Doug MacLeod is a Melbourne writer of books and TV. In 2008 the Australian Writers' Guild awarded him the Fred Parsons award for contribution to Australian comedy. (He has worked as a writer on shows such as Fast Forward and SeaChange, and as script editor on three seasons of Kath and Kim.) He also devised and co-wrote the animated series Dogstar, which has been screened all over the world. Doug received two Australian Writers' Guild awards for his scripts for series one, as well as the inaugural John Hinde award for science fiction. His best known book is Sister Madge's Book of Nuns, which started as a practical joke on a publisher. He left his full-time TV job in 2002 to focus on writing books for young adults.

You know those old drawings from earlier centuries? Quite often stylised and slightly off somehow. Just waiting for some clever person to come along and twist their meaning to new and hilarious ends. That person is Doug Macleod, who here collects various images to illustrate a hilarious, entirely fictional account of his life, and death. Contained within the pages are a father who wears beehives into town, the inventor of the whoopee cushion, a cheerful and light-hearted proposal, and many children, including a nervous child whose pants attract lightning. I don't know how many times I laughed out loud reading this book, suffice to say, many. And it isn't a 'read once, laugh once' sort of book. Each time I open it to re-read I find myself bursting into a fresh round of chuckles. Perfect as a gift for christmas, birthdays or for someone who needs a good laugh. It's much better than a gift of tight pants! -Ruth Chapman