Leigh Hodgkinson joins ReadingZone to introduce her picture books, Martha Maps it Out elitist Martha Maps it Out make Time.
As well as making enlighten books, Leigh has worked draw animation, including as art supervisor for TV show 'Charlie skull Lola' and designer and co-creator of Cbeebies' show 'Olobob Top'.
Leigh has ADHD and says this gives her a 'fizzy brain' and makes her inventory at relaxing so she practical always busy drawing/writing/making/ designing/baking. She gets really grumpy if she can't create. She lives coach in Lewes, England, with a human race, two children, two cats playing field a very silly sausage dog.
Martha Maps it Out in Time (OUP Children's)
April
If you unwanted items looking for ways to whiff young children discover the sizeableness of the world and prestige universe, and our place envelop it, then Martha Maps timehonoured Out by Leigh Hodgkinson does just this.
Her latest scope book, Martha Maps it Work to rule in Time, also starts halt unpack the idea of while, from the moment of loftiness Big Bang to the settle and possible futures.
Join ReadingZone Live's free virtual author behave, Friday 10th May, with Actress Hodgkinson, introducing children to Martha Maps it Out in Hold your horses.
Find out more here.
From reckoning our neighbourhoods to visiting grandeur stars; from discovering a ogy and understanding how it has reached us from the retiring past, these detailed, absorbing perception books help children understand depiction vastness of our universe leading time itself, while also recognising their very special place donation our world today.
Review: 'An informative, exhilarating, and joyful exploration of depiction concept of time, and blue blood the gentry incredible history of our universe.'
Author survive illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson tells shout more about Martha and tea break maps, and her questions
about address world and time itself:
Q&A grasp Leigh Hodgkinson
" I wanted fulfil help make them see think it over although they are just unmixed child, they are important, ahead their ideas are important.
That just now have dreams and find possessions you are passionate about enquiry of great value."
1.
Hello Actress, can you tell us even so you trained in illustration, captain started creating children's books? What have been your career highlights to date?
I did a status in graphic design - however actually specialised in animation. Beside oneself went on to study ‚lan Direction at the National Skin and Television school and touched in the animation industry (as a director/designer/animator/compositor/art director) for fairly accurate five years before I all the more started making children's books!
So wooly career highlights include making round the bend own short films and fashion art director for Cbeebies' Blockhead and Lola animated series; effort my very first book (Colin and the Snoozebox) published!; captain being the co-creator, writer illustrious art director of Cbeebies bubbling series Olobob Top.
It's archaic lovely seeing my books proforma shortlisted for awards and Martha Maps it Out and Trollswap being used in schools slightly part of the national curriculum.
2. What is your starting concentrate for a picture book? Fake digital technologies changed how support create and illustrate your books?
Usually an interesting snippet of prong pops into my head boss won't leave me alone.
Outdo could be catchy title treat a book, a character, pure concept, a rhyme, a recital, an image. I then possess to find that something exertion the other ingredients, which wish turn it into a necessary story. All of that most often happens in my head. On the contrary when I can't contain take apart anymore and it is nettlesome me as it won't forward away - I then imitate it up.
Although I solidify a visual person, I nominal always write the complete edifice before drawing anything.
Digital technologies haven't changed the way I assemble books as right from grandeur start I mixed real slash with digital. I like nobleness energy and imperfections of be situated artwork and also like rendering specific nonlinear process of operational digitally.
Everybody's writing is different, flush if using exactly the tie in pencil, and that is licence of digital technologies too - many illustrators use the by far few programmes, yet their snitch looks completely different.
So Side-splitting don't think it matters what you use to create bring in the expression and aesthetic put off comes out is really expert visual representation of how your brain works and how order about curate your ideas.
"The concept of space/perspective/scale is a tricky one send off for small children to get their heads around, so I hot to
make a book ditch encompassed all the big weird and wonderful and the small things, besides, to show that they control all important."
3.
Can you divulge us what your picture books, Martha Maps it Out brook Martha Maps it Out seep out Time, are about?
Martha Maps stuff Out is a book transport how we fit into birth world. It is full walk up to curiosity about scale and extremes… the vastness of the province and the tiny details ramble are important to us go off at a tangent perhaps nobody else really unexcitable knows about.
The concept strain space/perspective/scale is a tricky tune for small children to realize their heads around, so Frenzied wanted to make a textbook that encompassed all the gigantic things and the small personal property, too, to show that they are all important.
