Isle of Wight Radio caught up with Gruffalo illustrator, Axel Scheffler, ahead of his appearance at the Isle of Wight Story Festival this week (25-26).
One of the most iconic picture books of the last few decades, The Gruffalo, can be found on bookshelves across the world.
The book, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, became the first in a series of collaborative stories which have had worldwide success. Superworm, The Snail and the Whale, The Smartest Giant in Town and Stick Man, to name just a few.
Later this week (February 25-26), the Isle of Wight is lucky enough to have illustrator, Axel Scheffler visiting the Island, taking part in popular family event, The Isle of Wight Story Festival.
Isle of Wight Radio journalist, Amy Shephard, who has two little Gruffalo fans at home, caught up with Axel ahead of his visit to the Island.
Amy: The Gruffalo and your many other picture books created in collaboration with Julia Donaldson are absolutely iconic. In fact, we've got two shelves in our house that are dedicated just to your books. My children absolutely love them. Did you ever anticipate them being so successful?
Axel: I didn't anticipate that at all. But after the great success of The Gruffalo the books became increasingly popular. So now when we publish a book, there's no surprise anymore that they will be sold in high numbers. Most picture books publish a few 1,000 copies — and then they are forgotten. We were very lucky to have that effect of selling books that sell for a long time.
Amy: Have you been to the Isle of Wight before?
Axel: I have been three times and we always love going there. My partner loves it and wants to buy a house there. And so maybe we will one day. I've always liked going there. We were there twice in the winter and once in summer, which is obviously even more splendid and wonderful.
Amy: Do you think the Isle of Wight would be a good setting for one of your storybooks?
Axel: It might be but the thing is with the picture books, I'm always told because they sell in so many countries, my publisher always wants the setting of the story to be kind of undefined. So I think I wouldn't get away with setting a story, particularly on the Isle of Wight. It has to have an appeal for children all over the world. But of course, it's a wonderful landscape, it’s full of stories and dinosaurs and everything is there. So it would be a good setting. Subconsciously, it's influencing me.
It's actually funny because we stayed on the Isle of Wight and apparently the house where we stayed belonged to the writer of the poem, The Highwayman. And that inspired Julia to write The Highway Rat — so there's a connection there with the Isle of Wight.
Amy: How do you find inspiration for a character?
Axel: I really needed a text to get started. So when I read the story that Julia Donaldson has written I usually start sketching the main protagonist, the main character, be it a Stick Man or the Highway Rat. In the case of The Gruffalo there was already a description in the texts that helped me. I knew he would have to have orange eyes and a black tongue and all that.
Sometimes there's more freedom, especially with the aliens in The Smeds and The Smoos, they had more freedom. Though some of them had to wear shoes, and some of them had to have hair, as Julia described them like that.
Amy: How important do you believe books are for children?
Axel: I think they're absolutely essential. And it's so sad that there are still many children who grow up without any books in this country or anywhere in the world, I think it's just a great way of making a link to the world. Reading books with parents is very important. I've only got one child, my daughter, but with her, I could see how influential it is and how important. I read to her almost every night.
The Isle of Wight Story Festival is a great chance to meet authors and illustrators and get a first-hand experience with them. Children can ask questions, and I think that's very, very beneficial as well to meet authors and illustrators.
Amy: Of all the books you've worked on, which one is your favourite?
Axel: It's very hard as we've done so many, but I very much like The Tales of Acorn Wood, the little board books. And we’ve just done four new ones, because they proved so popular.
I think they are now almost 20 years old. And still, people really love them. And I love them. I love the world of the little animals. It's a very friendly world. And their problems are very manageable, like the mole has lost his spectacles or squirrel is building a snowman.
Amy: Are there any plans for you to collaborate on future books?
Axel: I've just handed in the artwork for The Baddies, which is the book that's coming out this September. We haven't done one for a few years now. And I’m sure there will be more coming out.
Amy: Fantastic. Are you allowed to tell us anything? Or is it all top secret?
Axel: So it's a story of a troll and a witch and a ghost who are trying to trick a little girl. They have a competition who was the worst of them. And I can't say more because I’ll spoil the plot!
More details about Axel's appearance at the Isle of Wight Story Festival can be found here.
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