Mummy and Me Magazine August 2014 September 2014 | Page 34

Early Years

An interview with...

Nick Butterworth...

QPOOTLE 5 - NICK BUTTERWORTH

Where did the
initial inspiration
come from to write
children’s books?

In 1980, I decided to
concentrate on illustration
rather than graphic design.
Being a new dad
helped me to become
reacquainted with children’s books and I
wondered if there might be an opportunity there
for me. It soon became clear that if you want to
control what you illustrate, you have to come up
with the stories, too! I very quickly took to this
new role as writer and illustrator and have been
enjoying it for more than thirty years. It’s much
better than doing a proper job!
Did your children have any influence on
your characters and their stories?
I don’t think Ben or my daughter Amanda
influenced my work directly. But by just being the
children they were, lively, full of questions, full of
fun, they kept me inspired. I used to make up
stories for them, in which they were the heroes.
They liked those and would contribute ideas as
we went along. I think the only one of those ‘make
up’ stories that made it into print, was Amanda’s
Butterfly. (And in Q Pootle 5, it was Amanda’s
idea that he should fix his new rocket booster onto
his spaceship with Sellotape. But then she was
eighteen at the time!)
Having said that, Ben, as an adult
and now business partner,
has contributed enormously
to the development of
characters and stories
for the Q Pootle 5
animated series.
You have written many
successful books with

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characters we have all fallen in love with from
Percy The Park Keeper and Tiger through
to the Q Pootle 5 series now animated for
CBeebies. Who is your favourite character
and why?
Impossible! You might as well ask a mum which
one of her children is her favourite! I have to say
that, working closely with Q Pootle 5 for the last
six years, I have grown in my admiration for the
little chap. He’s not a super-hero kind of leader,
but his friends look up to him because he’s always
there for them. He can get things wrong but he’s
kind and fun and he takes responsibility without
expecting a big pat on the back for it. Percy the
Park Keeper is very similar.

I do have a great soft spot for old Percy, because
he so reminds me of my grandpa. These days
people say they think Percy is like me! Well, as
I’m now a grandpa myself, I’ll take that as a great
compliment.
Your career to date has been quite diverse
from illustration and writing a regular
children’s feature for the Sunday Express, to
speaking at schools and book festivals,  and
most recently forming ‘Snapper Productions’
with your wife and son enabling the creation
of animation of Q Pootle 5. What area of
work do you like best?
It’s hard to say what I like most. I love writing
– creating something out of nothing. I love
illustration too, especially the initial drawing
when you first discover what a character looks
like. These are solitary occupations and working
alone is not my favourite aspect of book work. I
have really enjoyed working with my wife and son
and all the other very talented people who have
been involved in the animation process – actors,
writers, sound engineers, musicians and of course
a great team of animators.

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