Andy Stanton's YOU'RE A BAD MAN MR GUM has been announced as the overall winner in the Red House Children's Book Award .The RHCBA was the first major award won by some of the biggest names in children’s books including: Roald Dahl in 1983, Jacqueline Wilson in 1996 and J.K. Rowling in 1998. Jacqueline Wilson, the Children’s Laureate, says of the award “It’s the book award that means the most to me because it’s the one where children do the voting.”

You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum! is an anarchic funny story  in the vein of Roald Dahl which features the hideous Mr Gum and the equally stinky William the Third aka Billy the local butcher, in a dastardly plot to do away with the village dog Jake, a plot that can only be foiled by Polly (as-she’s-known-to-her-friends) and the inimitable Friday O’Leary.

Write Away reviewer Carolyn Swain says  'The plot itself is bizarre but has real appeal for those who revel in quirky characters and the absurd. In fact, the combination of text and image to achieve comic effect put me in mind of Roald Dahl’s books, as did the larger than life baddies.'

The full winner’s list for the 2007 Red House Children’s Book Award is as follows:

OVERALL WINNER You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum! by Andy Stanton published by Egmont Books

YOUNGER CHILDREN Who’s in the Loo? by Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds published by Andersen Press Books

OLDER READERS  Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie published by Simon & Schuster