Mr Gum: The man behind the beard

Stanton describes his core fanbase as aged seven to 11, “though it goes younger and much much older.” It’s global too, the nine Mr Gum books, illustrated by David Tazzyman, have been translated into 25 languages.

Not being a parent may be part of his appeal. “I try not to talk down to kids,” says the 43-year-old.

“People don’t realise kids have a really sophisticated grip of humour and story-telling and you can muck around with that. Also, I think it’s because I have a really good cast of characters. My stories are mainly about crazy adults who act like children and one child who’s more like an adult.”

His bio reveals a varied list of employment, including “film script reader, a cartoonist, an NHS lackey and lots of other things”. He spent a brief spell studying English at Oxford University, but was “kicked out.

“I like to tell children it was because I killed a man and they look pretty interested,” says Stanton.

The truth is rather more mundane. Stanton’s definition of English literature did not chime with Oxford’s dons. “I have a wandering magpie mind and they were very prescriptive. We clashed on that.”

Stanton wrote the first Mr Gum overnight, to entertain his young cousins. “Two years later, I rediscovered it in a drawer and decided to send it to a publisher.”

Success came quickly, as did the awards, including the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Red House Children’s Book Awards and two Blue Peter Book Awards.

Lamonic Bibber is home to Mr Gum and a motley crew including the angry fairy, Old Granny, Billy William the Third and a billionaire gingerbread man called Alan Taylor.

“I like making up nonsense words and use them a lot in real life. Years ago I came out with lamonic bibber, which I used to describe things that were a bit rubbish. So when it came to thinking of a name for the town I thought ‘what better than Lamonic Bibber’? You know you’re in a twisted world, but it sounds friendly at the same time.

“None of the characters are real people but they are an amalgam of different ideas. The best ones come into the room and say ‘OK, let’s tell a story.’”

One gag is Mr Gum’s favourite TV programme which features footage of nothing more than a bag of sticks for half an hour (though the Christmas special does include a dead robin).

Stanton explains: “Bag of sticks is one of those jokes that everybody seems to latch on to. People ask me about it a lot and some fans have created their own version and posted it on YouTube.”

Stanton believes his talent for “funny” owes something to his heritage.

“I like the cultural part of being Jewish very much,” he says.

“We have a particular brand of humour which feeds into my stuff and a different way of looking at the world. I’m very proud of my identity and feel very Jewish in my soul.”

Are any of his characters of the faith?

“No, I try to make them more universal.

“However, there is a line which says the gingerbread man Alan Taylor recently become vegetarian for religious reasons.”

Mr Gum has “reached its natural end for a while,” according to Stanton.

“Everybody wants another Mr Gum book but I don’t want to do it unless I’ve got a good idea as I would hate to disappoint people.”

He has been working on two stories for dyslexic and reluctant readers, and several picture books — including the recently published Danny McGee Drinks the Sea (Hodder), illustrated by Neal Layton.

“Everything rhymes with sea. I’ve had some really lovely reviews and it seems to be doing well,” he says.

There are two other picture books in the pipeline. But are Danny and Stanton’s other fictional offspring overshadowed by Mr Gum?

“It’s a very nice problem to have.”

What can fans expect from his contribution to Bookniks, JW3’s children’s book festival?

“Doing events is really fun. I monkey around, do some really stupid things and see what happens.

“I love book signings because it’s brilliant talking to the kids and seeing what makes them tick. Plus, they see I’m just a normal person and there’s nothing magic about being an author.”

I must beg to differ. If there’s one thing Stanton gives to children, it’s magic.

 

Bookniks is at JW3 on Sunday. www.jw3.org.uk