Alex Latimer is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book Don't Think of Tigers. His many other books include The Duck Never Blinks. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
Q: What inspired you to create Don’t Think of Tigers?
A: Don’t Think of Tigers is a book I wrote to encourage children to be creative. A lot of children think just because they don’t start out being good at something, that they should stop.
In my book I encourage children to practice and to make mistakes, because that’s the only way to improve a skill. It applies to all areas of life - not just to art.
At the end of the book I’ve written a little note about how, at school, someone’s negative opinion of a picture I painted stopped me from making art for a very long time.
Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?
A: I worked on the text first - but to make sure that my idea for this book actually worked in practice, I needed to draw up a rough, and the text changed a lot in that process.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “Latimer’s dynamic visuals ramp up the energy, while his humorous text encourages readers to try new things of all kinds, embrace doing them badly at first, and keep going.” What do you think of that description, and can you say more about what you hope kids take away from the story?
A: I love that description! I worked hard to try to find the right level of humor and “wrongness” for each page - so that the book is visually appealing while still conveying my message.
I hope kids who read it learn to keep going and keep practicing the things they love, and that mistakes are the best way to learn.
Q: How did you first get interested in creating children’s picture books?
A: My initial plan was to write all kinds of books - and to use the process of writing children’s books to learn about the craft of storytelling. Subsequently, I have written other kinds of books - but I really love making picture books.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on a funny “first-read-on-your-own” series called Gordon the Meanest Goose on Earth. It’s about a really, really mean goose who meets a lovely piglet and is changed by his kindness.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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