Vasanti Unka
“For me, it’s the essence of a story that appears…
It comes as a whole – and the images and the words are bound together – but I need to craft it into shape. I sketch the story’s imagery as I write the words. When I created The Boring Book, I made lots of tiny little books, a library of sketches, before I sent one to the publisher.
I write, illustrate and design children’s books. By the time one book is out there in the world, I’m deeply involved in the next. But I do get a lot of joy when something I’ve created, from the spark of an idea, has transformed into a book and is making people happy or making them think. I love seeing children enjoy my books. That’s my goal when I’m considering the images and choosing colours. I still get excited when people send me videos of their children and grandchildren reading my work!
When I illustrate books for other authors, I worry, in case the author has a different idea for how the story should look. I illustrated a book written by an author who is also a friend of mine recently, and it took me ages to find the right style. I really wanted to do the story justice. Because she’s a friend, I was able to think of the author, as I illustrated, as if she were in the story, and that seemed to work.
When I’m designing a book written by someone else, I’ll come up with a concept or two (or three) after I’ve received the brief, and we go from there. The editor usually project manages the process and works alongside a few people – so generally there’s some flexibility and we work towards a decision as a group. Cover designs are always challenging. Trying to convey the heart of a book, succinctly, in image and typography while also trying to create something people will want to buy can be a real brain teaser. I was really happy with how the cover for I Am the Universe came so easily. Maybe I was guided by the universe!
I enjoy the whole process of making a book. I think it helps that I work in all three areas. For me, each discipline is equally integral to creating a successful children’s book.
Local children’s publishing is vital. Our tamariki are unique. Books about them, that show their many cultural identities and the world they occupy, are tremendously important. I grew up, as a child of Indian descent in New Zealand and at that time there weren’t many books with people of colour as main characters. It makes me happy to see local publishers creating more and more books that speak to our tamariki’s range of identities and experiences. To see people who look like you, doing things you’ve done, in places you’ve been, in a book, can greatly affect your sense of identity and sense of self.”
Vasanti Unka is an award-winning children’s book author, illustrator and designer.