Some of our fondest childhood memories revolve around storytime. Huddled around a picture book, we would enter fantastical landscapes and—for a moment—imagine that we’re someone else (a brave princess, a colorful elephant, a hungry caterpillar…). This holiday season, why not purchase the gift of imagination?
Bristol-based author and illustrator Rob Hodgson should be on top of your list. Hodgson’s books, filled with quirky characters and awe-inspiring adventures, have been translated into a dozen languages.
His first author/illustrated book, The Cave, was also chosen by Book Trust to be given free to every reception-aged child in England. Other books include An A to Z of Monsters and Magical Beings, Tattoo Time! Monster Activity, A Good Day for a Hat, and Tony T-Rex’s Family Album.
According to the English creative, when it comes to his plots, he lets his characters lead the way: “I always tend to start with the images,” he shared with Deborah Kalb, explaining his creative process.
Hodgson continued, “Usually I’ll sketch the characters in some early form, then start putting them in scenes, and then I start writing from there. Once there is something to jump off from, then I write and draw at the same time. Well, not exactly the same time. But you know what I mean!”
Incredibly enough, Hodgson’s road to picture books wasn’t so straightforward. Having worked as an illustrator for years, it was only after working on a commission to illustrate someone else’s book that he realized he enjoyed working on books.
“I was sent a huge (like, comedically huge) sack of kids’ book from an agent, who said he thought I’d be good at working on books,” he recalled. “I’d never considered it before, and his gesture gave me the permission to think I could do it.”
As they say… the rest was history.
