New student Winnie has sensory processing challenges, but her wonderful teacher knows just how to make sure she’s a welcome part of the class.

     Winnie is the new kid at school, and sometimes she acts kind of wild. Her teacher says to her classmates, “Maybe Winnie feels the world differently than most of us. Why don’t we give her world a try?” So that week, when Winnie can’t stop monkeying around, the class joins her on the jungle gym. And when she’s acting squirrelly, they all go nuts on an obstacle course. When Winnie is being a bit of a bear, the whole class burrows into a cozy den for storytime. Soon, with the guidance of their loving teacher, Winnie’s classmates realize that sometimes we all feel the world differently, and that’s more than okay.

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

Laura: My son, to whom I dedicated the book. The world has always been a lot for him, and when he was little he would get easily overwhelmed. And when he got overwhelmed, he melted down, which was scary to other kids.. 

We learned so much from his teachers and therapists, who showed us calming techniques to recenter him in his body. And I thought\: What if we taught these techniques to kids directly? And to their parents and teachers?

Jenny: I fell in love with this project immediately! My agent passed on the text and said YOU HAVE TO DO THIS! Hahaha. She was right! 

My favourite part of illustrating this text was coming up with the different scenarios. The text is very open and I had a lot of freedom to be creative with the illustrations.

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

Jenny: Oh, I love them all! I actually named all of them. I’ve attached an overview! My favourite is Nenet. He’s so kind and gentle!

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

Jenny: I’ll leave this to Laura 🙂

Laura: Hmm good question!

The original title and concept was Mabel the Monster–after I heard a fellow mom describe a classroom’s “wild child” in this way. But the monster analogy just felt . . . well, awful. Shifting to the world of animals opened up the book, allowing us to play with idioms and illustrate Mabel’s shadow animal friends. It also allowed us to question the language of being wild–and show how the classroom could become “wild” for Winnie.

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

Laura: Jenny Lovlie–and wonderful illustrator and, as her name would suggest, a lovely human being–had the idea to bring the animal metaphors to life in each scene. I love seeing Winnie cheered on by a squirrel family or huddled with a bear. And I love that the other kids seem to see the animals too.

YABC:  Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as an illustrator from then to now?

Jenny: Don’t compare your work, style or success to others. If you create something you love, it will shine through and the right people will find you!

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

Jenny: I like that it’s such a friendly cover. They’re all taking care of eachother! 

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2022?

Jenny: Natalie Haynes’  ‘Stone Blind, Medusa’s Story’

YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?

Jenny: I’ve just finished Jennifer Saint’s ‘Ariadne’ Absolutely beautiful!

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

Laura: My first two books were art history mysteries for kids: Under the Egg and The Gallery. Now I’m in the middle of my first art-inspired novel for adults. Think Girl with a Pearl Earring meets A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Jenny: I’m working on some really lovely books at the moment, but I can’t say much about them yet! 

Next up for publication after Wild For Winnie will be ‘Princesses Break Free’ Written by Timothy Knapman and published by Walker Books out in July and then ‘All the Animals Were Sleeping’ the companion book to ‘Time to Move South for Winter’ written by Clare Helen Welsh, published by Nosy Crow. Out in August. Lots of exciting things to look forward to!

YABC:   Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate? 

Laura: There’s a scene right at the beginning where Winnie is howling, kicking, even biting another kid. There was a lot of debate around whether she might be too wild. But it was important to me that she be legtimately annoying to other kids. Because kids like Winnie howl, kick, and even bite, and other kids are bothered by it. Not surprisingly, they move away from kids like Winnie, and those kids start to get pushed to the margins. So it was important to me to show Winnie being her wildest self–and then showing how everyone could accept her and integrate her into the community.

Jenny: I can’t pinpoint one scene in particular, but for me it was finding the right balance of conflict and light heartedness in the illustrations. I wanted to show Winnie struggling a bit to fit in, but was weary of making her seem naughty or difficult. Working with Lauri, my editor and Mina the designer was such a lovely experience and they guided me in the process. It takes a village to make a book!

YABC:    Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?

Jenny: As an illustrator it can be challenging designing the characters for a story! The last character to give me real gyp was Aunt Augusta in ‘A Dress With Pockets’ She kept hiding from me, insisting upon looking like Iris Apfel despite me telling her that she most certainly WASN’T Iris Apfel. We worked it out in the end! Haha

YABC:    What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?

Laura: I’d like kids to know that there are ways to calm and connect with kids who seem different, unruly, “wild”. And I’d like parents and teachers to be able to help all kids–because every kid has a wild day now and then.

Jenny: Be kind to the people around you and take good care to listen and try to understand them.

YABC:      What would you say is your superpower?

Laura: My ability to not hit snooze on my 5:30 a.m. alarm! I work full-time and have a family, so this is the only time I can write. As it turns out, it’s my favorite time of the day: just me, a cup of a coffee, a silent house, and my imagination. 

Jenny: I’m a great cook!

YABC:     Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

Jenny: Refuge, a charity here in the UK helping women and children to escape domestic abuse.

YABC:   What advice do you have for new writers?  

Laura:Just write. And revise. When your first work is out on submission, write something new. Revise it. Repeat. 

YABC:   What advice do you have for new illustrators? 

Jenny: Work hard, be nice to people and make illustrations that you love!

YABC:   Is there anything that you would like to add?

Laura: Wild for Winnie isn’t just for kids. The last pages include exercises for parents and teachers to try out with their own kids on antsy, squirrelly, and bearish days. They’re fun but do wonders to calm the nervous system. 

Jenny: Working on ‘Wild for Winnie’ with Laura, Lauri, Mina and the rest of the team at Dial has been such a privilege.  It’s such an important message and I’m so glad to have had the honour to illustrate it! Hope it brings a lot of joy to the people who read it!