We are delighted to welcome C G Moore to the blog to talk about his new novel, Trigger which has published with YLG Publisher of the Year 2023 in Ireland.  Trigger is C G Moore’s third novel for young adult readers and is a gritty verse novel based around sexual abuse and raising important considerations around consent.  You can learn more about C G Moore at his website.

'Gut Feelings' won the KPMG Children's Books Ireland, Children's Book of the Year Award, how did it feel receiving this recognition and can you tell us about how the selection process for this works?

I was shocked. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Gut Feelings was a strong book but rather, I thought with some more established names contending for the title, I was just there to enjoy the day with my mam. I had no expectations that I would win. I scribbled some names on the back of a tram ticket just in case.

For the selection process, Children’s Books Ireland seek out independent judges for the awards including two readers aged 15+ as Young Judges. Publishers submit books they believe to be outstanding reads and the list of submissions is judges against the awards’ criteria including engagement, and how well written and conceived the story is. The list is whittled down to ten books and there are five awards in total including the Book of the Year Award.

Your new verse novel is called 'Trigger' and is publishing with Little Island books, can you introduce us to its themes?

Trigger is about a boy who wakes up in the park with no memory of what happened to him. He slowly comes to terms with the fact that he may have been sexually assaulted. He can’t move on until he knows what happened to him. While sexual assault and trust are key themes, Trigger raises awareness around consent in and out of relationships as well and hope and recovery from trauma.

Jay is struggling to piece together events that have happened to him and who he can trust, although the horrific events that he has been through have been very specific, in some ways this is a rites of passage.  In what ways do you think Jay changes by the end of the book?

Jay is very trusting before the events of the book and a part of him finds validation in being in a relationship. Even when he comes to terms with what happens to him, he still holds tight to his naïve beliefs that nothing happened and his boyfriend could not have been involved. There’s a poem in the book – Honey and Glass – that captures the before and after of his life-changing experience perfectly.

Like 'Gut Feelings,' it has been quite a personal book and it cleverly weaves narrative around trauma and resilience.  Do you find exploring your past through fiction helps to make sense of elements of your past?  What do you hope readers get from this?

There is always a cathartic feeling when I write about some of the difficult experiences I’ve endured. Spending a lot of time writing about these moments does unlock a different perspective that helps me to make sense of the past.

I’ve read some alarming statistics recently that The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published in which they found that 72% of young people aged 18-25 do not realise they can say ‘no’ after initially say ‘yes’ to a sexual encounter when they meet. Just as troubling is that a further 58% believe that rape cannot be committed in a relationship or marriage. I think many adults find it difficult to talk to kids about issues that are widely regarded as taboo like sexual assault and rape but with instant access to digital media via smartphones, children are growing up in a technological world where they are being exposed to smart devices as young as two. It’s naïve to think that teenagers can’t access more explicit content and with this in mind, it’s important to have these more difficult conversations at home and in schools. I can see how teachers and librarians might worry about students reading content that exposes them to issues like sexual assault, but surely it’s better done in a book where they can question and discuss these themes in a safe environment rather than being kept in the dark and becoming a part of a set of alarming statistics. Besides, young people are regularly subjected to sexualisation in the media and violence in video games and TV shows. I hope my book offers a discussion around consent and gets young adults to think about it. I know one book won’t change these damning statistics but if the book reaches and helps just one young person, I’ll be happy.

'Trigger' explores some complex issues and emotions what opportunities and challenges are there in exploring these through the verse form?

Verse novels limit your word count dramatically and can take you longer to find your voice. With prose, you have more time to develop the story and narrative voice but with verse, you have to be more precise while still allowing smaller moments for the reader to breathe. If you’re talking about complex issues like identity, disability or sexual assault, you still need to give the reader moments of relief. I also find it easier to plot a prose novel by chapter whereas my verse style doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense so I might have an outline of what I am going to do, but not every part of the story is mapped out. It’s exciting and it challenges me to find new ways to tell my stories.

What is it that appeals to you about the verse form and in what ways does the process differ from standard prose?

Verse allows me to say what I need to say in a way where every word on the page matters. If I’m talking about something that’s quite personal to me, I want to make sure that every poem is doing what it needs to do and contributing to the overarching narrative. With prose, you can take your time in building up a scene and fleshing out characters and story. In verse, your words need to be concise and for me, I need to be able to balance story and characterisation without adding any superfluous details.

