About Yasmeen:
Yasmeen Ismail is an award-winning illustrator and animator who has a love of inks, paints and watercolours. Her debut picture book Time for Bed, Fred! won The New York Times' Best Illustrated Book Award and the V&A Best Illustrated Book Award, and was longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Her previous books for Walker include Kiki & Bobo's Birthday Surprise and Kiki & Bobo's Sunny Day. Yasmeen is originally from Ireland, but now lives in Bristol.
And finally - here are the answers Yasmeen has kindly given to our questions. Read on to discover what she thinks are the best things about picture books, which picture book has stayed with her since she was little, and the utterly gorgeous creation she is working on right now! Thanks so much, Yasmeen!
What was your own favourite picture book as a child?
I really don’t have a great recollection of books as a kid. I know that I was a voracious reader, but the only book that really stayed with me was Burglar Bill by Janet and Allen Ahlberg. I am a huge fan of their work and this book remains my favourite to date.
What do you think the best thing about picture books is?
This is a tough one. Initially I thought “the pictures!”, but then a picture book with great images is let down if the story is rubbish or poorly written. So I can’t pick a best thing. For me the best thing about a picture book is when the story and picture marry well. When the two things work together and bounce off each other. The best thing about a picture book is when the picture book works well at both story and image. That’s a real joy to behold and one that gets the reader returning time and again. That’s when it’s really magic.
What’s the best thing about this book?
My book???
Well it’s not really for me to say!
But if I had to pick, it would be the illustration with the Gorilla’s bum. I’m quite puerile. Bums get me laughing.
What was your inspiration for the story/character?
My son was a toddler when I wrote the story, and I noticed how every day would seem like ‘opposite day’ with him. I could never tell him what to do or ask him to try something, he was (and still is) very child-led. So the Gorilla is like him. It’s frustrating to be a parent and to be offering solutions that are essentially fair and lovely, only for them to be rejected, but eventually I discovered that the best thing to do was to allow him to come to his own conclusions. And when he did he usually made good choices.
Do you prefer writing or drawing?
Drawing has always been my first love. So I would have to say that. Creating images gives me so much joy. However, writing is relatively new to me and I am really loving that. If I had to choose one for the rest of my life I would choose drawing, but that would be a sad choice to make indeed.
What are you working on next?
I am now working on baby 2. She arrived in December and all my focus is on her until 2022. Currently I am trying to get her to sleep. It’s harder work than making books.
After that I will be working on more picture books for more publishers, and long may it last.
And finally, what do you think has been the best thing about reading with small children during the lockdown?
It kills some time. You’re not sticking them in front of a screen again. And hopefully they will learn something. I am pretty down on lockdown. I can’t get more positive than that.
