Liz Binks from Team Toppsta interviews two of her favourite picture book creators, Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet. Their bonkers new book, Snowball, has just rolled onto bookshelves!

We LOVE your books. What inspires you to write them?
Thanks, what a lovely thing to say. Whenever we are together we automatically start trying to make each other laugh. It’s almost impossible to stop. We are like two little pressure cookers filled with silly ideas and bad jokes. If we didn’t have our writing as a safety valve we would explode and there would be puns everywhere. People nearby would be wiping jokes off each other with towels.

We know they’re all your babies but do you have a favourite?
Hang on they’re all listening… ok I’m outside now; Sue says that Norman the slug is her favourite. I (Paul) can honestly say that I love them all apart from Gordon the balloon because I don’t like balloons. They are all squeaky and they pop unexpectedly. 

How does the creative process work? Does one of you write the story and the other illustrate?
The ideas come from either one of us. We both write and edit each other’s text and then work collaboratively on the art. We are like two sides of a strangely shaped brain.

Do you ever argue when creating your books?
Yes!

What do you love most about your job?
We get to spend time in our imaginations creating crazy characters and bonkers worlds which are then taken away and given to unsuspecting children. It’s great. 

Do you have any top tips for aspiring writers and illustrators?
Write what makes you happy. 

Don’t over think it.

Don’t worry about perfection.

Write lots.

Don’t under think it.

Draw lots.

Think it just enough.

Sue says – Have fun. I think the more fun you are having whilst writing and illustrating the better the results will be. 

Tell us about your new book, Snowball?
Firstly, Snowball is in rhyme. We have never written a rhyming book before! It was such fun to make I think that really shows when you read it. Snowball is such a sweet little character who is lonely and just wants to make friends but doesn’t really understand the physics of a snowball.

It’s great fun to read out loud. We hope you all take the little fellow to your hearts. 

What’s next? We can’t wait!
More books. More rhyming. More silliness. I also need to buy some new socks and pants.