You've just become part a Champion of Reading with Children’s Books Ireland, what will this involve and do you have any particular plans for how you will use this opportunity?

I am so proud to be a Champion of Reading for two schools in Ireland. As part of the scheme, the schools selected each received 250 books as well as a Champion of Reading who is tasked with engaging students and encouraging a ‘reading for pleasure’ culture within the school. I have my own plans on how I would approach this, but I am guided by the schools (what age groups they would like me to work with, reading abilities, interests etc.) to understand what type of activities they would like me to explore in workshops. One of the schools has asked for a workshop around creating suspense and character-building. I will be drawing inspiration from thrillers and murder mysteries to create an immersive series of activities that will invite students to solve a murder mystery in their own stories.

You work with The Reading Agency on their 'Reading Partners' programme.  What does your work entail and has it given you an ideas for your own writing and development?

As a Campaigns Officer with The Reading Agency, I get to support libraries and schools across the UK with offers including free author visits, read and review opportunities and library display packs and resources to help make libraries a more inviting and accessible space for all readers. I’ve grown and developed in this role professionally and being able to access a diverse range of reading opportunities has allowed me to read lots of different stories that have challenged my own writing.

Are you reading anything that you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

I’ve just finished reading Wise Creatures by Deirdre Sullivan – an exceptionally talented Irish author. It’s about betrayal, secrets, family and ghosts. I was a bit sceptical at first as I loathe reading about ghosts, but Deirdre managed to weave a story in lyrical prose and play with narrative voice to create a compelling read.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on an inside-out coming-out story (that’s a mouthful to say!) told in prose. I’m afraid I can’t say much more than that.

Thanks to Chris Moore for the interview and to Little Island Books for the opportunity.

We are delighted to welcome Shelina Janmohamed, author and commentator, to the blog to explore approaches for considering and discussing the British Empire and the role this has played in global history and the impact it has on children’s lives today.  This is a fascinating blog and a powerful story that impacts upon all of us.


The British Empire was the biggest empire in history. Ever. Bigger than the Roman Empire. Bigger than the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Mughal, Ottoman, Malian, Mamluk… well, you get the picture. It was REALLY BIG. Bigger than any other country, empire, kingdom, sultanate or dynasty. Ever.

The British Empire affected everything. Not only did it affect everything then, it still affects so many of our lives in big and small ways today. 

Yet, while we teach our children about the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and other empires, the biggest, wealthiest, most powerful and most influential empire in the history of ever – the British Empire is not even currently officially on the school curriculum, and we don’t have the resources to talk about it with nuance and complexity. In fact, when I started writing it in 2020 there were barely any children’s books at all about the British Empire!  I wanted to change that. 

That’s because the British Empire didn't just affect countries over there. It affected everything about the islands we live on today, including our four nations. It affected everything and still does, from the language we speak, to the food we eat, to the buildings that surround us, to the people who live here, to the prosperity we enjoy, to who gets to have power, wealth and influence, to how we shape our future. 

Growing up I wasn’t taught anything about the British Empire. A big fat zero. So, I’ve written the book I wish I’d had as a kid to help children make sense of the world and find their own stories in it whatever their background. Kids don’t need culture wars, they need conversations.

My aim has been to stand in children’s shoes to see the world as it matters to them – everything from the heated debates around then, to climate change, technology, migration, social and racial equality, global relationships and big businesses. And I’ve told it through the stories of children like them, so they can hear the voices of kids through the ages and around the world. I’ve told the stories of children during the British Empire like the home children, the kids who took part in the anti-slavery sugar boycotts and the brave ones of the Industrial Revolution whose testimony changed labour laws; and more. So kids can see how their stories matter. 

And while it’s of course a deeply serious subject, I’ve worked hard to make it approachable, engaging, packed with facts and puzzles, aiming to bring it to life, and make it interactive with quizzes and posing questions for them to solve. But most of all, I’ve centred them: a book written from scratch for children so children can make sense of the world. 

Which is why Story of Now has the strapline “This is not a history book, this is the story of now”. And it’s also why the language and direction are about how to apply topics that cover everything from corporations, consumerism, technology, women’s rights to climate change and children’s protests and power. 

As one child told me, it’s a book that isn’t just about what happened, it’s a book that teaches you how to think! 

