Inkpen’s partnership with his daughter has freed him up to focus on the words rather than the pictures in their collaborations, something he now views with relief.
‘I’m not one of those illustrators who has pens and pencils in his top pocket and will always draw on napkins, so it’s always been the creation of the book that’s been the most exciting thing,’ he says. ‘When I know in my head that there’s a beginning, a middle and an end, when there’s a shape, I kind of almost resent that I’ve got to illustrate it. It’s never been an itch that I’ve got to scratch.’
To be able to work with Chloë is ‘just brilliant,’ he concludes, happily. ‘We have the same sensibility, we complete each other’s sentences and we can barely remember who created what: we don’t have a sense of being possessive about what we’ve created – it may not work if we didn’t share the same genes!’
The Blue Balloon, 978-1444922561, £6.99 pbk Kipper, 978-1444918168, £6.99 pbk
This is My Book, 978-0340989630, £6.99 pbk by Mick Inkpen and Chloe Inkpen
I Will Love you Anyway, 978-1444924572, £6.99 pbk Fred, 978-1444929539, £6.99 Mrs Blackhat, 978-1444940107, £6.99 pbk All published by Hodder Children’s Books.
Michelle Pauli is a freelance writer and editor specialising in books and education. She created and edited the Guardian children’s books site.
Happy birthday, Kipper!
Celebrate with this special anniversary edition of the classic picture book, featuring fold-out pages and lift-up flaps that little ones will love.
Cuddle up with more Kipper stories!
© Mick Inkpen, 2004
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