Frances Tosdevin studied Archaeology, Anthropology and Classics at Cambridge, so she has a certain fondness for old things, and when she was little, she longed to own a real dinosaur.  She has been shortlisted five times in picture book competitions, and in 2022, she was thrilled to win the Crystal Kite Award for her debut picture book. Frances lives in Bedfordshire, and enjoys nature, theatre and gardening, as well as spending time with her growing family of grandchildren.

1) What inspired The Really Beautiful Thing?

Well, there is an actual origin story for this book! Some years ago, I was watching the news on television, when an item came on that caught my interest. The news reader said that a very famous pop star had announced that she was going to sell her engagement ring. I immediately thought, “Oh! I bet that’s a really beautiful ring!” Then a silly thought popped into my head, which was, “I wonder if I could afford to buy it?!” Then another thought, “Er, probably not! But what if I was prepared to sell EVERYTHING I own—including my house? In theory, could I afford it then?” I was curious as to whether an ordinary person would ever be able to buy something like that— and at what personal cost to themselves, if they did. As soon as these thoughts had crowded into my brain in a rush, I realised that—whilst I would never do anything quite as reckless myself—I had at least gained a good idea for a new picture book about consumerism: The Really Beautiful Ring. Hang on, though, rings aren’t exactly relatable to most picture book age children! But luckily, it was an easy and instant switch for me to change the item that Squirrel covets to a mysterious, magical and alluring THING, and the concept for The Really Beautiful Thing was born— all within a minute or so of seeing that news item. So, it really does prove that story ideas can come from anywhere. This is something I tell children at events— that ideas can pop into your head at anytime— you just have to listen to them and let them in!

Miraculously, Ali’s vision for what The Really Beautiful Thing itself looks like was pretty much EXACTLY what was inside my head, and it was SO exciting when I first saw her art samples for it!

2) If readers take one thing from this book what do you hope that is?

I would love it if readers came away from the story with an intention to think carefully about whether something is really worth buying, or not. Asking themselves, “Why do I want this?” is a good place to start, and also, “Will it make me happy? If so, why, and for how long?” And finally, “Is it the best use of my money?” I’ve found that when children have a limited amount of, for example, pocket money to spend, they do get much better at weighing up the value of things— and perhaps they make better choices as a result.

3) Can you share with us something really beautiful that does not cost very much at all?

Oh, there’s SO much that doesn’t cost anything at all! Nature is my go-to feel-good option for beautiful things that are always free… you just have to notice them! I get endless joy from seeing spider webs glistening after rain, watching snails slithering purposefully up plants, and I love gazing in awe at a vast expanse of starry sky. Our planet is crammed full of beauty, and it’s so uplifting for us to stop sometimes and just observe it all in wonder. And of course, spending time with our family and friends is the most precious thing of all — and this doesn’t need to cost a thing.

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Ali Pye studied fashion at Central St Martins, then worked in advertising. But it was her dream to be an illustrator, so she enrolled on the MA in illustration at Kingston University – which was one of the best things she’d ever done.  Since graduating in 2010 she’s illustrated stories for Campbell Books, Egmont, HarperCollins, Nosy Crow, Orchard Books, Orion, Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House, Stripes, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster and Andersen Press. Her books have been published in many different languages, and borrowed from UK libraries more than 600,000 times! Ali lives and works in London.

1) How did your images for The Really Beautiful Thing change over time (if they did)?

The look of The Really Beautiful Thing came together quickly as I’d already explored the visual elements in personal work that the team at Andersen had seen. Here’s the sample I did before we started the book, compared with the final printed image: you can see the art didn’t change much apart from more colours and detail. So it was a really enjoyable evolution rather than the bucketload of angst that figuring out the right look for a book usually involves!

Early draft

Finished page

2) What mediums do you use for creating illustrations and how do ideas become actual books?

My work is digital but it pulls together elements that I’ve hand drawn. I use lines and textures from graphite pencils and soft pastels, combined with printed textures and digital colour. I have a big Wacom cintiq screen which enables me to draw directly onto the image.

3) Can you share with us something really beautiful that does not cost very much at all?

 I would share this beautiful thing – a mandarin duck! They are such wonderful colours. You could just watch them in the park; even better if the water is sparkling in the sunshine.

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The Really Beautiful Thing publishes in paperback on January 1st!  Many thanks to Frances and Ali for their insight.  Find out more about the book using the link below.