What would you answer to these?

• If you had 7 million pounds to set up a company what would it do?
  
  This was the amount for the East India Company, and it shaped an entire empire!
  

• Should businesses have their own country, army and currency?

• What can we learn from Francis Drake and his imperialism to help us in the new frontiers in galactic and digital space?

• If you ran a branding agency, how would you create Brand Britain?
  

• How can you talk to friends, family and elderly relatives like grandparents to find out your own Empire story?

• How British is the great British cuppa?
  

Here are some of the activities prompted by the book:

• How can you find your own story and map your history
  

• Explore your local history and surroundings

• Shine a spotlight on specific geographic areas

• Discuss ways to exercise children's power and process using examples from the British Empire
  

• Help children understand the experiences of others, and how they connect with their own
  
  
  

In writing the book, I’ve tried to be mindful of the challenges facing teachers, educators, schools, families, libraries and librarians when it comes to a topic often described as ‘controversial’ or ‘complicated’ or even ‘woke’.  That’s why I’ve taken the approach that this about every child whatever their background, finding their own story.

Even adults struggle. When I talk to grown-ups it amazes me that people will say something like, “well I’d never thought about the British Empire because it’s nothing to do with me…”. And I ask, well where are you from? Birmingham? Liverpool? Scotland? Bristol? the London docklands? I want every child to see their story and how they are woven together, how they connect.  Because one of the greatest gifts a child can give themselves is knowing their own story. This connectivity is key.

We are seeing a growing number of books that speak specifically to a specific group of readers, and that’s important, highlighting their particular experiences.

But sometimes we also need for those experiences to be contextualised as one of many, to show variation as the norm, rather than silos and buckets.

And perhaps most notably, we can sometimes run into the problem that certain subjects are seen as for 'specific' or 'problem' or 'underrepresented' groups, which leaves everyone else feeling like it's not for them, not relevant or worse not their responsibility. It also underscores the issue of 'norm' and abnorm. It can feel heavy if a book shines a spotlight on you as a child in a group setting. Instead, I want every child to see their story and how they are woven together, how they connect. 

So, what do you do when one of the biggest topics ever - and one which is constantly discussed and shaping our huge social conversation - doesn't include children, and doesn't support families, schools and libraries with materials? And one that feels pressing, urgent and important but isn’t even on the school curriculum? That’s the dilemma I’ve set out to solve, and I hope it helps fill this woeful gap. AND bring a new fresh perspective to the wider debate. 

So, if you need to give a book or a recommendation, you know this is one that all kids will find themselves in - what's not to love about stories of pirates, space travel, huge protests, children's boycotts not to mention that at the beginning I even challenge whether history even exists?!

Heck, why not even recommend it to adults and parents. I think all of us could do with understanding the world a bit better!

Thank you to Shelinha Janmohamed for such a thought-provoking and impactful blog.

We are delighted to welcome author and illustrator David Barrow to our blog.  David is the winner of the Sebastian Walker Award and his first book Have You Seen Elephant? Was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize.  In this lively, thought-provoking blog, David discusses the art of picture books and introduces his brilliant new book Have You Seen Dinosaur?

I love poring over a picture book, reading and rereading a story, constantly noticing new things. People sometimes think picture books are simple things, easy to write and easy to read. But with a picture book you only have 14 or so spreads to create a whole believable environment, with well-rounded engaging characters. It’s get in and get out. Bang!

Picture book makers use many tips and tricks to cram in unspoken details, to expand the world of the narrative, to create this illusion of a fully formed world in a short space of time. Readers may not notice, but the brain does – and children surely do.

Within the simple stories of a picture book, other more tacit storylines are taking place.

In my first book Have You Seen Elephant? I had no time to introduce my characters, the action needed to start immediately! But I was able to provide somewhat of a backstory through family portraits and photos presented in the background on the front and back endpapers. These give the reader insight into our protagonist and his family, so we may feel some connection to him from the get-go.

In The Liszts, a book by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Júlia Sardà, each family member has their own page and one line of description. But the illustrations wholly elaborate on their characters, giving us a visual description of their psyche that transcends the text.

