The Grotlyn

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Together you could pretend to be some of the people who saw the Grotlyn talking about what they saw or heard using words from the story or making up some of your own. Children could pretend to be a Grotlyn ( or monkey!) creeping through a house and stealing things for their escape plan. Create a dark den, for example with a blanket covering a table children can create a camp inside and play with a torch. Draw an escape plan Watch this trailer for the book. Could you make your own book trailer using Powerpoint or animation software?​ A stunningly illustrated picture book full of mystery and suspense, from the bestselling author of THE STORM WHALE and GRANDAD’S ISLAND.”

The best thing to do is keep looking and listening all the time and when something interesting catches your attention, something that fires up your imagination, or pleases your eye, you must be ready to jot down a few notes or make a sketch. You need to develop not so much a style, but an approach that is uniquely yours. Try different tools, let your own ‘handwriting’ develop in your work. You can be influenced by other artists but it’s important to take these influences and then look deeper and make your work your own. Otherwise, you will only ever be a paler version of the work you love.The illustrations in this story use very dark shades of colour. Can you create your own pictures using dark colours? No, never. Some people swear by that method but for me knowing what the children reading my books will respond to, I see that as my job to work out. I was a child once (you may or may not believe!) and so I'm hoping that when I make a new book I am reflecting my own experience of childhood and how I remember feeling and reacting to the world around me. The stories you write and illustrate are also available as animated trailers. Do you have any plans to further build on this, creating full-blown short films? The notes just fix an idea in my head – they are visual, so it's a picture in my head first of all. Whether I make a note of this as text or a drawing is not important. Describe the process from idea to concept to finished product Benji Davies (The Storm Whale and Grandad's Island) is fast establishing himself as a leading light in children's picture books - Huffington Post All in all, a wonderful book by Benji Davies. And I would highly recommend this book to everyone young and old!

By this time next year I will have finished writing and illustrating two more picture books. I can’t say what they’re about – that would be telling. I have been interested in writing and drawing since I was very young. I spent several years working as an animation director and then realised that all the things I loved about that – coming up with characters and settings, making them feel like they are living and breathing, telling their stories – could also be done by writing and illustrating children's books. Dare we ask if you have a favourite book from your childhood? A gently magical story about bidding farewell to a grandparent, Davies vibrant palette infuses the story with a hopeful spirit - Huffington Post

A gently magical story about bidding farewell to a grandparent, Davies’ vibrant palette infuses the story with a hopeful spirit” – Huffington Post One part of the story says, ‘For things are not quite what they seem’. What does this mean? Could you use this idea in your own writing? Like anything, you only get better through practice. I believe there is no such thing as pure talent. You might have an affinity, a seed, an interest in the visual, but you need to build on that. If you couldn’t play the piano, first go, without lessons, would you need more practice to become a concert pianist? My advice would be to draw, draw and draw some more. The story shows images of what may take place in the streets at dark, and throughout the story, small pictures of the Grotyln are shown, which can allow young readers to guess what the Grotyln may look like and what it animal it could be. In the story, the Grotyln takes objects, food and clothing from characters, and this can also give a clue to young readers on who the Grotyln could be. It can support the reader's memory of the different characters from the book and the items stolen from each character, such as the little boys' toolset.

Like the best picture books, The Storm Whale has an outsize emotional force that often comes from what the author-illustrator Benji Davies leaves out - New York Times Benji Davies (The Storm Whale and Grandad’s Island) is fast establishing himself as a leading light in children’s picture books” – Huffington Post Elena tells us about sharing The Grotlyn with her daughter Leila. She said the detailed illustrations in led to lots of talk, speculation and interest in finding out more. I find that inspiration is anywhere and everywhere, you just need to be looking out for it. Ideas for my stories strike when I'm least expecting, like when I'm not actually trying to work – on holiday, while walking, travelling... so you have to have your wits about you.

By Author / Illustrator

How does a hot air balloon work? Describe the forces taking place when a hot air balloon is in flight.​ One of my favourites was Frog And Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel. It’s the ongoing story of a beautiful and life-affirming friendship. When you read your own stories to children, how do you tell them? The story is essentially about flipping the darkness on its head, the characters finding out that these mysterious goings-on are not what they seem, that they have a playful, hopeful outcome. I knew pretty much right from the bat who the Grotlyn was. There were a lot of hints available, not to mention that at times you could see most of the mysterious creatures. Still, I had a ton of fun seeing what the mysterious creature was up.

It's a name that I made up. It just popped into my head one day when I was thinking about this creature who slipped out of the shadows in a grimy Victorian setting. 'The Grotlyn' just seemed to fit. I suppose deconstructed it is a kind of portmanteau of grotty or grotesque and gremlin or goblin. It borrows the sounds from these words and mixes up their meanings to create something new. The book follows your success with The Storm Whale and Grandad's Island. You write such lovely stories. Where do you get your ideas from? The Grotlyn is a mystery told through the eyes of the children who live in a dusty old city. Things go missing – an oil lamp, a toolbox, some silk handkerchiefs – but nobody knows who or what has taken them. When reading this book, there is a lot of rhyme and rhythm within the written text which captures the readers' attention and allows the reader to change tones in their voice and bring the book to life. The illustrations are clear, which can help children describe what is taking place in the book, supporting those who are visual learners to clarify the picture and bring their meaning. Silhouettes are also used frequently in the illustrations. Can you draw your own silhouette pictures?Leila noticed the organ grinder in the clip did not have a monkey. ‘Maybe it’s not kind? The monkey must miss his family because he should be in the jungle’ I think that I go into a kind of storytelling mode. I don’t have a big booming delivery, and I don’t see it as a performance. Hopefully the children get drawn into the imagery and I guide them through the story with the words. Is there a dream narrator you'd love to work with? Children could imagine they are the monkey and plot their escape, what will they need? What will they build? Draw a diagram like the monkey’s picture and add notes to it. Be a news reporter