Jane Chapman
About Author
Jane Chapman has been illustrating for Little Tiger Press for over 15 years and has produced many best-selling and award-winning titles.
She shares a studio at her home in Dorset with her husband, illustrator Tim Warnes. They have two young sons.
Interview
SQUISH SQUASH SQUEEZE!
LITTLE TIGER PRESS
MAY 2016
This month our featured picture book is SQUISH SQUASH SQUEEZE, created by author Tracey Corderoy and illustrator Jane Chapman, in which a rather small mouse is undeterred by a very big problem - how to squeeze himself, as well as a grumpy bear, a snappy crocodile and a roaring tiger into a rather cosy little house.
We spoke to Jane Chapman and Tracey Corderoy and they answered the following questions for us:
Q: Tracey, Did anything in particular inspire this idea of a house crowded with too many animals?
Tracey: Yes! When my daughters were little our house was fit-to-bursting with animals. We had the lot! An endless supply of guinea pigs, dogs, cats and outdoor bunnies that somehow managed to wheedle their way indoors to become (decidedly bigger than when we first got them) house rabbits! This certainly gave me the feeling of how a rather too crowded house felt as each of the pets made the place home. And usually the smaller the pet, the feistier was their personality I always found.
Then, just before I wrote the story, I saw a poster advertising a musical evening with a bear popping out of a piano, and the two strands came together beautifully; that idea of surprise guests in a rather too small space and everyone wanting their presence to be acknowledged.
Q: ... and why did you decide to make the mouse the main character?
Tracey: I love the idea of the underdog (or in this case - undermouse!) having a voice and making themselves heard. I also enjoy up-ending stereotypes and so, when it counts, tiny Mouse is the one who stands up to the 'monster under the floorboards' for the good of all, and not just for himself. By then the animals in the house have bonded, but making the smallest the spokesperson makes the reader stop and think and not discount who they might at first glance, label as weak and insignificant.
Q: Jane, What did you like about the text when you first read it and how did you decide on the style of illustration for it?
Jane: I liked the idea of painting a crocodile in the bath. (I would love to do a book about a crocodile - I'm always being asked to paint fluffy things, so it would make a nice change.) And I loved the fact that Mouse is so focussed on his own dream of living in the house that he doesn't take any notice of anyone trying to put him off.
I didn't decide on a style of illustration, it just comes out the way it comes out! I knew the house had to look a bit grubby so that it would be uninviting, but that's all.
Q: The other animals in the house - the bear, tiger and crocodile - are quite scary, how did you choose them, and how did you make them scary but not too frightening?
Tracey: I wanted animals that would provide a huge contrast in size and scale (and perceived personality) to Mouse. And the type of animals it's the norm to be scared of. In this way, Mouse's bravery really comes to the fore as the size and scale of who he's standing up to makes him really shine out as the hero. I just love how the Bear looks when Mouse has put him in his place - his face as he tries to arrange Mouse's books neatly on the piano is a picture! I also love reading the characters' voices in funny ways so that Crocodile sounds a bit 'wet' (literally and in character) even though he's trying to sound macho. I love having fun with characterisation!
Jane: I am a firm believer that a book before bed should be a warm experience for a small child. Since all my books could end up as bedtime books, I try and bear that in mind. I think this text is scary enough for a three year old, so the images need to be softer (since the images hover around in your head longer than the words). Most of the time, the scary characters look surprised in this book! It's all about the eyes...
Q: Was there any one character that stood out for you, Jane, and are there any animals you'd be less keen to draw??
Jane: Crocodile and tiger in equal place stood out for me in this text.
As for animals I'm less keen to draw - I don't like naked mole rats much. There are other animals too, but I don't want to mention them because I paint them a lot!
Q: The story has a lovely message about being brave - and mouse's courage and determination come through strongly, but how hard is it to create a strand-out character in so few pages and words?
Tracey: It's not easy as there's so much to pack in to not that many words. So first I had to write a powerful story full of character, personality and energy to help my illustrator, Jane, to immediately relate to and take the characters to her heart before she displayed them pictorially.
Then I had to work closely with the illustrations when they came in so that together Jane and I could get the maximum in terms of feeling and humour across, as well as delivering the underlying message of the story. I love writing dialogue - it's one of my favourite things to do and my stories usually start with a character and I build out from there, so I think this helps in delivering a credible protagonist with an authentic and very honest voice.
Q: Have you enjoyed the illustrations and were there things Jane Chapman brought to the story that you hadn't necessarily thought about?
Tracey: I absolutely love Jane's artwork! We have done three books together now and each time Jane has brought a depth and sense of roundness to each character, tapping into the essence of who they are and what they have to say, and then depicting them with imagination, understanding and flair, helping the reader really form a connection with them.
In this book she plays with scale really effectively too, conveying the cramped-ness of the little house and how the animals already there are all very squashed in, but then Mouse fights for his space and they let him stay of course.
It's not only a book about surprises and being brave enough to stand up and speak, but about learning to compromise and get along with others too. I hope you all enjoy the story as much as I truly loved writing about this very chaotic band of random animals that become a happy bunch of friends with (finally thanks to Mole) room for all!
Q: Were the perspectives in the story difficult to illustrate, Jane - fitting all the animals into this small house - and especially the final pull-out ending!?
Jane: I'm not sure how successful I've been at making the house look squashy. It was my idea to put wooden beams around the edge of each page to contain the image, but maybe I should have made the scary animals bigger in relation to it?
I couldn't make the final image work on a double page spread, so I negotiated a bigger piece of paper! Someone clever at Little Tiger suggested the fold out page which was perfect.
Q: Is there one spread you are especially pleased with?
Jane: I love the croc, but I'm also pleased with the spread where the tiger has landed on the other animals.
Q: How do you create your images, do you use digital resources or traditional media?
Jane: I am hopeless at digital imaging, so it's down to pencils, rubbers, a photocopier, paint and paper. I draw as many animals as I can (somewhere around 50 per character), then I redraw and redraw until I have them interacting with each other in a believable manner.
The drawing is the most fun bit. I find it very hard to keep going with the painting towards the end of a book - I find myself suddenly needing to sort out washing, or bake a cake, or iron all the shirts in the house. I have to talk to myself very sternly to get a book finished!
