The people behind the books

As in many great teams, Julia and Axel are quite different personalities.
 
Julia was raised in London and discovered her love of books when still very young. Then, at the age of five her father gave her The Book of a Thousand Poems. The marriage of language and rhythm by the likes of Keats and Robert Louis Stevenson made a major impact upon her and was to influence much of her own work.
 
Axel, by contrast, was raised in Germany where the notion of a career in 'drawing pictures' was met with considerable cynicism. It was when he came to study in England that Axel discovered a whole host of possibilities for a skilled and original illustrator. Via editorial work and some advertising commissions, Axel found his way to children's book publisher Methuen. They invited him to illustrate one of Julia's early stories, A Squash and a Squeeze, which had begun life as a children's song.
 
And so began a partnership that has brought huge pleasure to millions of children and parents around the world.
 
The rhythmic, song-like quality that is the hallmark of so much of Julia's verse is no coincidence. As a child Julia would love to sing and perform (she still does) and this passion led, initially, to a career writing and performing children's songs. But spend just a few minutes speaking to Julia and her passion, imagination and creativity are immediately apparent and it is no surprise that her career has blossomed in many directions. In addition to her books, she's had over 20 plays published and still writes and performs songs for children.

While the rhythmic nature of much of Julia's writing makes her books fun and easy to read, it's only one of many factors that make them so special. As Julia herself points out, "whoever your audience, a good story needs a good plot. I think carefully about my stories to make them as original and imaginative as possible."
 
It's a view shared by Axel who considers Julia's stories to have a dimension beyond many other children's books. And the respect is entirely mutual. Julia is glowing in her appreciation of Axel's ability to create memorable and humorous interpretations of her characters. But ever the perfectionist, Axel always thinks he could have done better although he concedes that part of the unique appeal of his illustrations is their imperfection. It seems to make them even more sweet and humorous.
 
So where does inspiration for these wonderful, illustrated stories come from? Julia has what she calls her 'Eureka!' moments, but equally, she may have an idea stored away in the back of her mind or on a scrap of paper in a drawer which, over time, grows into a fully-fledged story idea. Julia offers an example:
 
"I'd always wanted to write a story set underwater as it's such a magical environment but hadn't managed to find a really good plot. Then I started to work on series of 36 phonic stories, called Songbirds (Oxford University Press), for primary school teachers. One of the stories was about a character who was always making excuses and suddenly I had my Eureka moment and the plot for my underwater story suddenly just leapt into my head. Tiddler, a little fish, loves telling tall stories. One day, a powerful tide washes him away and he becomes lost. He finds his way back through his stories - he hears other people telling his tales and follows them home."
 
Axel's inspiration comes to him in a different way. Working from Julia's manuscript he'll think about how to create warmth and humour to add a new dimension to the story. It's testimony to Axel's ability to understand his partner's vision that they almost always agree on the direction the illustration should take. They'll decide on a story board, which determines how the story is divided up into pages and what aspect of the story should be illustrated and then it's up to Axel to work his magic. And what magic! The lovingly crafted detail and beautifully rendered colours of Axel's illustrations allow children to discover something new every time they enter into his warm and very funny world.
 
It's the imagination and creativity of people like Axel and Julia that helps make sharing books with our children such a magical experience and there's plenty more magic to come. The pair are currently working on a new picture book which will, no doubt, continue their wonderful tradition and give more pleasure to millions of parents and children around the world. We can't wait.