Meet the Author of Kid: Peter Carnavas

By Mia Macrossan

Peter Carnavas writes and illustrates wonderful stories for children. He has created over twenty books, many of which have been shortlisted or won prestigious awards, including My Brother Ben, Leo and Ralph and The Elephant.

His latest book is Kid, an animal adventure, the story of a goat who leaves his comfortable safe farm to explore the nearby mountain for his long lost family. 

The toughest part about writing an animal story was narrowing Kid’s perspective to that of a goat – the farm (and then the wild) is all he knows – so my figurative language had to reflect this. 

Why write about animals and not one human? They obviously live with humans, there are hay bales, fences etc. but we never see any interaction. Was this easier or harder? Once I started writing about Kid and his friends, it didn’t seem necessary to add any humans (apart from the implied people who look after the farm and collect the eggs). I established Ma the dog as the boss of the animals, so I didn’t see the need to add another (human) boss.

It was quite refreshing to have a break from humans and just write about animals, even though I’ve embodied them with human emotions. 

What made you pick a goat as the central character? I wanted to write an adventure story, set on a farm and a mountain, and a goat was the perfect fit as an animal to trek up the mountain. Goats and mountains go together nicely. Also, miniature goats are very cute and a bit odd, and there aren’t too many children’s books about goats.

Were any of the characters modelled on people or animals you know? One of the reasons I wrote an animal story was to get away from what I had already done, and to create some great story characters that had nothing to do with my own life. So none of the characters are based on anyone I know, although Harriet the pig is named after a student I used to teach. She wanted her name in one of my books and she was very happy to be a pig.

As you were writing were you conscious of possible comparisons with other animal stories, e.g. Babe and Charlotte’s Web?  Yes, I have no problem admitting that this was the kind of story I wanted to write. I read both of those books as I was writing Kid. I love the emotions imbued into the animal characters, how deeply we feel for them, and the way the stories keep moving forward in a straight line without wandering sideways too often. I’ve always loved Dick King-Smith’s writing – we read all of his Sophie’s Adventures books as a family. 

           

You have one illustration per chapter. With 50 chapters and 50 drawings how did you choose what element to illustrate? What was your aim with these illustrations? The opening chapters were easy to make illustration decisions, as they are generally about introducing the characters – Kid, Audrey, Harriet and Ma. After that, I chose the moments that held the most feeling – often something that represented a strong emotion in Kid, a piece of high action, or his relationships with his friends. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your own reading:

Your earliest reading memory – This is paired with my earliest book-creating memory, too. I remember when I was about four, I copied one of Eric Hill’s Spot books and stapled it together as my own.

Your favourite book growing up – I always go back to Mrs Melville reading Danny the Champion of the World to my Year 3 class. It had a huge impact on me, and set me up as a reader for the rest of primary school.

The book that changed you – An Ordinary Day by Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder was the first picture book I read as an adult, when I was studying teaching. It opened my mind to the depth and possibilities of picture books, and changed my perspective on children’s books.

The book that made you want to be a writer – There are so many that have inspired me in different ways. A a moody 20-year-old, it was anything by Kurt Vonnegut or David Malouf. I guess Quentin Blake and Stephen Michael King made me want to illustrate. I still get inspired by books, new and old, that get me excited about trying to make another one of my own.

The book you are currently reading – I just finished a beautiful graphic novel called Florrie, by Anna Trench. It’s a queer coming-of-age story set in the world of women’s football in the early 1920s. I loved it.

Thank you so much, Peter,  for your thoughtful and generous answers. You’re welcome ☺️🐐

Kid, now reviewed in StoryLinks, is highly recommended for school and home libraries. Pre-order your copy here.