As a child I was captivated by the books of David McKee and Richard Scarry. So much is happening as we traverse Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town. In David McKee’s Charlotte’s Piggy Bank, there are numerous visual subplots that run alongside the main story. Punks buy shoes, two people fall in love. None of this is important to the reader’s understanding of the tale being told. But their inclusion creates a viable, vibrant world, full of excitement and activity – it’s a world we can believe our characters actually live in.

Picture book makers direct readers’ emotions using colour, texture and composition. In The Hidden House (written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Angela Barrett), three beautiful dolls are abandoned in a cottage in the woods when their maker passes away. As the house deteriorates, the colours shift from warm browns to cold blues to mirror the despondency of the dolls. Then when they are rediscovered by a new family, the images burst into vivid yellows and pinks and fill the page. These changes are subtle yet exponentially heighten the emotional impact of the story.

The concept of being aware of what is happening around us was a major consideration when I was writing Have You Seen Elephant? The protagonist’s implied obliviousness to the massive elephant in the room perhaps served to reward the reader for noticing the very big elephant.

It was an absurd exaggeration of the idea that you see more if you pay close attention (the dog always knows where to look).

In Have You Seen Dinosaur?, the new adventure for the main characters of child, elephant, and dog, I attempted to take this to the next level. This time, a whole city refuses to acknowledge the giant dinosaur roaming their streets. I guess it’s a metaphor for our inclination to get wrapped up in our own existence and miss what is happening all around us.

When we look at images in picture books it pays to recognise all the minutiae. The more we take notice, the more we get.

So, let’s start looking! Let’s get to meet the inhabitants and dive into the worlds that picture book makers create. Picture book makers love building these universes that exist within a small number of pages. We love providing readers with context, however subtle, to make readers’ many visits more enjoyable. The elephant – and now, the dinosaur – is right there to spot!

And they both love to be noticed.

Image Gallery

Image One: The Lizsts, Júlia Sardà

Image Two: Busy, Busy Town, Richard Scarry

Image Three: Charlotte's Piggy Bank, David McKee

Image Four: The Hidden House, illustrated by Angela Barrett, written by Martin Waddell

A big thank you to David Barrow for the guest blog and to Gecko Press for the opportunity

We are delighted to welcome the charismatic Simon Lamb to the YLG blog to discuss his debut collection A Passing on of Shells with Yoto Carnegies judge Tanja Jennings. With each miniature story composed in 50 words, it has sparked excitement in the world of children’s poetry. 

Poet, performer and storyteller Simon grew up in Scotland where drama was his first love followed by mathematics. He has been a Primary School teacher, reviewed books, performed poetry at festivals, toured with a one man show and now facilitates workshops in schools. In 2022 Simon became Scriever at the Robert Burns Museum in Ayrshire giving him the opportunity to create new projects promoting the literature of Scotland and celebrating new voices.

Here Simon talks about what poetry means to him. He explains how an idea became a reality when Scallywag Press commissioned him. 

Your debut poetry collection was a joy to read. It’s contemplative, humorous, lyrical and experimental with the concept of story and quest running throughout it. What inspired you to craft poems in 50 words?

The concept of the fifty 50 worders started in 2014. It’s the Goldilocks number. It’s not a six-word story or a hundred-word story. It’s that middle ground. This appealed to the mathematician in me. I wrote them over a year, put them away and then revisited the drawer in the Pandemic.

You teamed up with Scallywag Press to launch your collection. How did this come about?

It happened because I had been reviewing children’s books for a newspaper in the Highlands which featured titles from Scallywag Press.  They contacted me out of the blue asking if I had any writing they could look at. It was just meant to be.

Can you explain the idea behind your title?

For me launching something like fifty 50-word poems is like 50 little books rather than just one book. I was inspired by a nature programme about the vacancy chain of the Hermit crab and the passing on of shells. Just such an intriguing concept to me. Writers love finding those things that we can then use to talk about other stuff. I think that’s really obvious in Chris’s illustration where he chooses not to illustrate crabs but to depict humans within shells.

What was it like collaborating with Chris Riddell?

I’m still pinching myself it’s happened. He’s a superstar. I felt incredibly lucky. For me one of my favourite parts of the entire thing was sitting down with his roughs for the very first time and seeing these 50 first illustrations. 

Can you pick a favourite illustration?

I have a soft spot for Snow Globes. Chris’s illustration for that one is just pitch perfect to those words. He’s captured the moment of capturing the moment.

What about the creative process behind the layout of the book?

