Tohby's wonderful new collection of his "Good Weekend" cartoons was launched at the equally fabulous Waverley Bowling Club on Tuesday night. Tohby's cartoons have been a favourite feature of the free weekly Sydney Morning Herald magazine for a few years now — I've clipped several over the years, and they grace my fridge door and diary.

The launch was a relaxed, friend-and-family affair, held under a wall of beautiful old Honour Boards and memorials in the main room at the Waverley Bowling Club. This has surely got to be one of the last clubs of its kind that hasn't been tarted up and "gentrified" — the club maintains a wonderful atmosphere of community and history, with its honour rolls to fallen soldiers from the Great War, and its full sized pool tables and leather couches, making it a living room-away-from-home. This is probably the first book launch to have graced the space, and the regulars took it all in their stride!

Tohby is one of my colleagues at The School Magazine, and we were all very excited about the launch, not only for Tohby's book's sake, but because we got to meet Ivy, his new baby with wife Sally. She's a beautiful baby, and she enjoyed the launch enormously.

Tohby, when he's not cartooning and working at School Magazine, is also the author/illustrator of several picture books, including The Great Escape from City Zoo and The Singing Hat. Check his books out at the Penguin Australia website, or buy them from Gleebooks!

Tohby's own website will be live shortly.

Laura Harris, Children's Publisher at Penguin Australia introduces James Valentine,

who launched What's the Big Idea? That's Tohby with his hands in his pockets.

What's the Big Idea? was launched by radio presenter, musician, comedian and now children's author James Valentine. (Misrule's review of James' terrific YA science fiction novel Jumpman coming soon!)

James Valentine enthuses over What's the Big Idea?