For All the Stars Across the Sky is written by Karl Newson and illustrated by Japanese artist Chiaki
Okada. It is a beautiful, lyrical bedtime read that celebrates the bond and
love between a mother and baby bear, and the fantastical imaginary adventures
that unfold when they’re together.
To celebrate its release this
month, author Karl Newson talks with editor Tanya Rosie about his inspiration
for the story, and gives aspiring picture book writers his nuggets of
advice.
This tender mother and daughter story is all about that special time
a parent and child share together right at the end of the day, before bed. Was
it inspired by a routine you had with your own children, or with your own mum
or dad?
I did have a routine with my boys, which unsurprisingly involved
reading lots of books! But the story For All the Stars Across the Sky
was actually inspired by a song I wrote for them when they were teeny. It
features possibly my best grammatical bloop EVER...
For all the stars across the sky
There’s one for you, and one for I (EEEK!)
You make a wish – I’ll make it true,
I’ll wrap you up in daffodils and send you to the moon
in a red balloon, high above the deep blue sea,
humming your favourite tune,
you and me...
The idea was there, at least!
The title line was inspired by my fascination with stars, which began
when I was a child, sat at a dining room table, drawing with my Popie (my grandfather),
Ron. He taught me how to draw a star, and it is to him and my boys that For
All the Stars Across the Sky is dedicated.
Chiaki’s art is full of the most beautiful, majestic detail – I love
the moment little Luna sits atop the dandelion stalk, soft fluff floating all
around. Is there anything about Chiaki’s interpretation of your story that
surprised you? And do you have a favourite scene or moment?
I absolutely LOVE Chiaki’s art. It’s a thrill to see what I didn’t see
when I was writing it, if you get me. But my most favourite moment of all is
where Luna and Mum are small, riding on a snail, exploring the undergrowth.
Chiaki captures it beautifully. In fact, I believe we tweaked the text to
reflect it, in ‘“Let’s catch a ride,” says Mum’. The snail-riding image relates
to me in a different way as well: my favourite amusement park ride as a child was
the ‘snails’ at Joyland, Great
Yarmouth. So it really is magical.
Chiaki’s illustrations are moments to pause and explore in the story. I
thank my lucky stars that we were teamed up!
For All the Stars Across the Sky is going to be
published in Italy, Russia, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Japan, as well
as in the UK and the US – which is so wonderful. What do you think it is about
your words and Chiaki’s art that has resonated with readers the world over?
I always try to make my stories universal. I want a child to read it
and think ‘That's me!’ or ‘That's here!’ and I think that’s part of the appeal
in For All the Stars Across the Sky – it’s for everyone, it’s everywhere
– we all live under the same starry sky. Of course, what makes it so attractive
and inspiring are Chiaki Okada’s illustrations. They give it depth and
engagement in more ways than my text ever could. They’re wondrous!
Your voice, Karl, is so lyrical and melodic, and this book is a joy
to read aloud – it feels very much part of that timeless and wonderful
tradition of the bedtime book. Are there any bedtime stories you still vividly
remember, or that you remember from when you were a child?
Thank you very much! Sadly, I don’t remember many books at all from my
childhood. Only a single picture book: Panda and the Snow, by Oda
Taro, which I remember being the one I made my parents read me EVERY SINGLE
NIGHT; and just the one Young Fiction book, The Owl Who Was Afraid of
the Dark by Jill Tomlinson and illustrated by Joanne Cole, which is
SUCH a clever story. It still gets me.
This story is brimming over with incredible, imaginary adventures –
becoming giants, becoming teeny-tiny, flying above the mountains, swimming with
the whales. If you could go on only one of them, which one would you choose?
I’d choose to fly. To be able to go anywhere and to see the
earth from above would be tremendous.
As a writer, when do you do your best thinking?
Ideas are always brewing in the back of my mind. They come in at any
time of the day and from anywhere. I’m a night owl so I’d guess most of my
thinking is done then! ZzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzz
For aspiring picture book writers, my advice is to read as many picture
books as possible. Old classics. New favourites. Everything. Soak them all up. Then write and write and write. If
you find you’re struggling to find your ‘writing voice’, imagine it as someone
else’s instead – I’ve tried writing in the style of David Attenborough’s
narration before! It’s great for escaping your own traits.
What is your earliest memory of writing a story?
I used to draw stories at my grandparents’ houses when I was small.
There’d always be a new sketchbook waiting for me in the cupboard once an old
one was filled. When I look back now at how I got here – to be the writer of a
story being published by Walker Books! WOW! – it leads right back to being sat
at their dining tables and just being lost for hours in a drawing or story,
with supplies of biscuits, Turkish Delights and homemade jam tarts always at
the ready. I was lucky to have my imagination fed by my family. It planted a
seed that’s taking me on the most AMAZING adventure I could ever have imagined.
What is the best writing advice you have been given?
KNOW WHEN TO STOP. If it’s not working it’s OK to leave it be for a
while. Don’t push it if it doesn’t want to be pushed. As soon as I let one idea
rest I often find a bunch of others jump out of nowhere, almost as if they’ve
been waiting their turn.
FUEL FOR THE FIRE. It reminds me that nothing is ever a waste. It’s all
practice and learning. If something goes completely wrong then I treat it as
fuel for the fire that keeps me going.
DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Don’t.
You can pick up a copy of For All the Stars Across the Sky from your local bookshop.
You can pick up a copy of For All the Stars Across the Sky from your local bookshop.