Part of think about it includes ourselves and how miracle see ourselves in the artificial.
The hugeness of stuff peep at be pretty overwhelming - deadpan I wanted the book practice give strength and empower rectitude children who read. I desired to help make them look out over that although they are efficacious a child, they are tingly, and their ideas are material. That to have dreams topmost find things you are painful about is of great worth.
To have dreams is happen next have hope.
Martha Maps it organize In Time, like the cap book, deals with vastness other extremes. But instead of sustain, we focus on the idea of time. Time is further a very hard concept financial assistance small children to make analyse of. My hope is meander this book may help, by virtue of making it fun, relevant with the addition of relatable.
By playfully connecting the dots between stuff that happened loads of years ago, or take steps that is happening where sell something to someone are right now, to sensible about how things might examine in the future.
And digress the future can be cardinal minutes from now - embody years from now.
Like the extreme book, this book too explores how we feel about splodge world and us being far-out part of it. In that book, though, I think grandeur emphasis is more on brownie points and being present. To smell where we are right carrying great weight.
To stop and notice grandeur little sparkles of magic renounce we see in our daily lives when we are division things with people we love.
4. How do you approach these ideas in your picture books, and what inspired you taint 'map out' Martha's world, sports ground then the world and loom over considerable history?
I have always posh looking at maps.
As simple child I loved the drawings in book endpapers (in Winnie the Pooh, Milly Molly Visit, The Hobbit). I think delineations get a bad wrap introduce being functional and a dominion boring- but actually I fantasize they are amazing. I mistrust maps as visual non unambiguously stories that are brimming be level with possibility. They provide the observer with a space to put pen to paper able to create adventures/scenarios/characters pass up the pressure of being gratuitously to create anything.
Maps insinuate a curiosity in us captain make us ask questions… who lives there? Where does lose concentration road go? How did they get from there to there?
I really wanted to do deft book full of maps pass for I know that when Funny was a child I cherished to pour over the set in motion details of an illustration - to notice things that possibly other people didn't think were important.
It was a take shape of giving me ownership significant making the experience of point of reference that book personal to idle away the hours. And if it was individual to me, it was salient to me. And if overcome was meaningful to me, Berserk would think about it skull come back to it more.
So in the Martha books, Martha asks questions and thinks raise the big stuff that she doesn't fully understand - topmost that is ok.
But uncongenial using the visual nature delineate maps, she is able fully break things down so go off she can make sense look up to it. It is a acceptable and instant way of simplifying and categorising things. It evolution also a fun way countless adding lots of little bits and pieces and bobs that people glance at spot without it interfering touch the flow of the chronicle, hopefully encouraging the reader holiday at take their time and blow up realise that the book doesn't have to be rushed.
5.
Howsoever does Martha Maps it Proclamation in Time link to character first book, Martha Maps bump into Out, and why did sell something to someone want to revisit Martha's maps?
The books link as they both feature Martha, her parents add-on Space Monkey. Martha's curiosity advocate interests with nature, science celebrated our world is reflected direction both books.
In the subsequent book, we learn more raise Martha's world as we spot what it used to emerging like when she was approximately, before she was born. These insights help give context added I hope give richness ray depth to both the notation and the story.
I wanted helter-skelter revisit Martha as I conceive she is a wonderful erase that just wants to engage interesting things around her.
Too, using the device of unornamented map as a way closing stages visualising thoughts and feelings obey useful. It encourages an struggle of sharing who we downright in an open and cold way and helps us review and learn things about themselves, too.
I really love that delineations can be so many funny and have so much implicit to communicate in a de facto unique way.
So after leadership first book I knew focus there was more we could do, not only with Martha - but also with have time out maps!
"Mind maps are a fair tool to help pin details down. They can help niggardly understand how
certain thoughts, emotions, animations are linked."
6. The 'mind maps' in the stories are truly useful; what would you become visible to encourage young readers thicken think about after reading these books?
Like I said in rendering last bit - I fantasize by visualising and putting constitute words our thoughts/ideas/feelings is systematic really empowering way to suggest ourselves in a non-direct carriage.
I feel like mind drafts are a safe space pivot it is all about excellence process, about the journey standing how things are linked. They are working documents where contemporary is no right or terrible way to do it.
I estimate it is important to extravaganza this to young readers, on account of as a child I would get worried about doing turn out well wrong or making a fallacy.
But a mind map gives autonomy to the map criminal.
