Author Q&As

Q&A with Julie Völk about A Rainy Dragon Day

Julie Völk is a celebrated illustrator from Vienna, Austria, who studied at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and has illustrated many award-winning picture books. In 2018, she was named an IBBY Honored Illustrator. She is the author and illustrator of A Rainy Dragon Day, in which three friends, a dragon, a child and… Read more »

Behind the book: Enric Lax talks about Start with a Teapot

Enric Lax studied illustration in Barcelona and later the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna. His work has been exhibited in Catalonia and Belgium. Born in Catalonia, Spain, he now lives in Brussels, where he teaches art. We asked him about the ideas and process behind his new book Start with a Teapot: An Unexpected… Read more »

Q& A with Peter Goes about Timeline

Twenty years ago, Gecko Press published Timeline: A Visual History of Our World. It became one of our bestselling books worldwide, a staple in bookstores like the British Museum in London, and generated followup books including Timeline: Science and Technology. From the Big Bang to the present day, illustrated scenes tell the history of our… Read more »

Q&A with Olivier Tallec about Is It Asleep?

        Olivier Tallec was born in Brittany, France. After graduating from the École Supérieure d’Arts Appliqués Duperré in Paris, he travelled extensively and now lives and works in Paris. He has illustrated over 60 books for children, along with his work as both author and illustrator. He has two books with Gecko… Read more »

Q&A with illustrator Miho Satake

The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate is an enduring story by Joy Cowley that was first published as a school reader in 1984. Gecko Press published a picture book edition illustrated by Sarah Davis in 2010. In 2024, Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten commissioned Miho Satake to create illustrations to go alongside their Japanese… Read more »

In the studio with David Barrow

Have You Seen Dinosaur and Have You Seen Elephant sitting on a table.

David Barrow is author and illustrator of Have You Seen Elephant? and Have You Seen Dinosaur?  Come in to his studio… My studio is at the bottom of my garden. It’s built from an old outbuilding previously used by Kettering shoemakers to make shoes from home. It’s warm, has internet, and is my happy place…. Read more »

A Lot of Silly: Illustrated Q&A with David Barrow

David Barrow has an MA from the Cambridge School of Art, where he now teaches. His first book, Have You Seen Elephant?, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Prize, longlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize, and received a Dutch Silver Pencil award. It has also been translated into 11 languages. Barrow won the Sebastian Walker Award and has since written and illustrated many picture books and illustrated a children’s novel.

Ulrich Hub Q&A: One Wise Sheep

Ulrich Hub’s ‘One Wise Sheep’ is a humorous retelling of the nativity story from the perspective of sheep, blending comedy with thought-provoking themes for children.