Nick Sharratt

How did you start off in the business of children's books?

'My first job was illustrating magazine articles and the imagery had to sum up the article succinctly and be easy to interpret. That approach works well for books for young children. I think my art is about getting things across clearly, whatever the age group.

The way I draw is influenced by the illustrations I liked as a child in the 60s. The very first book I remember is The General by Janet Charters, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It's in a pop-art style using very bright colours and stylised figures, really lovely images.

I don't think my drawing style has changed much since I was in school! At art college (St Martin's, London) I explored other areas and techniques but I've come back to my natural way of drawing.'

Many of your books are for very young children and combine an exquisite mix of mouth-watering rhyme and delicious images into a whole that is packed with fun, yet refreshingly simple. It looks so easy. How do you do it?

'It's good that readers think it looks spontaneous but the truth is that the simpler the book, the more arduous it is to get it together!

The drawing part of creating my books is the more natural process for me. I feel sure about what I'm after visually although it can involve a lot of graft to get the final result - I get through lots of roughs. With the writing, I'm so woolly headed I have lots of ideas but it takes ages for anything to crystallise! My starting point is usually to think of a subject I would like to draw, then comes lots of grappling in the dark. Eventually, it all comes together and I think "why didn't I think of that straight away"!

The flap books such as A Cheese and Tomato Spider and Ketchup On Your Cornflakes? came from a childhood memory of one of my Mum's cookery books called First Slice Your Cookbook which had
this format. It was split into three sections so you could choose your starter, main course and pudding and put them altogether to create your menu. I loved the surprises of the mix and match pictures and the effect of the transformation. It was always in my mind to create this sort of book.'

I can just imagine a cheeky grin on your face as you draw the exploding volcano turning into an exploding grandma as you turn the page in A Cheese and Tomato Spider. But it's not just the zany artwork that appeals to young children, it's also the fantastic wordplay that makes them giggle. You seem to be able to get right to the heart of what they like.

'When I go into schools I particularly like spending time with KS1 children. They are so open to things and so full of wonder. I don't target my books to any particular age but they seem to enjoy them most - probably because we're on just the same wavelength!'

Lots of children love writing their own stories but as they get older, they draw less and less. How do you think children could be encouraged to keep drawing?

'I think they need as much encouragement as possible and to see teachers and parents drawing too. Many people aren't confident about their drawing skills so a group activity is a great way to get everyone drawing, perhaps all making a large, made-up monster for example. On one of my visits to a school, I drew a pier on a roll of wallpaper and everyone else joined in - children drew people, a fun fair, boats on the sea, dogs on the beach and so on. It turned into a really lively picture that everyone felt proud of - fantastic!'

So, what's next?

'My next book is for Alison Green Books, Scholastic, called Elephant, Wellyphant. There's lots of toe-curling word play! I wanted to do a book with elephants because they're my favourite animal to draw
and slowly, after lots of playing with words, a funny book emerged. I've got lots more on the go too, in fact about five books at the moment!'

Great - lots more for us to look forward to!

'Infant children seem to enjoy my books most - we're on just the same wavelength!'