in their first week of publication.
THE QUEEN’S ORANG-UTAN will be published in paperback at £4.99 and AT LEAST £3 from each copy sold will go to Comic Relief. A brilliantly funny audio version has also been created by David along with Miranda Hart and Rob Brydon. On the eve of Red Nose Day 2015, the book will be published as a special limited edition hardback, with the audio CD included.
David Walliams is an honorary trustee of Comic Relief. He has raised millions for the charity already, most notably by swimming the English Channel in 2006 and the River Thames in 2011.
Since his debut children’s book published in 2008, David has taken the literary world by storm. He is now officially the biggest British children’s author to debut this century.
HarperCollins Children’s Books Executive Publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said of David and The Queen’s Orang-Utan:
“David Walliams is a genius storyteller – adored by millions of children worldwide. He has written this wonderfully irreverent and hilarious tale especially for Comic Relief – and what a wonderful gift it is! His inimitable storytelling is on top form and will delight young and old.
We are privileged to publish David Walliams on the HarperCollins Children’s list, and delighted to be working with him and Comic Relief on the publishing of this book.”
Comic Relief CEO Kevin Cahill, said:
“David has been such a brilliant supporter of Comic Relief for such a long time. He’s clearly taken the easy way out this time by writing a book rather than swimming the Channel! We are eternally in his debt for his wonderful ongoing support.”
Money raised from the book will be spent by Comic Relief right here in the UK, as well as across Africa. It will be used to help vulnerable and disadvantaged people to turn their lives around.
HAVE YOU HEARD?!
ALL of David Walliams’ books are available as all-star audiobooks! That means you can hear them hilariously read by David himself! And as though that wasn’t enough to twist your arm (although of course it was!), we’ll let you in on a secret. David often calls on his super-talented (sometimes famous!) friends to lend a hand…
David’s audiobooks are AWARD-WINNING. The Awful Auntie audiobook picked up the National Book Award of Audiobook of the Year in 2014!
To listen to an exciting extract from one of your FAVOURITE Walliams’ books, or to find out more about who reads it, head over to the book pages!
David Walliams supports Save the Children by reading some of his books during a visit to a London school where Save the Children runs one of its volunteer reading programmes.
Watch David read to his screaming audience! [See links to films below]
For parents: our campaign Read On. Get On. is striving to get all children reading well by the age of 11 – currently one in four children leave primary school not being able to read as well as they should. Take action and sign our petition now
David visits a London Born to Read School
Here are the full clips:
David Walliams reads Gangsta Granny
David Walliams reads Demon Dentist
David Walliams reads Ratburger
WATCH: Check out the video highlights of David’s Mega Event in March 2014
