Peter Bently

Peter Bently

About Author

Peter Bently went to ten different schools around the world, following his dad who was an army bandmaster and director of music. He studied languages at Oxford University and then worked for a short time as a journalist before moving into editing and sometimes writing books for adults.

However, he always liked writing funny stories and started writing for children soon after becoming a parent and moving from London into the country.

He now lives in Devon, close to the moors and the sea, with his wife, Lucy, and their children Theo (alias King Jack) and Tara.

Interview

MEET THE PARENTS

BY PETER BENTLY, SARA OGILVIE

SIMON & SCHUSTER CHILDRENS BOOKS

JANUARY 2014


Meet the Parents is a funny, clever look at what parents are for, from a child's perspective. Yes, parents constantly boss children around and tell them what to do, but parents are good for other things, too, we discover. They are tent poles for holding up wonky dens; they are donkeys when things need to be carried; they patch things up and sort out fixes; and they are great at giving cuddles and kisses. And a few more things besides....

Author Peter Bently and illustrator Sara Ogilvie talked to ReadingZone about creating Meet the Parents and the roles of author and illustrator.


- Do you prefer to create funny picture books, Peter?

'Not necessarily, but I don't seem to be able to help it! I do think humour is important in children's books, though. As Roald Dahl said in Matilda, children love to laugh. However, humour in picture books can also be gentle, wistful, sweet, touching and even sad.'


- Meet the Parents is about what parents are for, from a child's perspective; what sparked that idea, Peter?

'The story started with a chance remark at my friend Trudy's house. Her five-year-old daughter plonked some squished-up mush in her hand and she said, 'Oh really, Tira, I'm not a plate, you know!' My wife told me about it and we sat around thinking of all the other things parents are 'useful' for.'


- Are children a key source of inspiration for you, or your own childhood?

'Yes Meet the Parents is a prime example, as is King Jack and the Dragon (King Jack is based on Peters son). And The Great Dog Bottom Swap was inspired by a tale my uncle told me when I was a child.'


- Sara, what did you like about the Meet the Parents text when you first read it?

'I'm drawn to funny texts although this one was more of a checklist, so a bit different. Peter's sense of humour came through immediately on first reading. His clever turn of phrase had bags of visual potential to capture the comedy in everyday family situations. Coming up with each scenario and calamity often had me racking my brains, especially the 'problems and pickles' spread.'


- Peter, do you talk through the text with your illustrator, or leave notes with suggestions?

'I was thrilled when Sara agreed to illustrate Meet the Parents. She's such a wonderful illustrator, and perfect at children.

I usually leave it to the illustrator to give their imagination free rein. But I do include notes in the manuscript to explain what I mean if it's not obvious from the text. For example, in the line 'Dad is a horse. Mum is a donkey'.'


- Sara, there are few words in this text. Does that make it easier or harder to illustrate?

'Too much text and too little text can both have their challenges. Too much text can mean less illustrating space on the page so you need to find the key visual necessities. Less text does give more freedom perhaps but the emphasis on the visual means making the illustration work harder to engage the reader and stop them turning the page too quickly.

'It is a balancing act to solve with the relationship of text and image. Text with a lot of verbal conversation between characters can be the most tricky as it can be less visually active to illustrate.'


- Do you spend a lot of time watching children to model your own illustrations on?

'Yes and no. I do draw from observation when I can but often if I'm looking for a specific scenario for an idea I'll look in books or on the internet for reference.'


- Are there any animals you like / loathe drawing?

'I'll draw any animal. The pets in the book are as much part of the family and often they are a way to build in another character. Their faces and body language can often say as much as the humans.'


- Peter, quite a few of your stories are written in verse. How hard is it to write verse and what happens when you get words that don't rhyme?

'I enjoy writing in verse. It can sometimes take a while to get the scansion (beats/stresses) and rhyme right so that the words flow as naturally as possible.

