Bear Vs Dragon has to be one of the funniest, quirkiest books of 2024 so I’m thrilled to welcome its writer, Marcela Ferreira into The Reading Realm to talk about how it came to be!

Before we sit down in The Reading Realm and talk about your new book, what’s your drink and snack of choice? 

I am not much of a drinker anymore, but I do enjoy a Negroni.  My favourite snack is paõ de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). 

Without giving too much away, can you tell us about Bear Vs Dragon, which is illustrated by Mark Chambers?

Bear Vs Dragon is about two very different characters that don’t see eye to eye when they first meet. But refusal to compromise doesn’t really work when the old rickety bridge you are standing on falls apart…

The interplay between the text, dialogue and illustrations in this book is just wonderful! So funny, but complex too! How on earth did you pitch this idea to a publisher? 

Thank you for saying that! It means a lot.

Well, I had to get it past my agent first – that was hard enough!  Actually my agent James (Catchpole) loved the characters and the dialogue from the start.  His issue was the fact that they didn’t really move!  It was a fair point and I think if it wasn’t for my lack of experience at the time I never would have submitted it to him in the first place.  But those characters wouldn’t let me give up on their story, they were very noisy in my head! 

So, I looked at how other picture books tackled the same problem – Jon Klassen is such a master at it.  I came across a clip of him quoting Alfred Hitchcock, and his approach to building suspense (as opposed to shock) on screen…it made a lot of sense.

I sent it to James and once he saw that, everything changed. I think we both understood how best to pitch it then. OUP wasn’t the only publisher interested, but Katie’s enthusiasm for the story was infectious.

I got an offer soon after, at least that is how I remember it.

What was the editing process like for this book? There must have been so many people involved! 

I’m aware of four (not including Mark), but there were probably more. The static nature of the characters meant getting facial expressions, and page turns just right, and the dialogue had to keep everyone engaged too of course.  Looking back, that was the hardest part  – there were a LOT of round of amends, and some tough restructures.  But we all loved the story – that was very clear to me from the start – we all wanted the same thing. And I am really very happy with the result.

There are some wonderful insults in this book about ‘salmon farts’ and ‘barbecue breath’! They almost sounded a bit Shakespearean and theatrical! What inspired these insults and do you have a favourite? 

The theatrical side was very important.  The drama, silly insults and over the top offence were a perfect mix for those characters. Katie (my editor at OUP) mentioned it reminded her of Monty Python – I couldn’t ask for more.    

And I loved writing the insults!  Though it was a delicate balance to get right – it had to be funny, childlike, a little gross, not too rude, and relevant to those characters. Bear started as a “cave-dwelling, salmon loving, back scratching, winter-sleeping, forest pooping furball” and Dragon was a “princess bothering, fire-breathing, long lashed, scally BBQ smelling lizardy thing.”

But ‘Salmon Farts’ really hit the spot. It’s everyone’s favourite insult.  Including mine.

I’ve been wondering what Bear and Dragon are up to now? Do you think they might still bicker despite their blossoming friendship? 

Yes!  Bear and Dragon have the best of friendships. The ones which you can argue but still get along. The ones where you can truly forgive each other, the ones driven by differences instead of similarities. The ones that inevitably help you grow.  If you find a friendship like that, hold on to it.

I have written a sequel.  I hope it gets to see the light of day.

If this book were a song, what song would it be and why? 

We Can Work It Out, by The Beatles.  Not sure it needs a lot of explaining.  Though ‘I’ll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends’ also came to mind.

Finally can you describe Bear Vs Dragon in three words and then three emojis? 

Enemies turned friends.

🐻🥊🐲