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Jan Fearnley

Jan Fearnley

Biography

Jan Fearnley was born in South Shields where she spent most of her time creating her own characters with a packet of felt tips and a sketchbook. She completed a degree in graphic design at Newcastle University and went on to study on a teacher-training course. After her training Jan moved to London and worked at a primary school during which time she began to firmly believe that the skill of reading was the best gift you can give a child. Following on from her time as a teacher Jan worked part-time on an inner-city literary project. Her first picture book was Little Robin Red Breast and since then she has written several other books including Mr Wolf's Pancakes which was chosen as The Guardian's Book of the Week and Mr Wolf and the Three Bears which won the AOI Gold Award in 2002.

Website

Questions & Answers

How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Red House Children's Book Award?
Very lucky and excited. It's great to have my work noticed!
How would you describe The Baby Dragon-Tamer in five words?
Good. Funny. Moving. Understated. Rude!
Which came first - the illustrations or the story?
I was messing about, drawing in my sketchbook and for no reason in particular I drew a dragon flying through the sky. Then, for no good reason, I added a baby sitting on his back. This image made me wonder how on earth a little tiny baby would be involved with a huge scary dragon, and as I pondered this, the story popped into my head. I hope that doesn't sound too crazy!
What is your favourite part about creating picture books for children?
Losing myself in another world and sharing, reading stories and drawing with children. Last week I was visiting a school and I had everybody drawing - it was great!
What is your favourite children's book?
Busy, Busy World by Richard Scarry.
Where is your favourite place in the world?
Trow Rocks in South Shields. Loads of memories there.
What's your favourite joke?
What's the difference between a stoat and a weasel?
A weasel is weasley recognised, whereas a stoat's totally different!
What makes you laugh?
My friends. The Producers. The poker scene in The Odd Couple. Well-written comedy. The Good Life. Dave Allen. Dogs. 'You've Been Framed' is my guilty pleasure...
If you had any super power, what would it be?
I would be able to speak any language in the world.
Who is your hero?
What a question! I have a quite a few heroes because generally, people are good. I guess my ultimate hero is my dad. He's sadly no longer with us, and I miss him every day. He was clever and funny and brave and full of integrity. He stood up for others and for his beliefs. He was once logged for mutiny when he was chief engineer on a terrible ship during the Arctic Convoys in WWII. He grumbled about the toilet paper! He was very, very poorly for a long time before he died but he never complained. Whenever I'm in a tough situation, I always take a moment to reflect about what my dad would think. I'd like to think he'd be proud of how I act.

I have some other favourites: My hubby, for all sorts of reasons I'm not going to mention here, and people who stand up for what they believe in - Claudette Colvin (who was only 15 when she refused to give up her seat on the segregated bus), Mary Seacole, who is never mentioned as much as Florence Nightingale, Gandhi ("The greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its animals"), who made me want to go veggie, and anyone I meet who makes me want to be a better person...

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