ALL ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF HEATH MCKENZIE / LAKEPRESS. COM. AU |
If there’ s one thing you should know about Andy Lee, it’ s that he loves a good guffaw.“ I like creating games out of absolutely everything and I’ m also not fussed if things go wrong,” he says, chuckling.“ In fact, when things go wrong, they’ re the most exciting and funny times in life. That’ s my little mantra to live by.” It’ s a strategy that’ s served him well, whether he’ s gallivanting around in a caravan with partner-in-crime Hamish Blake, hosting the hilariously divisive The Hundred on Channel 9, buying a dilapidated mansion with girlfriend Bec Harding –“ it’ s got no running water, no electricity, grass growing through the walls … and it’ s full of possum poo and feathers, so we’ ve got our hands full,” he muses – or writing a beloved kids’ series.
“ It was meant to be one book only,” he explains, adding that a publisher friend agreed to run up a copy as a favour.“ But my mate argued with me for about three months on whether to publish it. I’ m glad he won because it’ s been a great adventure.”
The Do NOT Open These Books series challenges kids to keep turning the page – if
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they dare – and was originally created as a birthday gift for Lee’ s nephew.“ That’ s why the little monster character is called Wizz, because I used to call George‘ Gee Wizz’. He tries to play just as many tricks as Wizz,” he says, smiling fondly.
The series has also received a slew of international awards, including Picture Book of the Year in Australia, Portugal, Brazil, Iceland and Japan. The reason?
“ Kids love doing what they’ re told not to,” Lee says.“ The bravery required to keep going and the risk-taking – these are all things that are important for kids, [ especially ] as kids these days are becoming more anxious and less inclined to take risks.”
As a kid, Lee was a bit of a risk-taker himself. The family would take frequent trips in their campervan, and he was always the one who wandered off.“ Yeah, I quite liked going off on adventures,” he admits.“ Mum had to pack a few sets of clothes if we ever went anywhere – I was always the first person to end up in a dam or in a mud patch or up a tree.” >
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WIZZ |