'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Tuesday 15 July 2014

12 Curly Questions with illustrator Tony Flowers

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I play the Banjo (very, very, very badly – although anyone who has heard me play certainly knows this).

2. What is your nickname?
Flower Pots.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Someone working out that drawing silly things all day is not a real job and I have to go grow up.


4. Describe your illustration style in ten words. 
Very silly fun filled comical scribbles of absurd things happening. 

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as an illustrator. 
Imaginative, funny, fast, entertaining and silly. 

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Batman, he has the coolest car and great gadgets).

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
If it is just time travel, I would go back to 1996 and release the Harry Potter books before JK Rowling. If it was time and space I’d go every where, discuss my time machine as a blue police box and fight Daleks.

8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now? 
Haven’t you grown up yet? ... cool! 

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Hard to say. Either Sergio Aragones (Mad magazine and Groo comics) or Mr Squiggle. 

10. What/who made you start drawing?
I have always drawn, but the idea to create illustrate stories first came about as I sent illustrated letters to my nieces Hannah and Emma. In these, I draw picture stories of my dog ‘Lilly’s’ adventures???

11. What is your favorite picture book and why?
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928), Apart from being a great story about cats. I love the drawings in this book and I remember have a class assignment in primary school where we had to draw an illustration from a picture book. I draw an image from this book of millions of cats running down a hill. This was probably the first time I realized that I was good at drawing.

12. If you could only read one picture book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Herge’s Explores of the Moon in the TinTin series. These books total captured my imagination as a child and I poured over the drawings for hours.


The next two books in Tony's Billy is a Dragon series are out now! See more on Tony at www.flowersink.com.au. Don't miss our 12 Curly Questions with series author Nick Falk.

If you are an author or illustrator who thinks they are BRAVE enough to answer our questions, 
OR if there is an author or illustrator you would like to hear from, LET US KNOW! 
We will see if they are up to the task. Just email: susanATkids-bookreviewDOTcom