story that is different to the text. “Diversity is something I am very much aware of in my books and characters, and lots of other illustrators are too. We have an opportunity, especially when we are illustrating humans, to be inclusive. That is something the illustrator has to be conscious of, and we make those decisions. Often that is overlooked, or taken for granted but we do work hard on it.” Steve adds: “The strongest driving force for me is just telling good stories. I do think that inclusivity is important, but it has to come from a real place. I know some people don’t take picture books quite as seriously as picture book artists do, but I love working in the format – they are real works of art.”


of the pandemic, and we thought it was important to include those issues. It’s a hard one to read aloud – whenever I get to that page I feel myself getting a bit emotional, because I know there could be people in the audience that will relate to it completely. But it is a really important addition and I’m glad that we did include it.”


While each spread has its own place in the story of growing up, Steve says: “I think my favourite one, in terms of the illustrations, is the Pride scene at the end. Probably because it is close to my heart and I can relate to it. The characters are teenagers in it…, and that is me, that’s my experience. “Although it’s a picture book, it’s actually for people of all ages. I know


there will be someone who will read it and see that scene, and it might give them some assurance that it’s OK if you feel different, there’s a place to you. The line with it reads “You Can... Find your own way…, support each other, …love and be loved”, and when I read it, I knew immediately that it was going to look like this.”


Right from Steve’s first rough draft the contributors were offering advice, helping to shape the final illustrations. And working with the young contributors on the book gave Steve the opportunity to explore new perspectives and pick his way through some problems with his illustrations.


“There came a point where I was just stuck,” says Steve. “I just couldn’t think how to illustrate some the statements, so I asked the contributors for their ideas. They really helped me out with the imagery, and really inspired me with their ideas.”


Steve has a string of successful picture books to his name and loves working in the format. He talks about the accessibility of picture books, the artistry that goes into making them, and the ability of the pictures to enhance the text and bring something new to the story. He says: “With picture books you can digest the information so quickly. You don’t realise that the illustrations are different to the text – they show you something different, and tell a visual


14 PEN&INC. Spring-Summer 2022


Steve has written and illustrated more than 20 books since his first, The Queen’s Hat, was published in 2014. That has stretched into a four-book collection and his Mr Panda character is now on his eighth adventure. Steve has also worked with writer, musician and comedian Tim Minchin on When I grow Up, and he supplied the artwork for the first ever illustrated version of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (adapted by Peter Bently), which was released earlier this year. Steve’s route to becoming an illustrator saw him complete a HND in illustration after school, but breaking into the creative industry proved difficult and with student debts hanging over him, Steve eventually found himself working in a call centre. However, when that job came to an end with a redundancy package, Steve knew his chance had come again. He signed up for a Master’s Degree course in Children’s Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University, saying: “I poured my heart and soul into it.” The Queen’s Hat and Please Mr Panda were both created on that course, and not long after completing his Masters, Steve was a published writer and illustrator. Despite waiting for more than a decade to fulfil his dream, Steve says that “once it happened, it all happened very quickly”. Anyone who has read The Queen’s Hat will recognise its distinctive red, white


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