Scallywag hired me to typeset the book. It’s thrilling that all of the spreads were typeset before Chris illustrated. I guessed where all of the words might appear and he illustrated around it. That’s talent.

How important is structure and the performance element of poetry to you?

I think there’s a link between performance and the typed word. In Snow Globes there are long lines and big thoughts. In Tales from a Garden there are short lines and little images of what we see around us. Spaces between words illustrate movement in The Three-Legged Race. We should be encouraging fun in children’s poetry. They shouldn’t just see poetry as rhyming couplets. 

Is there a poem in your collection that has inspired young audiences to create?

I read Two Slugs Just Chilling in the Compost Bin at an event. One of the boys was inspired to write a sequel about the disappearing slug. Just wonderful.

You’ve described Poetry as a snow globe. Can you elaborate on that? 

I think Snow Globes is the closest I’ve ever come to defining poetry. I wrote it when I realised that I had more to say about poetry itself. 

So, Poetry for you is like a miniature world captured in 50 words?

The use of the word capturing extends the poem out beyond the 50 worder. We’re trying to capture something on that blank of piece of paper. Almost flourishing something into existence that’s then captured. We’ll grow older but the poem will forever be there. We might read it differently but the poem will always be as it was.

You’ve used your collection to reflect how poetry is taught in schools. What do you think is the most effective way to connect students with poetry? 

I think about this often. It’s stereotypical but true. In Primary we encounter poetry as comic verse. In Secondary it’s heavy, weighty, grey and sad. It’s almost like that’s all it’s allowed to be. That’s stifling. It does instil the idea that there’s rhythm in the rhyme and shows that comic verses stick but we’re not allowed to bleed over. I worry that when we teach poetry, we only teach structure and form without teaching what poetry is, about it being the art of playing with words and the freedom of using words. 

The concept of story and quest is significant in your collection. What were your thoughts when writing Apocalyptic Scene?

I had this vision in my head of a character who is triumphant at this moment. It poured out in this purple prose. I’ve always been struck by Geraldine McCaughrean’s Carnegie Medal speech,

“We must never be afraid of using words that make the kid go and explore further” so I included meaty words.

Are there any poets you find inspirational?

I like Simon Armitage and Zaro Weil. Scottish poet Don Paterson has done some cool stuff with narratives and voices.

What advice would you give to students studying Performing Arts?

I’d say remember that you are part of a community. Explore every aspect and make the most of every opportunity.

Congratulations on your Scriever post. Can you tell us more about what it will involve?

It’s important to make sure that we are celebrating and commemorating Burns but also exploring other Scottish writers beyond that. Poetry should be enjoyed all the year round. The more voices we hear the better literature is. The Scriever Introduces showcases four current Scottish Writers inspired by place and history- Justin Davies, Barbara Henderson, Lindsay Littleson and Theresa Breslin.

Have you any future projects planned?

This book has created ripples. It looks different and feels different. I’m still thinking about what I want to say next.

A big thank you to Simon Lamb for the interview, and to Tanja Jennings and Scallywag Press for making this happen.

We are delighted to welcome author and illustrator Padmacandra to the blog to talk about her new work and new picture book Don’t Be Silly!  A perfect book for reading aloud.  Downloadable resources are available here


Were you always interested in art?

I grew up in Scotland.  In those days it was a little bit strict, it was just an ordinary primary school.  I don’t remember school making a big deal out of art.  It was the same at secondary school but at home my imagination was always important.  I always had a sense of other worlds that you could enter.  I loved how often you get that in books.  I used to go with my younger brother on t explorations to try to find these different worlds.  I remember once thinking if I stand on my bed and turn round three times knocking on the wall, maybe a door will open.  There was a sense of a benign force which was the imagination behind things.  It wasn’t just imagination as made up.  There was some sort of reality to it.  I’ve always enjoyed doodling and making art and wanted to enter different worlds through drawing.

Did any books or illustrators that made an impact on you?

I was very lucky to have quite a lot of books.  There were four of us in the family. My mum was quite interested in children’s books.  She used to read to us which was lovely.  We had a fantastic library up in Broughty Ferry next to Dundee where I grew up. 

I remember going to visit my grandmother, she had all these old books and we were all fascinated with this one called Josie, Click and Bun by Enid Blyton.  Every year we went for two weeks in the summer holidays to the Cotswolds where my grandparents lived.  My granny was Hungarian and there was something of a mystery about her.  We would all rush and look at this book.  It was covered in children’s scribbles because our cousins had also been to visit. 

I also remember other books like the Ladybird Books and was always drawn to the more fictional rather than factual ones. I remember the Sleeping Beauty one which my friend and I used to enact.  Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone did amazing fairy tale pictures with these with wavy hair and shoes that curl around. I remember poring over the pictures and really absorbing them. 

I was very interested in George Macdonald who wrote The Princess and Curdie and At the Back of the North Wind.  There was definitely an influence from Victorian illustrators and writers.  It ties in with this sense of different worlds.  Narnia was really important too.  We were members of the Puffin Club for a while and that was wonderful.  I remember winning a poetry prize which was so encouraging and made a mark on me.  Ursula Le Guin and Brian Wildsmith and Raymond Briggs I enjoyed.  We had this book of nursery rhymes called Fee Fi Fo Fum.  There was a plum pudding in it which was just so pudding.  Me and my brother were fascinated by it  As a child you are just absorbing these things and somehow they have an influence.  Certain books come at certain times in your life.

Please can you tell us about your route to becoming an illustrator?

It’s strange because sometimes it feels like a sidestep and yet it is a complete continuity with the driving force of imagination as a more real reality.  Whenever I would be making notes for a talk, I noticed I was always doodling.  I didn’t take an art degree, I nearly did, but as I was a fairly introverted young person and wanted something that would bring me out of myself so I went into social work. It felt like I could respond to some of the suffering in the world.

I became a Buddhist when I was in my twenties.  I was always making doodles and in meditation I was taken by a benign sense of something that lay behind things.  I reached a stage where I had enough confidence through my meditation that I thought I could try this and go with it.  I went on a Summer School with Cambridge School of Art.  It was really affirming.  They said bring 500 words and then we’ll play with that.  Very quickly I wrote the text that became the story Don’t be Silly. 

I met Ness Wood who is a designer, I ended up in her little group and she said she thought children would really love this.  I felt very encouraged and went on to do the MA.  The MA focused on observational skills.  People have this idea of imagination being ungrounded, but it comes from the body and the senses.  In the same way we were observing and drawing from life and from noticing.  It’s a gateway to imagination, a grounded embodied space is what allows real imagination to come through.  We spent a whole module going round with our sketchbook.  At the end of the course, Rose Robbins who is an illustrator mentioned my work to Sarah Pakenham of Scallywag Press.  Sarah contacted me and we had a chat.  At the end of the MA I signed a two book deal with Scallywag Press, the first was The Tale of the Whale and the second is Don’t be Silly.

You were shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize with The Tale of the Whale, what did that mean to you?

There are so many books published that it’s difficult when people are choosing books to know what is out there.  It’s difficult too for illustrators to feel encouraged.  Coming to illustration at a later stage in life it meant a lot to get the recognition.  It helps you to feel you can carry on.  Making picture books doesn’t make a lot of money for illustrators, they have to have lots of side-hustles to make it work.  Virtually all of the people I know who are fellow Alumni of the MA, have a secret imposter syndrome.  I find when I’ve come out with a book I’m a bit doubtful about it.  You have to say how much you love it and on one level that’s true, but you also have doubts and feel a bit unsure.  Being shortlisted really helped me recognise that it is a good book for children.

With Don’t Be Silly you both wrote and illustrated the story, what were the differences and did you have a preference?

Don’t be Silly is unusual because I’d written the text before I illustrated it.  It’s often an advantage to be able to write and illustrate together, but I don’t feel I’ve had that yet.  The Tale of the Whale was more straightforward because the words were there so it was a case of doing the thumbnails and having those approved and then doing the roughs and having those approved.  Ness Wood was the designer and she decided which spreads to put the words on which helped.  Karen Swann was talking with Janice Thomson the wonderful editor.  Don’t be Silly had been worked on for such a long time that I struggled to get objectivity, it had been through various iterations.  Martin Salisbury was very positive about it which I think is why Sarah was keen to sign it. 

I still feel that I’m working out how I want to be an illustrator and how I want to create images.  With both books I felt as though I was wrestling with things.  It never felt like a smooth process.  I don’t know whether it will ever get to that stage.  I really enjoyed working with the team, it’s a small team, but there’s a lot of experience there.  It’s lovely to think you can just get things done in a meeting without going through lots of departments. 

