From bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave and acclaimed illustrator Tom de Freston comes an extraordinary story about family, friendship, and hope. Illustrated throughout in black, white, and yellow, this stunning book is perfect for 9+ fans of David Almond, Sally Gardner, and Frances Hardinge.

A sunny (but chilly) Saturday morning in February, I walked into the Guildhall at Faversham for one of their Literacy Festival talks. I hadn’t attended a book talk like this before, so I didn’t really know what to expect but I was excited to hear what the author and illustrator had to say.

The talk was from the author and illustrator of the children’s book Julia and the Shark, the talented Kiran Millwood Hargrave, and Tom de Freston. They are a husband and wife duo, who wanted to collaborate on a project together and after finding out about Greenland Sharks on a nature programme, said they knew it was that that they wanted to base their joint project around.

The blurb of the book is as follows:

‘My name is Julia. This is the story of the summer I almost lost my mum and found a shark older than the trees. Don’t worry though, that doesn’t spoil the ending’.

Having read and fallen in love with the book, it added a whole new layer, hearing Kiran and Tom talk about their project both with so much passion and so much love and getting the opportunity to learn about their process.

Kiran stated that she had one of those rare moments when writing a book, where the character just appears and tells you their story. She stated that the character of Julia almost walked into her office, yellow jacket and all, and told her, her story. Kiran said it had only ever happened once before in her career, and that she was just as invested as the reader, in hearing what Julia had to say. It was interesting that she just wrote the story that Julia was telling in that very pure way, then went back and fully researched and fact-checked all the different elements of the story (and yes all the shark facts are 100% correct). Learning about the writing process in this way was quite refreshing for me, not feeling like it has to all be factually correct the first time around. The opening of the book had not changed from this initial meeting with Julia, which as a reader, I think makes it all the more special, as this was it, there was no third draft of the opening, it was incredibly pure, which is rare with books. The initial connection through this with Julia is one that both reader and author share.

The story continues in a very lyrical, but real way, and the connection to the character and themes I felt was a strong one. This was only helped by Tom’s illustrations. All the artwork he made for the book, came from the remnants of work from a studio fire, in which he lost twelve years of work. Ash was added to the ink, burnt scraps of paper became birds. He said it was rather healing adding this to his current work and added to the theme of hope that runs through the book, that not all is lost. Hearing this story behind the artwork further adds another emotional layer to the book.

The story and the illustrations work in tandem, both Kiran and Tom stated one would not work without the other. I agree, taking one away from the book would really dampen the spirit and the power of it. I found it fascinating how they said that they both inspired the other with their work, words, and pictures formed together, rather than one first. Tom brought story ideas to the table through the dream sequences, and Kiran’s way with words inspired illustrations.

The only colour to feature in the book is this bright yellow. The yellow further ties the story together, it is needed in the story, and Kiran and Tom stated that it is the vein of hope that runs throughout the pages. This was something I hadn’t thought about when reading it myself and adds a whole new meaning for me when re-reading.

Being in the room hearing both talk about their work with such passion was an amazing experience. Getting to hear authors and illustrators talk about their work was a fascinating experience and unlocked so much of the book that I loved anyway. Hearing why they picked certain things, drawing on from real life, and understanding their processes was incredible and something that I don’t think I will forget. I strongly recommend if you have the opportunity to attend one of these talks yourself, to take it with open arms. It adds so much to the books that we read and lets you into the world of the people behind the book.

Kiran said ‘writing is a craft, imagination is a muscle’.

This really struck a chord with me, we need to practice using our imagination and hone the craft of writing. With practice of both, it can only get better, so I am going to practice using my imagination, generating ideas, and make my muscle stronger. This is something that I will take with me into my future career as a primary school teacher, and it is something that I hope I can instill in my future students.

I will leave you with the sentiment shared that the book belongs to us now (all apart from Noodle the Cat) as the reader, Kiran and Tom may have their names on the cover but it is ours, their gift to us, a very powerful thing literature can do.

This blog entry was written by Emily Ing, Reading for Pleasure Ambassador.

The paperback of Julia and the Shark is due to be published on the 17^th March. You can order a copy through the CCCU Bookshop.

Featured image credits by Olga Tutunaru on Unsplash.