Author & Illustrator Here is our chat with the lovey Sophy. What do you love most about kids books? The audience! I love the honesty of children, you know when they don't like something, but when they do like something, you know they really do! And it is such a versatile medium. I love the challenge of taking complicated concepts and distilling them down to 15 spreads Did you have a favourite childhood book? When I was little I loved Cops and Robbers By Janet and Allan Ahlberg, I loved all the details in the images and rhythm in the text that kept you galloping along through the adventure. Did you make books up as a kid? Absolutely. Aged 9 I even embarked on my first (and to date, last) murder mystery, I tried to set the whole plot up in the first page though, so I didn't get very far as it proved too much of challenge. Whats your favourite colour? Well, I love them all, but if I had to pick one it would be pink. Do you draw everyday? No! Some days are writing days and some are for drawing and some are for doing neither! But if there is a pen and paper within reach I will most likely start doodling! Does it take long to complete a book? Hmmm, that is a tricky question as some stories arrive fully formed and I can picture the images just like that. Others come along in dribs and drabs and require wrestling into shape, so they tend to take longer. How many books have you done? About 21 1/2! What inspires you to draw? The desire to get the pictures in my head out into the world. I think my favourite part of the process is dreaming up a character and then making them come alive on the page. Do you have a favourite thing to draw? I didn't think I did but when I looked back through my sketchbook recently there were an awful lot of bears! I think it's because you can give them very human qualities and expressions. Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I have a new picture book called Super Duper You coming out on 2nd May, which I am excited about. It's about celebrating all the different, and often contradictory, things that make up each and very one of us. I think a lot of us are very tired of the stereotyping of children that goes on, and hopefully this book empowers children to celebrate every different thing that makes the SUPER! What makes you happy? My daughter, my dogs, my friends, the seaside, a cup of tea, and, at the moment, Derry Girls on Ch4! Do you have a favourite book shop to visit? Oh so many! There is a wonderful second hand book shop in Lyme Regis that I spend an awful lot of time in. But locally I am a HUGE fan of the Book Nook in Hove. A more committed, harder working, children's book championing team you would struggle to find! Whats your favourite animal? I manage to pick a colour, but I don't think I could pick just one animal. I love animals, so much my friends might even tease me about it. I used to feed the abandoned ducklings twice daily on my school run for years, and became known as the duck lady! They would swim over when they heard my voice! Whats song do you like at the moment? I have found myself singing Salt 'n' Pepper "What a man" a lot at the moment!? I do like a bit of old school hip hop every once in a while!! Though I tend to listen to audio books when I am working. What was your first job? Ohh it was great. I worked in a shop called Robertsons which, among many other things, roasted coffee beans and we would weigh them out, then grind them to the customers requirements, and this *might* have been over 30 years ago, so fresh coffee was something of a speciality! It was described as a miniature Fortnums, packed with delicious things and the tea breaks were magnificent. Whats something you can't live without? People and pets aside, tea. Definitely tea. Thanks Sophy for your time, great answers! You can find more about Sophy Henn and her books at: www.sophyhenn.com Instagram @sophyhenn You can find books at www.booktopia.com.au www.bookdepository.com www.amazon.co.uk www.fishpond.com.au www.wordery.com
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