There are lots of details to explore in your illustrations were you conscious of creating something exploratory?

I did want it to be very rich.  Initially I wanted a baroque feel because of the castle.  I don’t know how much that was achieved.  I was influenced a bit by Ronald Searle with the castles, and characters with big noses.  We used to get annuals when I was young and you’d really pore over the pictures.  I wanted that feel.  The secondary characters like the cat and the mice, fulfil an important function by indicating an extra layer of what the book is saying.  There’s one of the pictures where the children are running into the characters, but the cat is looking worried because it can see the football and what might be about to happen.  The mice that are doing all the antics are communicating the playfulness of the children and an anarchic atmosphere.  In a way they just come out as a natural thing.  We did add the hens, it was partly the editor’s ideas as she is very keen on hens! 

Were there any characters you particularly enjoyed illustrating and writing about?

I drew Bo and Smudge so often, I really got a feeling for them.  I enjoyed the cat too!  I really enjoyed doing all the portraits and looking at portraits in galleries and on the internet.  There’s often a pompousness in how and what they are trying to communicate about themselves.  A lot of the art is quite pressured in some ways, but this was just fun.  There is a secret hidden in one of the paintings which echoes something that happens later on in the book!

Bo and Smudge try on some of the adult outfits, it feels a bit of a metaphor for how we try on it different guises throughout life…?

I remember being on a retreat and watching lambs jump and I wondered why the sheep weren’t and what had happened.  You rarely see an adult running o skipping along the street.  Sometimes I’ve gone jogging and feel I have to put a uniform on to show I’m not just running about, but am jogging.  The whole thing is about the importance of the spontaneity of playfulness.  The things that we put on in life, the children are putting them on in a playful way.  It’s like being able to see things through different perspectives.  It’s important to do that creatively as well.  One creative writing idea from Natalie Goldberg who writes about creative writing is to put a funny hat on or adopt a different posture to place yourself in a different point.  If we over identify with what we wear – like the judge who wears his outfit – we get stuck.  There’s something essential about me which is not about the clothes that I wear, the age that I am, what I’m saying to you at the moment.  There’s a freedom about this and a playfulness in this.

Does Buddhism influence your work?

In my best moments yet, but it also gives me perspective in my less good moments.  Most creators experience an emotion when they are starting to create.  You start by making a lot more mess and there’s a voice that comes in that says this isn’t going very well, you can’t do what you did before.  It’s not even words like that, it’s just a mood.  It’s really got nothing to do with the creative process, we have to try to let go of these ideas and let the pen and the paper get on and happen in the moment.  Being able to be creative consistently is about recognising the stories and doing it anyway.  Playfulness is such an important part of this.  Being on the MA gave a space and an opportunity to experiment.  It’s a bit like improvisation.  If we can live our lives in that way, it’s a much more resourceful way of being in the world.  We’re now living in a world that feels particularly precarious.  You might say we need to be very serious in the moment, but I think there’s a much better outcome if we can adopt a playfulness and a lightness to give perspective.  I don’t mean laughing at serious things, but being more spontaneous so as to open up possibilities.

Do we take funny books seriously enough?

I have noticed that there’s a lot of stories which have a message and for bloggers and that sort of thing it’s much easier for them to talk about that, not necessarily in a bad way, and for that to be a good thing.  It’s more difficult to talk about Don’t be Silly because there’s more of an experience through the rhyming rhythm and images.  Playfulness is important and we mustn’t lose that and be doom-scrolling and serious the whole time so that becomes the only influence on ourselves, on children and on all of us.  There’s a bigger perspective that can come through playfulness and joy!

What is next for you?

I don’t know what’s coming next.  I would love to do something about poetry and particularly about the approach you need to write a poem.  When I was at school, I was very invisible and shy and disappeared into myself.  There were moments though when things woke me up a little bit.  We had a visiting person in RE and they did a whole lesson on haiku, and something awoke within me.  I love the Chinese and Japanese poets.  They have certain words for certain aesthetics.  I’d like to bring a sense of atmosphere and magic to books, which I suppose brings us back to the idea of other worlds!

Thank you to Padmacandra for the interview and to Scallywag Press for the brilliant opportunity.