Q&A
Tell us something interesting about yourself:
I was the worst knitter in school. But now I make excellent knitwear!
How would you describe your identity?
Nottingham girl, born and bred in the East Midlands, now settled in the West Country.
Tell us your favourite medium for reading:
Paperbacks are my favourite.
Tell us your favourite location for reading:
In the hammock under a grape vine with blue tits flying by.
Book title:
My Must-Have Mum; A Hat Full of Sea.
What inspired your creative process in writing or illustrating your book?
My Must-Have Mum:
I'm always impressed when people use old objects and turn them into something new — be it a broken wheelbarrow or watering can repurposed as a planter, jeans pockets made into penholders, or suitcases made into cat beds.
I wondered what might happen if someone took this to extremes, and what it might be like to be their little boy!
A Hat Full of Sea:
This story came from a visit I made to my mum in hospital; she was in a dingy room with just one high window and could see only a small square of blue sky. I didn’t think that was nearly enough, and I tried to think of ways to bring the outside world in for her.
Cora, who visits her Grandpa Jim in hospital, feels that way too. She wants to bring him so much more than that square of blue sky — she wants to take him with her to the seaside.
Once she realises Grandpa can’t go to the sea, she decides to bring the sea to him instead. Using the hat he gave her, she finds her own ingenious and imaginative way of bringing the outside world directly to her beloved Grandpa.
Favourite character or moment from the book – and why?
My Must-Have Mum:
I like the moment when, after Jake spends time alone in “the prairies,” the grasses part and Mum reappears. It’s a great relief for Jake and it still gives me a little shiver each time I read it aloud.
A Hat Full of Sea:
I like Cora because she is so confident about the things she can bring to Grandpa Jim. I love the way she goes about collecting the sea in her little hat and carrying it to Grandpa. She has such a creative imagination and puts ideas into action straight away. Wish I could be more like her!
What themes or messages does your book raise?
My Must-Have Mum:
Mum’s enthusiastic upcycling of all sorts of things triggers interesting conversations about reusing and recycling.
The underlying theme of unconditional love prompts discussion about whether we would want to fundamentally change the people we love (spoiler: the answer is no, we wouldn’t!).
Jake tells us that his mum is “not like most mums” because of her upcycling habit, but she is also different because she is in a wheelchair. This is clear from the pictures but never mentioned in the text, so it’s interesting to note how much or how little attention we pay to her disability when reading the story — and to have a discussion about what really makes Jake’s mum special.
A Hat Full of Sea:
Cora’s story gives us ideas of how we might cheer people up when they are ill or stuck in hospital. Cora shows how even young children can have a hand in making someone who is ill feel better, just by sharing the events of their own day-to-day life — telling anecdotes, doing drawings, writing stories, postcards or little notes, and just by being themselves.
There’s also the opportunity to discuss how to represent emotions such as love in our own artwork.
How would you describe your artistic or writing style in three words?
Humorous, heartwarming, lyrical.
Favourite illustration – and why?
My Must-Have Mum:
I like the spread where Jake lies in bed, looking around at all the things Mum has changed, and wonders if she might want to change him too!
A Hat Full of Sea:
I like the final spread when Grandpa’s love for Cora is released from his hat onto the page. How on earth do you draw “love”?! Jen depicts it with flowers, musical notes, hearts, leaves and butterflies. Love it!
Connect
IG: @maudiesmithetc