'If I can't think of a rhyme at once I often write down a list of rhyming words, from A to Z (not many rhymes go all the way to Z!) Sometimes I'll come across a surprising rhyme that adds something unexpected to the story.

'After all that if I don't manage to find a rhyme for a word, I just find a different word! And if that doesn't work I might rework a line or two completely.'


- Did this text go through several different stages before you reached what we see now? It is also very pared down - do you have a 'word count' you aim for before you start?

'There were a few drafts and tweaks before we fixed on the final text, yes. That's the usual process. I rarely have a particular word count in mind, unless specifically asked for x number of words. In general I try to say as much as possible in as few words as possible. An average picture book would be 300600 words.'


- Do you complete the text on your own or are you frequently in touch with your editor?

'I write the first draft on my own. My wife generally reads things before I send them off she's my first editor really! My publisher's editor is sure to make suggestions, for example if the text on a certain page needs to be shorter or longer.

'When the illustrator gets to work she or he might also throw new ideas into the pot for example, if I change a certain line it might become easier or more interesting to illustrate. It's always a very creative three-way collaboration, or rather four-way there will be a designer or art director putting words and pictures all together.

'I've been lucky to work with some highly talented illustrators, editors, and designers. Not to mention the sales, publicity and marketing teams who do so much to get my books out there.'


- Do you have a favourite spread from Meet the Parents, and why that one?

'I love the garden scene with the ketchup, and the one of mum as a donkey but Sara has done the text proud and it's hard to choose so many wonderful pictures!'


- Sara, how important is it for an illustrator to have a distinctive 'look'?

'It can be helpful for recognition commercially but I think that 'look' should develop naturally over time. Having taught in various colleges and universities, I have found that it is common that illustrators starting out will try to adopt a look, often from another artist they admire. However, an individual look will evolve with time and you can't force it.

'It's important to draw and experiment a lot to find your way. I have had people tell me that I have different styles to my work as I also work as a printmaker. The materials and methods may change but the underlying look and drawing is the same. Most of my children's book illustrations are predominantly pencil lines but I equally love to use Indian ink on a brush, monoprint, screenprint etc.'


- Do you have a favourite picture book from your backlist to date? (all firm favourites in our household!)

'I like them all for different reasons, but I have a soft spot for the rhino in Rhinos Don't Eat Pancakes.'


- What kind of things inspire you to take out a notebook and get sketching?

'Everything and anything. I do like toy museums and have a number of sketchbooks filled with drawings of old tin vehicles and mangy teddies. I found a good one in Prague last summer. Lots of great avantgarde toys from the 1920s.'

- What are the highs and lows of being an illustrator?

'Highs- When a composition comes together and you know you have stumbled upon a great solution.
Lows - lack of sleep due to deadlines.'


- Where do you do your work and what are you working on now?

'In a studio in my house, at a desk or on the floor, sometimes on trains and often on the backs of envelopes. I'm working on a couple of new books. I can't say much more but there's another collaboration with Anna Kemp (Dogs Dont Do Ballet and The Worst Princess) in the pipeline.'


- What is your proudest career moment?

'I don't have one moment. I'm proud of the books I've illustrated for the Folio Society. Seeing parts of the picture books animated for TV and made into puppets for the Little Angel Theatre was great. Also when children tell me they enjoy the books that means I'm doing something right!'


- Peter, what are the highs and lows of being a writer?

'Highs: When a child or parent tells you they have enjoyed your book.

Lows: Somewhat erratic cashflow!'


- Where do you do your writing?

'I often go out to write, in cafes or various nooks, with my notebook and pen. Typing up and editing I do at home on computer.'


- What's been your best career moment?

'Winning the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in 2011 (for Cats Ahoy!).'


- If you weren't a writer what would you be....?

'Bin man. Stress-free, deadline-free, desk-free and with moderate daily outdoor exercise guaranteed - ideal. Apart from the smell maybe. ;) Seriously, though, I'd be a brain surgeon.'

Author's Titles