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 Press, featuring the same woodland characters: a squirrel, a mushroom and a mouse. A Better Best Friend is a feel-good picture book about best friendship told with dry comedy and an open ending. In Is It Asleep? the friends find a bird asleep on the path, then start to wonder why it hasn’t moved in such a long time.
Can you talk about the main characters in these books, the squirrel and mushroom?
I wanted to create an ambivalent character in the squirrel. He is friendly, cute and funny, but he is also selfish and has a lot of neuroses. At the beginning I didn’t imagine a series; the first book was originally a stand-alone. That’s why the squirrel has no name.
When I introduced others into the stories, I really enjoyed the idea of a character from a non-animal world, something vegetal. The imagination of young readers is unlimited, so I let myself imagine a less common world with animal, vegetal and why not mineral characters.
The squirrel has an inner monologue, absurd and funny. The mushroom doesn’t speak too much. He is a kind of opposite character to the squirrel.
Why did you decide to bring a dead bird into the forest world?
At first I wanted to make a book about boredom. And in the process of working around boredom, I came to the theme of death… It’s a subject that has interested me for a long time, and that I wanted to tackle in a book. So I asked myself how to find an original approach. Also I didn’t want to lock myself into the squirrel series with only cute characters and tender stories. I believe all subjects are children’s subjects, death included. So I thought this could be an interesting theme in the little world of the forest.
The book has several characters, so the question became how each one reacts. Not everyone responds in the same way.
How do children respond to this book?
Children read a book about death like they read a story on a completely different subject. They don’t identify with it in the same way as adults. Children are not apprehensive about entering this story. And I believe we shouldn’t be afraid to read them these books. Death is part of life.
This story feels very much from within the world of children—how do you get into the child’s mind, do you have a strong “inner child”?
I drew on my own memories. I remember precisely the day I saw that mouse, still warm but dead.
But I don’t think there is a “childhood” that we leave for the world of adults. I don’t believe in this idea of a separation of two worlds that no longer communicate.
The idea of drawing on one’s “inner child” also tends to sweep away too quickly the fact that writing is a job— as is drawing. It often takes many drawings before I find the one that perfectly expresses the emotion, the surprise of discovering the bird, or sadness. It’s also a job of observation, and revision. Memory could of course be a starting point, but that’s not enough.
You’ve said people often tell you your books have open endings…
I absolutely do not want a moral at the end of my stories. I want something very open. I like the idea of having several ends, or several possibilities. And readers have the right to their own stories—to read them on different levels.
Do you return to themes in your picture books?
In my opinion writers tend to talk about the same themes in their books all their life, but in different ways. For example, I have realised that ownership (and sharing) is important in my books. So is nature. I also like to talk about very large themes; I don’t hesitate to discuss philosophical themes with kids. I come back again and again to the idea of the book as a tool for discussion.
How do you create the artwork for the books?
These illustrations are mainly gouache, acrylic and pencils. I am very old-fashioned, I still draw and paint on paper, on an old wooden drawing-table. And I love to take hours to choose my drawing materials…
Watch this video for more about Is It Asleep? and a look inside Olivier Tallec’s studio.
Books by Olivier Tallec published by Gecko Press
Squirrel and his silent friend (a mushroom) discover the cycle of nature and of life in Is It Asleep?, a down-to-earth and moving picture book that beautifully pays respect to a friend who has died—then birdsong brings a new beginning.
This morning when I was out walking, I found a best friend.
At least I think so. It certainly looks a lot like it!
He really has a best friend kind of face.
A Better Best Friend is a feel-good picture book about best friendship told with dry comedy and an open ending—squirrel and mushroom are best friends until another best friend comes to play.
