Throughout the whole story, there was an authentic sense of someone knowing and celebrating Mexican culture and the vernacular. You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. Mat: I got the feeling, when reading through the book, that the whole cast of Gustavo had a special place in both the story and in your heart.

I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! Flavia: Hmmm, this is an interesting question… I am a fan of Bosch and Pieter Brueghel who are known by painting incredibly detailed scene, but also some Mexican folk art tends to have lots of details and colour, I guess I must have picked up something from them!Can you share with us a little about the collaborative work with the designers and editor at Walker and what this entailed?

When that didn’t happen, she began her career as a graphic designer and a children’s book illustrator. The Klaus Flugge Prize is funded personally by Klaus Flugge and run independently of Andersen Press. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. By the way, Candlewick Press (English) edition features Gustavo hiding in the shape of a book under the dust jacket.Can you share with us a little about them, from their initial concepts to their completed design and, perhaps, a little of their origins? There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. Mat: Are there are any contemporary artists/illustrators whose work you admire so much that you think everyone should encounter them? As I slowly learned, I realised that you can do wonders with a limited palette because it gives coherence to the illustrations, creates atmospheres, catches the eye, and also, colour conveys meaning, so it’s one of the most valuable tools to master. We’ve had this book for a couple weeks now, and last night he was telling me (as we had a conversation during potty time lol) that Gustavo was “scared of the kids…no, not the kids.

I did another experiment trying to mix both worlds and it turned out that the muted tones worked very well with the bright pink and orange. When I was a child, I remember that some people didn’t like the idea of mixing Day of the Dead and Halloween, however, I have to say that I loved and cherished them both because they mean different things. I’ve been seeing this book on Pinterest/ig influencers’ photos of their kids’ seasonal bookshelves and I wasn’t sure about it—I am very picky about what messages I am representing to my toddler through books, and like them to have nice illustrations as well. A great story about making friends by being yourself and the illustrations are a constant visual delight.This experience has been fantastic primarily for the children, the school and also for me (professionally). Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark.