The Funday Times returns for special one-off edition

Children’s author and comic author Jamie Smart has designed the front cover for a special one-off print edition of The Funday Times.

The supplement was launched in 1989 as a weekly children’s supplement in The Sunday Times and was printed until 2006.

The one-off edition on March 1 is part of The Sunday Times Get Britain Reading campaign, which is supported by authors including Smart, Michael Morpurgo, Anne Fine, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Rosen and Julia Donaldson.

Young readers can look forward to extracts from new books, including Katie Kirby’s soon-to-be-published The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks, World Book Day’s new Roald Dahl-inspired adventure Chaos At The Chocolate Factory, and a new poem by children’s author and poet Rashmi Sirdeshpande.

Morpurgo has written the first line of a short story competition, while Matt Oldfield, who wrote the Unbelievable Football series, offers a guide of who look out for at this summer’s World Cup.

Smart, the creator of comic series Bunny vs Monkey, said: “The Funday Times was a coveted treasure when I was at school, a mystical tome of weekly comics all the kids gathered round to read.

“So back in 2003, when I started drawing my ongoing comic Space Raoul for its centre spread, I always felt such a huge buzz to be a part of Funday Times history.

“Children’s comics have only had a few stalwarts over the past few decades, including The Phoenix comic and The Beano, and The Funday Times belongs in that list too.

“It’s vital that we offer children only the best, most brilliantest, most amazingest original comics and stories, and The Funday Times is such an important part of that.”

The Funday Times was designed to engage younger readers with a mix of news, features and puzzles, and soon became known for its educational content, big-name contributors and popular comic strips such as Asterix, Thunderbirds and The Simpsons.

The Sunday Times editor Ben Taylor said: “As a child, I could often be found curled up with a book — any book really, but Enid Blyton was a firm favourite.

“I loved British and American comics too, before graduating to football and pop music magazines and, of course, newspapers.

“Many of us got our first taste of reading via the pages of The Funday Times, which is why we’ve brought it back for a special edition.”

The 12-page edition is on sale with The Sunday Times.