What a treat to have Lu Fraser AND Paddy Donnelly in The Reading Realm today to talk to Ian Eagleton about their beautiful and heart-warming new picture book AVA AND THE ACORN!

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

Lu: Tea! And LOTS of it! I’m not even vaguely useful until I’ve had at least two cups! And as for a snack…well, I usually have a banana on my desk, but I wouldn’t say no to a shortbread biscuit!

Paddy: A strong coffee, and you know what I would like right now is a Caramac bar. Loved them, and am just in the mood for one. Discontinued now I think. Nightmare.

What does Ava and the Acorn mean to you?

Lu: Ava & the Acorn is, without question, the most personal thing I have ever written – probably the most personal thing I will ever write. I wrote it at a time when I was incredibly sad but, strangely, what came out of my pencil was something very hopeful and, when Paddy set to work, it grew into something far more beautiful than I could have ever imagined – full of life and joy. Now, to me, this book is a little bit like the acorn itself – ‘…a little brown beacon of light…’

Paddy: I felt very honoured to be asked to create the illustrations for this story, as I know it’s a very special one for Lu. Some of these spreads were a lot of work to get the details and lighting just right, but I really love how it has turned out. It’s definitely a book that will bring up emotions from your own childhood, and perhaps also special memories of people that are no longer around. I know it did for me.

What would you say the main theme in Ava and the Acorn is?

Lu: Love, generational bonds, the celebration of a life well-lived and, of course, the circle of life itself – we’ve woven it all into this book! But I think it’s the theme of ‘hope’ that is brightest – our capacity, as human beings, to hope and strive for better days, for happiness. Grandad sums it up in the book far better than I can, I think:

‘…there’s always a start where you think it’s an end…’

Paddy: Just to add to the themes Lu has already brilliantly highlighted, I’d say nature is a big one in this story. Each spread is bursting with wildlife, even though they’re mainly centred around just one oak tree. It’s amazing just how much life you can find in one spot if you take the time to look. Or if you have someone amazing in your life to point it out to you.

Do you have a favourite illustration?

Lu: Arrrgh! You’re going to make me PICK?! Paddy has created something incredible in this book, so this is tough! I love ALL the spreads but I do have a very soft spot for the aerial shot of Grandad and Ava having a summer picnic with their ‘jam-sticky fingers’ – it’s such an original way of delivering the moment but, more importantly, I think every single person reading this story knows exactly how it feels to lay on that picnic rug and stare up at the sky.

Paddy: Always a tough one to answer. I do love the aerial spread too, as well as the autumn one, however I think my absolute favourite has to be the opening spread. I really love the early morning misty light I managed to create. The autumn spread has lovely light too, but this one feels a little bit more special. Plus it has Grandad’s special little house (which I imagine he’s built with his bare hands) and I’d love to go live there.

Here’s also the sketch of that opening spread. Not much really changed from this. The basic house certainly stayed close to my first sketch of it. The only thing that really changed was Ava’s pose. She evolved from a playful stance, to a more thoughtful one somewhere along the process.

What’s it been like working with each other? Can you talk about your creative process?

Lu: Like most author / illustrator partnerships, when you’re working on a project you try to respect each other’s creative space – head down and eyes on the deadline! I actually knew Paddy a little before we started Ava & The Acorn, ‘though, so we did catch up from time to time. One of the kindest things anyone has done for me, as a writer, was when Paddy asked me if there was anything special I would like included in the illustrations, as he knew how personal this book was to me – I was hugely moved by that. He’s a very generous partner! I’ll be starting our next book over the coming months and, whilst I will write it in isolation, I will very much be thinking about Paddy’s style and what he might enjoy, too! Watch this space!

Paddy: Indeed, you never actually work with each other during the creative process, which surprises a lot of people outside of the industry. I was blown away when I received the first version of Lu’s text, and I knew instantly I wanted to do it. As an illustrator, you always know if it’s a project you want to do if your brain immediately starts coming up with scenes as you read the manuscript. A few of these spreads (including the opening one) came almost fully formed in my head during the first reading of the story, and they didn’t change much along the way. So, having an amazing story like this from Lu was a great place to start! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Can you think of a song and a film that might link to Ava and the Acorn?

Lu: What a fab question! Although I don’t write to music (I find the rhythm throws my rhyming out!) I do have a playlist with pieces that have an emotional link to the texts that I am working on – one of those for Ava & The Acorn is ‘A New Beginning’ by Alexandre Desplat.

As for films? Hmmm…I think it’s probably any film that depicts a tree that is extraordinary – from the Ents in Lord of the Rings to The Whomping Willow in Harry Potter to The Tree of Souls in Avatar. Tree’s have a magic all of their own…

Paddy: Oh, a tough one! The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun would totally work for this book. It’s definitely got that upbeat vibe you should hopefully get from this book at the end. Listening to it right now as I type these answers, with a smile on my face! And maybe The Lion King, especially the Circle of Life bit could work too.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL, INTERESTING ANSWERS! AVA AND THE ACORN IS A HOPEFUL, BEAUTIFUL AND CINEMATIC EXPLORATION OF CHANGE AND LOSS AND YOU CAN BUY A COPY NOW!