Yes, it is Walliams not Williams because apparently when registering his name for the actor’s union equity, there already existed a David Williams. To not create confusion, he devised the stage name David Walliams (Comedian, Actor, Author).
My daughter entered The World of David Walliams in 2019 when she randomly picked the book ‘Gangsta Granny’ at a book fair. The name fascinated her and she insisted that my mom (her grandmother who is an angel granny according to her) read it to her.
Her second book was ‘Awful Auntie’ after which she kept waiting to get more books by David Walliams. Until then I didn’t know that he was a famous author nor had I read any of his work. Nor did I know that he did some acting, too. I was busy trying to understand my toddler son back then.
It was only when she got ‘Demon Dentist’ last year that I got down to reading it. It was quite interesting (for kids at least). Very well written with fancy illustrations.
Then, a week ago I got an email from HarperCollins India (as I’m registered as a book reviewer) about the David Walliams India Book Tour. David Walliams in Bangalore? I thought that this would be a great opportunity for my daughter to meet the author whose work she admired so much.
So, on that day, I picked up the kids (my son loves tagging along) early from school (not early enough) and drove a couple of hours into the city at peak traffic time. We were late so I parked the car in a no-parking zone and ran with the kids to the book house hoping we didn’t miss any of the talk, book reading or fun activity that was mentioned in the email.
We reached there and got a token for the book signing. I was surprised at the turnout. Almost 200 people were present there.
We bought ‘Super Sleuth’ (good story and very well narrated) as we were told in advance that the author would sign only books that were bought at the book house (in the past or present). Good marketing strategy! When our token number was called out, we realized that the author signed only one book per family (even if the family bought more than one book or had more than one child with a book). Sensible time management, I guess?
Anyway, the greeting, signing and posing for the photograph took about 2 to 3 minutes. That was it. The ‘prepare for a tour filled with laughter, stories, and endless fun with David Walliams!’ did not hold strong. We didn’t laugh, hear stories or have endless fun with the author. We just waited for the book we bought to be signed by the author and clicked a photograph with him. Even those who came on time only witnessed an entry and happy greeting.
Nevertheless, even though I expected more from this free event, my daughter was super excited and jumped up and down after meeting author David Walliams. So, I guess, for me, the strenuous 2-hour drive, the stress of potentially missing the event and the quick 2-minute meet were totally worth it!
My kids are happy! What else could a mother want, right?
“This post is part of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile“
14 Comments
Ah shucks! Don’t you hate it when event organizers make so many promises but then fail to deliver? But then if your kids were happy, I guess that’s what matters most!
I saw his books at the jaipur literature festival and have to agree they are eye-catching and I liked a lot of other titles as well. The two cuties are looking adorable as well.
Thank you, Sukaina!
Hats off to you Cindy for taking all that trouble. I probably would have been tempted too had my children been fans. However I have come to realise that large events with authors are often a bit of a let-down. Smaller events with more interaction are so much better but that wouldn’t make good business sense I suppose. That said, I’m glad the event made the children happy – that’s what matters in the end.
This was my first author event… like the kids’… So still learning…
Ah shucks, not cool that you didn’t get the parts they promised. Such events I feel don’t quite hold up to expectations. But your daughter’s smile says it all – she does look elated.
She was!
Ah well! I’d sure have been elated to meet Enid Blyton or Ruskin Bond too at their age. They’re going to cherish this photograph and that signed copy for long. So it’s a win as you said, despite the disappointment of no fun, no talks.
It sure is!
Great. Children should get opportunities like this which will have immense impact on them.
David Walliams and Jeff Kinney are my boys’ favourite writers.
It was sad that it was only a two minutes event. A little bit of Q&A would have made it fun for the children. But I guess considering they met an author is a reward in itself.
I remember he came to Dubai for the Litfest a few years back the queue for him to sign the books was so long that it took him more than an hour just to sign! This year, Jeff Kinney is coming and they have already announced there won’t be a live signing for the event. Only an hour session when the children can talk/ask questions. ( which I think is much better)
Mmmmm yeah perhaps! Let’s see next time!
Too cute! To what lengths moms go…even though the adult in you didn’t enjoy, the mom in you did. And thanks for introducing me to this author. Even though he writes for young ones, I would like to check a book out.
Yes, please do. You may enjoy Super Sleuth more than the others.