When did the passion for storytelling start?
It dates back to my boarding school days. We had to write to our parents every week. I found it boring. So I wrote and illustrated stories, either making them up or writing about my week.
Why combine watercolour and storytelling?
I love watercolour and find it works well with comic strips, but I don바카라™t always use it. Sometimes I use inks, gouache or acrylics.
You바카라™ve retold classics like Don Quixote and Noah바카라™s Ark in your comic strip style.
When I was young, there were few children바카라™s retellings. I바카라™d often struggle with the adult versions. I write and illustrate for children who enjoy pictures and conversations in their books.
You바카라™re passionate about children.
They look at the world through fresh and usually very honest eyes. They have a wonderful sense of humour and they are our future.
You바카라™ve spoken about illustration as being just unreliable enough to be interesting?
Watercolour is unreliable and illustrators can be unreliable, but illustrations themselves must have a basis of reliability or they risk being self-indulgent and hard to read.
What바카라™s special about The Elephant바카라™s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India?
It바카라™s full of colour and very enjoyable and I hope to revisit this subject in the future.
Who are your favourite illustrators?
My favourite is Maurice Sendak. I바카라™m also a huge admirer of Indian art. It is so diverse and often so contained, but telling so many tales.
Do you believe in fairy tales?
Of course. In both fairies and fairy tales.
Your nickname was Mars Bar?
Yes, it바카라™s taken from Marcia. But I바카라™m also extremely keen on chocolate.
Looking forward to the Bookaroo Children바카라™s Literature Festival?
Sharing my enthusiasm for books with 8-10 year-olds will be very interesting.
