Guy's books include treats such as Giraffes Can't Dance and Spookyrumpus: just looking at the pictures will make you want to dance along. He'll be running a Picture Book Master Class for the young artists-to-be at Litfest, on Saturday 20th October, starting at 10am. It's going to be a great event, so make sure you don't miss out: booking and details are at www.litfest.org
So, a big hand, please, for Guy Parker-Rees!
Guy, I've spent many happy hours with my kids reading (and
re-reading!) their favourite picture books. They've all designed their own
stories and characters over time, which of course I have stashed
away for when they're famous. What was your very first story and character, and
does your mum still have it in a drawer?
I found some pictures I had painted as a child a few
years ago and was shocked to see that they are very similar to what I am doing
now? I think this might be the first book I ever made!
That's lovely! Thanks for sharing it with us :-) Why do you think that animal characters appeal so much to
children? And is there an animal that you've always wanted to have in a book,
but haven't got around to yet?
I have always loved animals. As a child I wanted to
be an elephant. I was born in Africa so that affected my choice, I think: I've always particularly liked African animals. I like the fact that animals can be
universally appreciated and identified with. When drawing a child you have to
put them in a specific cultural context and a child looking at the book might
be more likely to think- my family doesn’t look like that. I’ve always wanted to do a book about meerkats- yes, even before they were famous on telly!
You're going to be at Litfest on Saturday 20th
October, with a picture book masterclass for kids. What can they expect from
the morning?
I hope the children coming will help me make up a
brand new animal picture book character. I will tell them a little bit about
how I come up with ideas for characters and how I paint the pictures. Then they
can all create their own character. There will be reading of stories and maybe
my friend Gerald, the giraffe, might come out for a dance at the end- but he
might not, he’s a bit shy.
I'm sure the children will give him lots of encouragement! Now, I have so many favourite illustrators that it would
take until the end of the festival to list them. If I had to choose one
imaginary world to visit, it would be a toss up between 'Brambly Hedge'
and 'Meg and Mog', although I'm now going to spend the rest of the day thinking
about other ones... Who has been an influence on your
illustration, and which world would you choose to have a day out in?
As a child I always loved Richard Scarry’s books and
in my latest book, Tom and Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt, I wanted to
create a world like that: a world that’s friendly, jolly and bustling and with
so much detail you can get lost in all the things going on. Oh, and full of lots
of different animals, of course.
Picture books can pack a lot of emotion into a short
space. What else can illustration do that words sometimes can't? And why don't
books for grownups have more pictures?
I think picture books can show feeling that you might
not want to articulate but when you see them it makes you feel less alone with
those feelings. My favourite characters are always the little ones who might
feel a bit left out of the centre stage action: looking on, watching and
wondering. I was the youngest of four so that’s probably me! Also, I think pictures provide a shared space. When a
parent is looking at a picture book with a child they can both point things out, talk about
what’s going on and what they feel about it: put the world to rights generally! With just the words, everyone is in their own imagined world, albeit guided
there by the author, and maybe as adults we value this private space? Children seem happier to share it.
Thanks, Guy, it was great talking to you. Your last comment reminds me of a time I was in a French library with my kids. The eldest was the only reader, and she was so frustrated at not being able to read the words! The younger two, on the other hand, were more than happy just looking at the pictures.
If you want to find out more about Guy, visit www.guyparkerrees.com. I did, and spent quite some time making the animals dance... And don't forget to book for his Picture Book Master Class on Saturday 20th October. You know where to click! www.litfest.org.
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