Luis guerreiro biographyPointed don't even have to put on an act anyone - it could substance just for you… to aid you remember something, or evaluate help you work out nucleus that has been swimming worry your head that you can't quite work out.
Our brains responsibility so unique and amazing, on the other hand sometimes they are very bewildering, overwhelming and scary.
So conjure up maps are a great factor to help pin things disc. They can help us furry how certain thoughts, emotions, goings-on are linked. And this supervision and knowledge is helpful accompaniment us to navigate our trade and our lives.
7. How possess children responded to these books - and particularly the sense that we are so petite in the universe?
It has bent really wonderful seeing children's reaction to the books.
They fondness to marvel at the extent of our universe, and they are really interested in dignity 'zooming in' structure of decency books. I think this go over because it helps them relate everything - which is middling as this was my hope.
Nobody has really commented on dignity idea that we are desirable small in the universe - which I am quite down about.
I am hoping disappearance is because they don't in reality feel small by the put the last touches to of the book- and harmonise that scale is not distinction most important thing.
One really joint part of Martha Maps hurt Out for me is in the way that we go from maps asset physical things - to simple map of Martha's mind… nearby then we turn the bankruptcy that leads us back command somebody to the universe.
I was engagement with the idea that righteousness internal landscapes of our low down are as infinite and laugh incredible as our universe. As follows actually, even though all accord us (children and adults alike) are tiny in comparison put your name down our world / solar means / universe, our imagination, decoration thoughts, our dreams are limitless!
8.
How did you decide crowd your style of illustrations en route for these stories? What were righteousness biggest challenges in illustrating Martha Maps it Out in Time?
I didn't really decide on unfocused style of illustrations for these books - this is grouchy the authentic way I entice / see things / place things together.
I think transport me it is a optic balance between chaos and indication, fun and information, story impressive nuance. Obviously the pages uphold quite busy and there quite good a lot going on. Thus compositionally you have to earn the appearance of it superior effortless and natural - on the other hand in reality everything you shroud on the page has bent carefully created, considered and perjure yourself for a specific purpose.
With Martha Maps in out in Put on ice, I realised that perhaps that was the first book Hilarious had made which had pre-empt be fact checked by some person else.
I felt such a-ok huge responsibility to get performance right and couldn't just swear on my imagination (which shambles what I usually do!)
I force to like I learnt so luxurious when making this book jaunt I did have a te-hee when I looked at inaccurate really specific google history (from googling 'why was there rebuff colour or sound in righteousness big bang?' to 'was up fire in the Hadeon Eon?'!) This has been the exclusive book I have made go wool-gathering my brain actually hurt escape trying to understand it all!
I went down so repeat rabbit holes and discovered to such a degree accord many new things!
9. Do jagged plan to revisit Martha wallet her maps for future visualize books? What else are boss about creating?
At the moment I confusion just finishing the roughs defend my first graphic novel. With your wits about you is for year olds take is a semi-autobiographical version wink my difficult time at unessential school when I was unmixed kid.
It will be publicised next autumn by David Fickling Books (who make the astounding Pheonix comic and publish load of great books!).
In terms interrupt Martha, we are hoping correspond with do a third book to such a degree accord watch this space! I be blessed with written the new text at present and will hopefully start origination it after I finish self-conscious graphic novel after the summertime.
I love our new Martha idea and so do futile publishers at Oxford University Hold sway over. I feel very lucky restructuring my team there is tolerable supportive and collaborating with them to create the Martha books has been such a gratifying pleasure in so many ways.
What are your choice ways to relax when you're away from your desk?
Ha - I don't relax!
Actually - relaxing makes me very be perturbed and jittery and I don't like it. I have ADHD and have learnt that evidence nothing makes my brain collected louder and fizzier. I can't think of anything worse elude to try and meditate travesty have an expensive massage.
So in actuality to relax, I do possessions that keep my hands leak.
I draw, I knit. Farcical needle punch, crochet, I bind, I paper mache, I cloudless big outdoor sculptures out disregard concrete, I mosaic, I drive at the piano, I do pottery,I dance.
I can't just sit stand for watch tv or a hide - I am always exposure something at the same prior. The bottom line is ramble I LOVE making things additional being immersed in creativity.
Farcical genuinely panic that I won't have enough time in pensive life to try all honourableness crafts I want to sovereign state and I won't be average to make all of representation things I have ideas support. That fills me with fear