Konnie Huq left Blue Peter a decade ago. But her new book character, 9 year-old Cookie shows how she is still a part of the children's world! First of a series of three books, 'Cookie And The Most Annoying Boy In The World', centres around adventures of Cookie Haque, a quirky Bangladeshi-origin young girl, who has never quite felt that she fits in, with a liking for science, who has an uncanny ability to get herself into almost constant scrapes.
Populated by a hilarious cast of characters, fdrom annoying classmates to tedious teachers and of course Cookie's amazing friends- the books will strike a chord for anyone who's ever been to school.
Clearly there are some similarities between Huq and Haque – both like science and both are from Bangladeshi families. And both like a bit of drama!
Konnie said, “When I was growing up, I always felt a bit like I didn't quite fit in, a feeling that perhaps still lingers in the background to this very day! I was the small brown girl in the big white suburb. I liked science and maths but liked drama too, and boy...does Cookie like a bit of drama!!?!”
Konnie's parents, like most Asian parents wanted her to become a doctor, but she had other plans. After gaining a degree in economics from Cambridge University, she went into television. Her sister Rupa Haq, is a Labour party MP.
“As a children's TV presenter for over a decade and now a mother of two young children, writing these books is very close to my heart,” she added.
With a joyful combination of anarchic humour and the thoughts we all have (but we actually don't say) and with a bit of STEM learning sneaked in, the Cookie books are essential reading for anyone in the 812 year old age group.
Konnie took a break from TV to concentrate on raising her sons – Covey, 7, and Huxley, 5 – and on writing projects, having co-written some material with Charlie Brooker, English humourist, critic, author, screenwriter, producer, and television presenter for his award-winning dark, dystopian series Black Mirror.
'Cookie And The Most Annoying Boy In The World' by Konnie Huq is published by Piccadilly Press, price £10.99.
