SiteName.com

Appearing:
Gateshead (18th), Sunderland (19th), Darlington (20th), Newcastle (21st), Gala Day

Websites
www.babygoz.co.uk
www.lucygoose.co.uk

Publisher
Frances Lincoln

Born in Scarborough though I have links with the North East. My mum came from Middlesbrough and her dad from Hartlepool.

Studied fine art and filmmaking at Hornsey and the Royal College. Work as a cartoonist and author/illustrator. Have recently been doing more work with surestart and earlystart projects around the country aimed at bringing stories to life. The children dress up and use cardboard houses and radio mics to act out the stories.

How many books have you written about with animals as their main characters?

I've written 12 books with animals as their main character. The first 5 were Lucy Goose books. She is a real goose who still lives in my garden. From those came 6 Baby Goz books. Lucy hatched Goz in 1989. “Not Now, Charlie�? is another lift-the-flap book. It is about a puppy who really wants to go for a walk but nobody has time to take him. It is based on a puppy I had when I was little. When I visit schools, two children can dress up and be Charlie in a costume I’ve made, one as the head and one as the tail.

Why do you like writing about animals?

I’ve always liked animals. I’ve had some as pets, but what I really like to see are animals living their own lives around me. I like to watch the frogs in my pond and hear the sparrows in my roof. That’s what got me interested in ecology. Some of my animal stories have been about how they live and how we can help to protect them.

Where do you get your ideas from?

When my sons, Luke and Tom were toddlers I used to watch them playing with the geese and ducks in the garden. Geese are a bit like some children. They can be very noisy, like to play in water and always seem to be hungry. I got my ideas from watching my children and my animals. Now my children are teenagers I’m still in touch with younger children when I visit schools and libraries as an author. I use a sketchbook to note down ideas and drawings which I may use later.

How do your animals behave? Like people or animals?

In the Baby Goz series the animals are in their natural surroundings. None of them wear clothes, but they share the way they behave with humans. For example the family, making friends, eating, sleeping, playing, keeping warm and safe.
In the Lucy Goose stories, which were for older children, the animals could do anything they liked. For example, at the start of one story Lucy is sitting in her tin bath in the garden, but the water is frozen. Attempts are made by other animals to melt it but without success. In the end a flock of migrating birds fly Lucy and the bath south to the desert. Lucy’s bath became a major tourist attraction called “Cool Springs Oasis�?.

What made you start writing?

When I was very little, I used to draw on the walls and the legs of the furniture. Just the legs, I was very little. So my mother got me lots of paper. My drawings were like stories. I would add characters and change what they were doing. When I learned to read, I started adding words to the pictures and that’s how I began writing stories.
I’ve written quite a lot of stories in this comic strip form. I’ve also made several animated films.

Do you always illustrate your own books?

Yes, I always illustrate my own books and sometimes I illustrate books for other people. I’ve just finished the pictures for a book about the wildlife of Singapore. It gave me a chance to draw some weird and wonderful animals like brightly coloured snakes and giant bats. I am working with my wife, Susan, on a series of History Activity books. The first 2, Egyptians and Romans, are published by b small in September 2005. The second 2, Greeks and Middle Ages are due in Spring 2006.

What is the best thing about being an author and illustrator?

The best thing is that if you have an idea for a story and you invent some characters, you can draw them exactly how you want to. The good thing about drawing is that with a bit of practice you can make the line do anything you like. It doesn’t have to be like someone else’s.

Maybe you’ve thought of an animal with a metal head and 6 legs that plays the bagpipes with its nose. What does it look like? You’d better draw it!

Recommended Reads

	Baby Goz Frances Lincoln 9781845077907 Baby Goz, everybody's favourite gosling, has just hatched, and sets off to find his mother. Lift the flaps and help him in his search! Goz's many young fans love the simple, lively stories and vivid, witty illustrations that make the Baby Goz books such a successful early-learning series.
	Count on Goz Frances Lincoln 978-1845077075 Baby Goz sets out to find his family. Lift the flaps and count how many other animals he meets! A lovely first counting book.
	Shape Up Goz Frances Lincoln 978-1845070779 Everyone's favourite gosling is back in a brand new addition to the Baby Goz series. Baby Goz is learning all about shapes in this lift-the-flap book focusing on five main shapes: square, rectangle, triangle, circle and oval.