There are two British series I'd love to see published in the U.S.
The first is, of course, Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry series.
The second is the wonderfully gruesome Horrible Histories series, written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown. This series, with titles like The Terrible Tudors, Dark Knights and Dingy Dungeons, and The Rotten Romans, serves up history with a healthy dose of humor.
When we were in the U.K. this summer we purchased Bloody Scotland for my ten-year-old daughter. By the time we left for home I think we had fifteen Horrible Histories packed in the suitcases. Now they're being traded around the Middle School and are so loved they're falling apart at the seams.
Warwick Today talks to Martin Brown about his work on the hilarious series. Here's an interesting excerpt from the article about how Deary and Martin work together:
- "Martin receives the manuscripts from Terry at home and starts drawing, often in quick succession, to keep up with the demand. He said: 'In the early books I added a lot of the humour - I did a sort of editorial cartooning. Now it has got to the point where Terry and I cannot remember who wrote which joke. We rarely meet but we know each other and we know each other's work.' Now a father of two, watching Saturday morning cartoons with his two daughters is how he gets some of his best ideas. "
