A great story about making friends by being yourself and the illustrations are a constant visual delight. Was the idea behind the story largely based on your own childhood and why was this an important message for you to share? Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling.

Flavia: Learning how to use colour has been a slow process, I remember that on my first illustrations I tended to use all the colours of the rainbow and all the textures at the same time – what a nightmare! Can you share with us a little about them, from their initial concepts to their completed design and, perhaps, a little of their origins? You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods.

Bookwagon loves Gustavo the Shy Ghost and recommends it for sharing, reading a lot and gifting, too.

Your words, like your reviews, bring books to life and give them a voice before the front cover is even turned. I would love to do some collaborations, or to illustrate someone else’s text, however at the moment my hands are quite full with all my PhD reading and experimentation.

I was at my last school for 4 years and we had ********* book fairs every term – and every term, I was disappointed by the narrow range of books. My first idea was to have Gustavo’s face on the cover –as if he had shape-shifted into the book– but my publishers felt that even if it was a fun idea, the cover wouldn’t reflect the detailed world inside the book, so we explored different options and arrangements. When that didn’t happen, she began her career as a graphic designer and a children’s book illustrator. I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic!

Mat: Are there are any contemporary artists/illustrators whose work you admire so much that you think everyone should encounter them?

This experience has been fantastic primarily for the children, the school and also for me (professionally). She has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art and was shortlisted for the Sebastian Walker Award. Flavia: My favourite spread is the one where Gustavo is looking at the monsters playing because it really reminds me of my childhood experiences. You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot!