I was given a plastic doll called Suzy when I was two. I immediately renamed her Sozi (rhymes with Ozzy) though most everyone got her name wrong. And with a name like Rilla, that was something we had in common.
Over time Sozi and I became one and the same. She doesn't look anything like that plastic doll anymore. Now it’s hard to say where I stop and she starts.
And just like me, Sozi loves thinking up new ideas. But ideas are slippery! Sometimes they don't turn out the way you imagine. You think "Maybe later?" or "What about starting a new idea? That looks like more fun!"
But in Her Idea, with the help of a friendly idea book, Sozi gets her idea done. She makes it to THE END!
Even though I have always loved making things, I have left a trail of unfinished ideas behind me.
A book about a giraffe I started when I was seven, stayed pinned to my noticeboard until I left home to go to university. I wanted it to be perfect.
I had to figure out that DONE is better than NONE.
As well as making books, I have always loved reading them. The Best Book in the World! is an ode to reading and a celebration of those books you never want to put down.
From the very beginning Sozi is engrossed, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around her. But where is everyone going? How will it all end?
The idea for this book came to me in a bustling international airport where I saw a little boy with his head stuck in a book – sitting on top of a pile of suitcases on a trolley being pushed by his dad. I thought “Now, that must be a really good book!”.
(Animation by Supernaut with music by Lullatone)
I originally set out to make it a wordless book. But after I'd drawn all the pictures, decided it would be nice to have a written story, after all!
It was life coming full circle for me. When I was little I would tell my mother stories and she would type them directly onto my drawings, finally binding them into books complete with an author’s biography. "Rilla is a home loving girl" one said.
It makes me really happy to pass on my love of books and bookmaking just as my mother did for me.
Please get in touch if you'd like me to do a workshop or reading at your school, library, store or festival. You can find out more information here and see more of my work here.
