Fizzlebert Stump and the Bearded Boy

A.F. Harrold is an English poet and novelist, who writes and performs for both children and adults. He is the owner of many books, a handful of hats and one beard. He spends his spare time showing off onstage, in schools and at home, and his non-spare time sitting around stroking his beard and writing things down. He lives in Reading with a stand-up comedian and two cats.

afharroldkids.co.uk, @afharrold

Sarah Horne grew up in Derbyshire and spent much of her childhood scampering in the nearby fields with a few goats. Sarah has illustrated for many different projects including assignments from the Guardian and Independent newspapers, and character design for Sesame Street. Sarah now specialises in funny, inky illustration and words for children's fiction and picture books. She loves funny detail, nature, colour, music and wide open spaces.

sarahhorne.studio

Perfect for fans of Mr Gum and Roald Dahl, this highly successful and widely praised series featuring a boy, a circus and a lot of silliness is now available in a bright new package.

'Freewheeling frivolity' - Financial Times

'Once, and once only, there was a boy whose name was Fizzlebert.' Fizzlebert Stump lives in a circus where the bearded Barboozul family are the new stars. Their act is full of magic, mystery, fear and fun. And it's nice to have another boy around, even if he is a bit . hairy round the chin. But then things start going wrong. The lion loses his dentures. The clowns lose their noses. The Ringmaster loses his temper. And the circus is about to lose its licence. Is the bearded boy to blame? Can Fizz save the day?

The story of a boy, some beards, a sinister plot, clowns in crisis, and a very poorly rabbit.

Freewheeling frivolity

Stuffed with laughs

Children will love the Stanton/Ardargh-esque authorial tone