Children’s book writer and illustrator Judith Rossell writes stories that she would have loved to have read when she was a child. And her repertoire is diverse — from maze books to Victorian fantasy stories and picture books to chapter books — she’s written and illustrated extensively for children over the past two decades. Her illustrations are whimsical and beautiful, and her writing style is quirky and engrossing.
The Australian writer recently attended the Bookaroo Festival of Children’s Literature in Delhi and now children in Mumbai will get to meet her at an event organised by The Pomegranate Workshop and the Australian Consulate at the G5A. Rossell will talk about her latest book Wormwood Mire , answer questions, and get participants to engage in some activities as well. Over email, she told The Hindu about writing and illustrating her latest book. Edited excerpts from the interview…
Tell us how you began illustrating and writing children’s books.
I have always loved drawing. I studied science, and worked for a number of years as a government scientist, and in product development for a cotton spinning company, but I always did little illustration jobs on the side, and from there, I developed it into a full-time career.
You’ve written a range of books, from picture books to puzzle books and non-fiction, to middle grade ones, covering a diverse range of themes. Tell us about your writing process.
I aim to write stories that I would have loved to read when I was a child. It’s important to write about things that are close to your heart. When I am illustrating someone else’s story, I try to draw characters and scenes that help tell the story, and catch the interest of the child reader.
Your new book is the second in a Victorian fantasy series. Can you tell us a little bit about the series?
The stories are set in Victorian England. They are novels for readers between about nine and 12, and they also contain many illustrations. I wanted to write the kind of book I enjoyed reading as a child, full of mystery and fantasy and humour.
In the first book, Withering-by-Sea , the main character, Stella Montgomery, lives in a huge hotel with her three dreadful aunts. One night, she sees something she shouldn’t have, and is plunged into an adventure.
In the second book, Wormwood Mire , Stella has been sent away by her aunts to stay with some cousins and their governess in a huge, empty house in an overgrown garden, and there is something lurking in the lake.
I’m just about to start writing the third book in the series.
How did the idea for the book series come about, and what’s the kind of research you’ve put in?
I read a lot of books about history, and I collect things that catch my interest to use in my story. I love to visit museums.
When I was writing Wormwood Mire , I visited a number of Victorian mansions around Melbourne, and I tried to imagine Stella there, walking along the empty, dusty hallways.
How did the transition from illustrating to illustrating and writing your own books happen?
The first books I wrote were maze and puzzle books. For these, the pictures are much more important than the words, and so they are easy to write. After that, I wrote a few picture books for very young children, and then I did a writing course. I learned a whole lot during this course, and I completed my first children’s novel, Jack Jones and the Pirate Curse (2006). I enjoyed writing it. It was published in Australia, the U.S., the Netherlands and Germany, and it was quite successful, which was really encouraging.
The non-fiction books that you have illustrated are about gardening and food. Do they mirror your personal interests as well?
I like food and gardening! But when I started out as a freelance illustrator, I would have been happy to draw the pictures for any book the publishers offered me. So I have illustrated books about many things: Japan, rugby, health and safety in the workplace, how to play various musical instruments. It’s been a great way to find out about all kinds of things.
Bijal Vachharajani writes about education for sustainable development, conservation, and food security. She’s the former editor of Time Out Bengaluru.
Meet author, illustrator Judith Rossell, G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, today at 4.15 p.m.; for children aged nine to 13 years. email pomegranateworkshop @gmail.com for registration details or visit www.g5a.org
