Q&A with Maggie Hutchings

 

 

 

Maggie Hutchings is the author of the new children's picture book Hello Baby, It's Me, Alfie. Her other books include Your Birthday Was the Best!. She is also a counselor, and she lives in Australia. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Hello Baby, It’s Me, Alfie, and how did you create your character Alfie?

 

A: That’s such a great question. Alfie actually came to me first. His little voice just seemed to come so naturally and I think this comes from having grandkids around me and from my previous work as a counsellor. The voice is always the spark I need to write a good story.

 

The idea of writing about siblings fascinates me, probably because I didn’t have any! And I really loved the idea of Alfie talking to his sibling in utero so it went from there. The lemon pip to pumpkin idea sprang up as I started to write.

 

Q: What do you think Dawn Lo’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: The short answer is, Everything!

 

As soon as I saw Dawn’s work, I was hooked! I love the way she uses colour and simple forms to convey emotions, and themes, and somehow (I suspect alchemy) manages to please both the child and the adult viewer. That’s no easy task!

 

My favourite is the page where Alfie is demonstrating how to hug Clive. Although, I also absolutely adore the picnic page where Alfie feels a little “I love you.” kick from the baby.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “Hutchings has crafted a strong conversation starter for prospective big siblings; grown-ups will likely find guidance here, too, as they direct little ones to consider how Alfie might be feeling in a given situation and how they in turn feel.” What do you think of that description, and what do you hope kids and adults will take away from the book?

 

A: I love the whole Kirkus review. The writer totally got what we were trying to achieve.

 

I hope that kids will recognise themselves in Alfie and find comfort in his journey. They may have very different feelings than Alfie, but here’s a chance to chat about them with caregivers and parents.

 

Or maybe even express them in a drawing. As a counsellor I always got kids drawing while we chatted about their issues and anxieties. It’s a great way to check in on how your child is managing a major milestone.

 

For parents I hope the book will simplify talking about the pregnancy, and the emotions that swirl around for little ones and also for themselves.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if you did so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: Once I started refining the structure of the book, I did a lot of reading about stages of development in the womb, but also in a 4-year-old’s ability to manage change.

 

Given my 20 years counselling experience I can’t say it was surprising to me. But as always, I’m in awe of the way that humans can adapt and change and love each other. That’s a salve for the soul in our challenging world.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have lots of lovely projects going on at the moment. I’m at that delicious stage with a couple of my future picture books where the roughs have arrived and blown me away.

 

That’s always the most emotional and wonderful part of any book journey because the illustrator and the editor bring out layers in the story. I get so excited about it!

 

I’m also working on a book of interconnected short stories for adults although it’s basically a lemon pip right now!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’d just like to remind readers that the book is the result of a whole team of people working together. Where would we be without the editors and sales and marketing teams! And to finish, I want to alert everyone to the glory of the book jacket! The poster on the back is so lovely and useful for families.

 

Thank you so much for inviting me to answer these questions!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb