Five questions for Steve Antony

January 20th 2017

To celebrate his new title, Thank You, Mr Panda, we caught up with Steve Antony with a few questions to find out more about his inspirations and creative process.

1) What inspired you to first start writing and illustrating picture books?

I've never stopped loving picture books, and ever since I was a child I've enjoyed telling stories through pictures. For me, picture books are the perfect creative outlet. They are unique and powerful and make the world a better place.

2) The Panda series of books is all about manners – is this a particular bugbear of yours? Do you like the idea of children learning about behaviour through books? I love the fact that Mr Panda is such a stickler for good manners. I know some adults who could learn a thing or two from him. Yes, I do like the idea of children learning about behaviour through books, but what I love most about the 'Mr Panda' books is their humour. The 'Mr Panda' books are such a joy to create, and the response has been absolutely amazing. Mr Panda is definitely making his mark!

3) How does your colour-blindness affect your work, and do you think you’d ever create a picture book specifically for colour-blind children?

Well, I guess what I've had to do is intentionally choose my colour palettes. As a result, the colours become integral to the story. I chose red, white and blue for 'The Queen's Hat' and 'The Queen's Handbag' because these are books about famous Great British landmarks. I chose black and white animals in the 'Mr Panda' series so that the colours really pop off the page. I'm often asked if I'll ever write and illustrate a book for colour-blind people, but one could argue that I already do, because the colours I tend to use are very bold. I do know that you can buy special glasses to correct colour-blindness, but I don't really feel I need them because, after all, my books wouldn't stand out in their own unique way if not for my colour-blindness.

4) When you’re working on a book, what comes first – the words or the pictures? Almost always the pictures come first, but before that comes the idea which is usually inspired by something I've either seen or overheard. For example, 'Green Lizards Vs Red Rectangles: A Story About War and Peace' was inspired by a painting call 'Eight Red Rectangles', by Kazimir Malevich. Inspiration is everywhere if you open your eyes and ears.

5) What is your favourite book, and what are you reading at the moment? It's really hard to pick a favourite book of all time, but it would probably be a picture book. I can remember my first short chapter book: 'Plop the Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'; and my first comic book: 'Uncanny X-Men number 223; and my first graphic novel: 'Watchmen'. As a young child I loved picture books by Raymond Briggs and Jan Pienkowski. I was also a fan of those 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books and the Famous Five. Just recently, I had the huge honour of illustrating the cover of 'Famous Five: Five Have a Wonderful Time'. At the moment, I am reading 'Here I Stand: Stories That Speak For Freedom' which is a brilliant anthology of stories and poems exploring human rights. I highly recommend it.