Author beats book idol to children's prize

An author and illustrator who was inspired by Quentin Blake has beaten her idol to this year's Roald Dahl Funny Prize.

Louise Yates, 29, won the award - for funniest book for children up to the age of six - with Dog Loves Books. Blake was on the shortlist for Angelica Sprocket's Pockets.

Chairman of judges Michael Rosen said Yates's tale, about a dog who tries to open a bookshop, was "an outrageous idea, beautifully told and illustrated". Yates, of Bermondsey, said it was a "great honour" to win.

As an English student at Oxford University, she wrote to Blake, who was coming to give a talk, and he agreed to meet her: "I showed him some of my drawings. I wasn't particularly proud of them and they had quite a strong Quentin Blake influence, but he was very gracious and invited me to bring my work to his studio in London." They stayed in touch and became friends.

"It feels like a credit to him to be alongside him. He gave me confidence to continue with my work," Yates said.

Louise Rennison won the category for children aged seven to 14, with Withering Tights.