Liz Pichontrained as a graphic designer and has illustrated several picture books. She based a lot of the stories in the Tom Gates books on funny things that happened to her at school. Liz Pichon has recently released a new book, Shoe Wars. The footastic book features lots of shoe puns! It was released in October 2020. Ten years after the first was published, the 19th Tom Gates book, Random Acts of Fun – “Hanging out with a kid who likes to eat sugar from a bowl. (NOT fun.) Watching squirrels steal stuff from the garden. (Who knew that would be SO much FUN?)” – is just out, and Pichon has no plans on calling a halt any time soon. There has also been a stage production, Tom Gates Live, which has travelled throughout the UK. There are currently no new dates planned. This quirky, funny, highly-illustrated, fiction series follows life’s ups and downs of chaotic but loveable Tom, Delia, his old sister, his parents and of course his best friend Derek and his arch enemy, Marcus. Written by award-winning author and illustrator Liz Pichon, Tom is a master of excuses (especially when it comes to homework), creative storyteller and doodler and middle-school comedian extraordinaire.

Tom grows up in each book and the vocabulary develops. Tom Gates author Liz Pichon has added to the collection since my daughter stopped reading them. You can read them as stand-alone books too! A Tom Gates costume is a super easy dress up for World Book Day at school (great for us lazier mums!) Marlowe, Sam (2023-06-28). "Review: Tom Gates at Richmond Theatre". ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28 . Retrieved 2023-06-28.

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Guide, British Comedy (2020-12-16). "Catherine Tate and Mark Bonnar voice Tom Gates series". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28 . Retrieved 2023-06-28.

At the age of 7, my son was still being given very simple books by his teacher. However, he was able to read the longer Tom Gates books with more confidence.Most of the story revolves around things that happen at school. There are teachers he likes and doesn’t like, and children who he has difficult relationships with as well as his mates. The books are filled with jokes and really dynamic illustrations. My son will laugh out loud. It was an honour to design 2022’s iconic BBC Children in Need T-shirt and I want children to add their own doodles to it too. I know my talented creative readers are going to enjoy ‘The Brilliant World of Tom Gates’ Halloween TV special that I co-wrote, and sing along to the spooky song my music producer husband Mark and I wrote. It’s a super busy time and I’m loving every minute.” The world of Tom Gates book series by Liz Pichon came into my kids’ lives a few years ago. We were introduced to the books as being good for children with reading difficulties. My daughter who is now 12 has left them behind. Tom Gates books age range

In terms of an age recommendation, I think these are great books for ages 8+ and if you want to start at the beginning, the first Tom Gates book is The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, which was first published in 2011. Songs included:Nice Cup of Teaby Tea Cup Tony and The Saucers;What You Gonna Do?by Plastic Cup;Shout it Outby Dude3;Delia’s A Weirdoby DogZombies;The Cat Songby DogZombies;The School Dinner Blues (Chips Song)by DogZombies. My grandson loved it . Had previously bought all the Tom Gates books for my 7 year old grandson and from being a reluctant reader he absolutely loved them., so when “Random Acts of Fun” came out it was a no-brainer. He absolutely loves this one as well.” PerryE Each book in the series centres on a week or so of Tom’s life where he goes to school and a close shave adventure happens. Tom lives in a traditional nuclear family – he has one older sister, Delia Gates – who is a teenager and they ‘hate’ each other. Tom has a band, plays guitar and likes drawing. Additionally Tom Gates: The Music Book was released in October 2019. Tom Gates: You Can Draw is due out in March 2022.I am really pleased to introduce guest contributor Anna. She recommends the Tom Gates series of kids’ books that her son “Bee” and previously his older sister have appreciated and enjoyed. Despite the sales, and the readers around the world – Tom Gates has been translated into 45 languages – that “panic” is always still there. “I just assume it’s always going to end, and so every book, I’m really trying hard to put new things in it. If I was a Tom Gates fan, what would I expect? What else can I put in the book that I think kids would really like?” Lauren Fortune, fiction publisher at Scholastic UK, said: “Liz Pichon is an incredible talent and we are proud to be growing and expanding the Brilliant World of Tom Gates into new publishing areas so fans and new readers can enjoy even more of her uniquely engaging graphic style, doodling inspiration and humour. Laugh out loud and always relatable, Tom Gates: Happy to Help (Eventually) is set to hook even more children on reading and we can’t wait to see it in children’s hands.” She creates a story map for each book, noting down small events that will take place during her narrative – Derek gets a dog; homework excuse; squirrel wars – and fleshes them out into funny stories. And they are genuinely funny – I’ve watched my eight-year-old chortling away to herself at them on many an occasion, and even my 11-year-old hasn’t quite outgrown them yet, stealing them away from her little sister when she’s in the mood.

I have a soft spot for this series, so love it when a new book comes out. This one was hilarious. Kids eating bowls full of sugar, caramel doughnuts, cool grandparents and a whole heap of illustrations to boot!” Rania T. Scotland, Screen (2021-05-10). "Catherine Tate and Mark Bonnar head voice cast for The Brilliant World of Tom Gates". Screen Scotland. Archived from the original on 2023-04-16 . Retrieved 2023-06-28. PR includes BBC Breakfast, CBBC Newsround, Channel 5 News and a wealth of print media including Liz as expert judge for the Sun on its Christmas card competition. His grandparents are Frank's parents Granny Mavis And Granddad Bob that Tom refers to as "The Fossils", while Rita's parents are known as "The Wrinklies".It was only when she and her husband were investigating issues for their son as a child – he’s now 30 – that she realised about her own dyslexia. “We discovered that he had various different things like hearing problems, speech problems, and as we were going through the process with him, they always talked to the parents, and everything they were saying was like, well, you’re probably dyslexic. So I’ve never officially been diagnosed, but my family have always thought it.” She said: “The thrill of seeing a book published never stops – even after 20 Tom Gates books! I hope children enjoy reading Tom Gates: Happy to Help (Eventually) as much as I did writing and illustrating it.