A big thank you to Andrew Hansen and Jessica Roberts for taking the time to answer some questions about their debut Children’s book Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies the Weird Beard, which is released on May 1st 2018.

What is Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies about?
This story is about a lonely boy who finds a magic Pharaoh’s beard that takes him to a strange Egyptian city. Here, Bab Sharkey finds the friends he’s always needed –
stinky animals wrapped in bandages. However, the previous owner of the beard was a ruthless sorceress and really-not-very-nice lady. And she wants her beard back…

What inspired you and Jessica to write the book?
Jessica: We took a trip to the Middle East in 2009 and discovered real animal mummies on display at the Cairo museum. They were so scary and cool. We never knew the Egyptians mummified animals along with pharaohs. There was a cat and dog and bull on display but we found the mummified ibis and giant fish the most interesting and unexpected. We imagined the world they might live in and thought up the idea of a city of animal mummies called Mumphis. As we continued our travels, we went to Syria, where we learned that the name of one of the ancient gateways into Damascus is Bab Sharqi. Reading that out loud, it sounded like the name of a hero. We changed the spelling of Sharqi to Sharkey because in the original drawing I did of Bab his hair was shaped like a shark’s fin. He looked very Sharkey!

What public figure would you like to see wear the pharaoh’s beard?
Why?
Jessica: Lady Gaga. I think she’s smart and fierce enough to work the beard look, plus it would fit in well with her wild choice of fashion.
Andrew: The Pharaoh’s Beard conveys immense power to the wearer. They can turn it into any object they want on command, such as a hairy vacuum cleaner or a hairy lasso. So I certainly wouldn’t trust anyone famous with it.

What children’s book influenced the artwork for the book?
Jessica: The inspiration for the illustrations came from all over the place really. I have always loved Quentin Blake’s illustrations but I grew up watching a lot of cartoons like The Simpsons and anything and everything Nickelodeon/Cartoon Network, so I think that also influenced how I draw.

Are there any fascinating facts that you learnt about Ancient Egypt that you think children should know?
Jessica: So many fascinating things! The pharoahs used to read The Book of the Dead. It was a guide to what to expect when you died and headed to the fabulous afterlife. The book outlines all kinds of monsters and challenges you had to face and defeat before you could reach paradise. Most of the monsters were combinations of animals stuck together – things like a crocodile-lion-hippo!
Andrew: The Egyptians mummified lots of animals. Millions of them, in fact! Anything that moved ended up as a mummy – crocodiles, birds, cats, bulls, even beetles. The animal mummies’ bandages were painted in bright colours so it still looked like they had faces and patterns on their fur. The mummies are very cool and very weird and very creepy.

What is your favorite style of facial hair?
Jessica: I’m only interested in magic beards. All other facial hair can be shaved off!
Andrew: I’m partial to those moustaches with the twirly ends that villains have. I considered growing one myself but didn’t want to be apprehended by a superhero.

Is writing a children’s book harder to write then writing political satire?
Andrew: I’ve found them equally tricky in different ways. A children’s book needs a great plot, which for me was the hardest part. But writing a children’s book is a lot more fun!
Jessica: I’ve never written a word of political satire so I’m going to say…yes.

Are there any planned sequels to Bab Sharkey and the animal mummies?
Yes there is a funny, scary sequel coming out November 2018 called Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies: The Giant Moth Mummy. It features a wild adventure through the darkness of the Egyptian afterlife.

What is a movie about Ancient Egypt that you would recommend?
Jessica: I know a lot of people can it but I used to love The Mummy film staring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. So fun!
Andrew: I love Raiders of the Lost Ark, which features the lost Egyptian city of Tanis. The movie is bulging with goodies, start to finish.

I have to ask this because I watch a lot of movies, what is your favorite movie?
Andrew: It keeps changing. But when I was a kid, it was The Great Race. That movie has the most astonishing pie fight ever shot.
Jessica: One movie! That’s impossible to decide. I’ll say Harry Potter…all of those movies count as one really long movie, right?