Regarding Zoe Williams’ review of How It Works: The Dad (Review, 14 May), many Guardian readers are probably unaware that the original satire on the Ladybird children’s education series was an art project written and illustrated by Miriam and Ezra Elia – We Go to the Gallery – and published under their own imprint, Dung Beetle Books. When the book first appeared in 2014, Penguin erupted in fury and demanded that the entire print run be withdrawn and destroyed. When this didn’t work, they decided it was a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”, and published their own comic series under a different creative team. Unlike these subsequent titles, such as The Dad, We Go to the Gallery was genuinely funny – a brilliant spoof on both the Ladybird style of education and the contemporary art world. Anyone disappointed by the official Ladybird parodies and with a glancing interest in contemporary art is advised to get hold of the Elia version, which will have them laughing out loud. I believe the authors are currently preparing a sequel.
Davina Thackara
London
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