Here’s a Friday lunchtime treat indeed: the chance to meet our fifth (and penultimate!) shortlistees! We were delighted to find out more about Catherine and David, author and illustrator of the riotously funny and subversive - and truly cautionary - tale The Pet!
Catherine has sent us her thoughts as a video - please see below to enjoy. David’s Q&A also follows below, complete with many gorgeous illustrations.
Have a read and a watch to find out their favourite things about picture books, this book, a chocolate-loving Alsatian, and much, much more!
Thank you so much David and Catherine!
Catherine’s Q&A:
Catherine Emmett
David Tazzyman
David’s Q&A:
Did you have a favourite picture book as a child? If so, what was it?
We didn’t have many picture books in my house as a child. I grew up in a working class house in the 1970’s and picture books were (according to my mum) an extravagance working class people could barely afford. We had a Richard Scarry book that I absolutely loved, I remember spending hours studying the illustrations. We also had all the Mr Men books, I was obsessed with them, Roger Hargreaves was genius. We went to our local library every week, I remember a couple of Dave McKee books that I enjoyed looking at but the book that I marvelled at every time we visited was Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, I was mesmerised by it, I thought it magical, I still do. Now as an adult I see the many layers to it that I didn’t back then, the profound way in which it dealt with a boy coping with anger through his wild imagination. The art is iconic and peerless.
What do you think the best thing about picture books is?
The pictures! They make those early books so accessible and appealing to kids even before they can read themselves. They invite kids to pick them up and look inside, they speak their language and say to them, you’re welcome here, this is for you, come on jump in.
What’s the best thing about THIS book?
The Pet, A Cautionary Tale For Children and Grown Ups is the best script for a picture book that I’ve been offered. I said yes to it immediately. When Macmillan then told me I had to do a couple of ‘test’ character illustrations before I was offered the contract I panicked, ignored what they told me I needed to do and spent 2 weeks doing the big pet shop double page spread that had all the main characters and a chaotic menagerie of pets including Gus the gorilla. I was desperate not to let this script slip through my fingers! I think Catherine’s writing is superb; funny, clever, brilliantly constructed with sublime rhyme. The story is also slightly dark and brave (in these modern times) with the main character being a spoilt, demanding, unsympathetic little boy who gets taught a lesson by his prize pet. There is a great twist at the end too that genuinely surprises the audience. Not many picture books do this.
Image courtesy of David Tazzyman, Macmillan Children’s Books
I also love the endpapers. I asked the year 3 children at our local primary school to eachdraw a picture of their favourite pet and the results are wonderful; they’re the best illustrations in the book! The kids absolutely love the fact they are actual published illustrators and so do I!
Did you have a favourite character to draw?
Doris the pet shop owner was my favourite character to draw. I had a grin on my face the whole time I was designing her, I do love a tabard! I imagined her as this slightly eccentric animal loving lady who’s pet shop is almost an extension of her house. I found it funny that she was very protective of the animals in respect to potential new owners (Digby) but was ultimately bribable. I also loved creating the mice that have their own sub narrative throughout the book. You might have to reread to spot them! I really like doing things like this as it adds another layer of interest beyond the story itself. I hope to encourage those personal games and connections like counting the mice or making up daft stories about what they’re getting up to, they’re the kind of things that keep me and my kids coming back to a book again and again. It also amuses me that they are the only ‘wild’ animals in the book!
Courtesy of David Tazzyman / Macmillan Children’s Books
