Justin Worsley celebrates laughter and self-belief in Henry the Artistic Dog
About Author
Justin Worsley's debut picture book, Henry the Artistic Dog, brings plenty of giggles for young readers, as well as a unique celebration of art!
Justin Worsley was a toy designer for over 25 years and has now turned his hand to picture book making. He has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art and has since won the Batsford Prize and the Sebastian Walker Prize. Henry: the Artistic Dog is Justin's first picture book.
Justin is originally from Windermere and now lives in Lewes.
Interview
February 2026
Justin Worsley's debut picture book, Henry the Artistic Dog, combines laughter with a gentle message of self-belief. Henry dreams of being a sculptor but struggles to have his work recognised - until a group of tiny bugs give him the confidence to pursue his talent.
The former toy designer spoke with ReadingZone about how he creates his stories, and the importance of stories that make children laugh.
Review: "There were gasps and laughs as I read this, but also good discussion about living things."
Q&A with Justin Worsley introducing Henry the Artistic Dog
"I love to think that my books might make children laugh out loud; I think laughing is the best medicine.
If they also inspire, then that would be wonderful, too"
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of books you create for children? Which picture book creators inspire you?
I'm an author and illustrator based in Lewes near Brighton in the UK. I was very lucky to grow up in the English Lake District surrounded by woods, rivers and lakes and spent most of my childhood playing outside (when it wasn't raining!)
Some of the first picture books I can remember that I loved are the ones by Beatrix Potter such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Mr. Jeremy Fisher and were set in and around the Lake District. The books I like to make are ones that bring a smile or even better, a laugh! I create my illustrations mostly by hand using paint and coloured pencils, as I love the texture and energy these materials provide.
2. What brought you from designing toys to creating picture books, and how has your work in toys helped you in creating stories?
I was a toy designer for over 25 years working for companies all over the world. I developed mainly pre-school toys, the most likely you might recognise in the UK would probably be the 'Happyland' range of playsets for Early Learning Centre.
A few years ago, I decided it was time for a new challenge and to follow one of my dreams and so applied and was accepted onto the MA course in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge school of art. Henry the Artistic Dog was one of the stories I developed whilst studying on the course. Certainly, my experience of designing toys has helped me when it comes to creating appealing characters for my books and the worlds that surround them.
3. Can you tell us about your picture book Henry the Artistic Dog, and what inspired this idea of a dog who wants to be a sculptor?
The main inspiration for the story has to be my dog Percy, he has produced some impressive 'sculptures' in his time! Before I became an author and illustrator, I used to make little stop motion animations for fun using pebbles that I had collected on the beach whilst walking Percy. One of these stop motions involved a French Bull Dog creating a 'sculpture' of the Eiffel Tower that is greatly admired by a group of bugs. When I was studying for my MA and looking for an idea for a story this animation came to mind and Henry developed from there.
4. How do you create your illustrations? We love Henry's expressions - how did his look and character develop? Have any of your own pets helped inspire Henry?
The shape and design for Henry came quite quickly, I can't say exactly where from, probably a mixture of influences stored in the back of my head! The next step is lots of rough sketches to try out different positions and expressions, Henry's expressions are very important as he experiences a full gamut of emotions throughout the story. The final illustrations are created using gouache paint and coloured pencils. I do have a funny old dog called Percy, he inspires and makes me smile every day.
5. Do you think Henry will go on to greater things? Do you have more stories planned for him?
On the final page of the book Henry is dreaming of his work being on display in a modern art gallery and so my proudest moment for Henry so far was when I saw his story on sale in the Tate Modern art gallery book shop! At the moment there are no plans for a sequel but who knows!
6. Are you happy to make children laugh with your stories, or do you want to inspire them, too? What kinds of discussions would you like to come from Henry the Artistic Dog?
I love to think that my books might make children laugh out loud; I think laughing is the best medicine. If they also inspire then that would be wonderful, too, I have always loved drawing and making things but there have often been times when I have felt discouraged or sad because somebody has not liked my work.
The story of Henry hopefully will encourage discussions around the subjective nature of art and how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we all have different ideas about what kind of art we like and that is wonderful!
7. What kinds of things make you laugh in your everyday world?
I am a fan of ridiculous and slap stick humour, often the more unexpected the better. I love stop motion animated films; the Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep stop motion animated films are some of my favourites for making me laugh. Oh, and I love Pingu the penguin!
8. Where do you enjoy writing and illustrating your books? How does your creative process develop?
Mostly I work in my little studio that used to be a spare room in my house, but inspiration can strike anywhere so I try to carry a sketchbook with me everywhere I go. I have piles of them cluttering my studio, full of mainly rough scrappy sketches.
Currently I'm working on a series of books featuring a little boy with a vivid imagination, in the first story he is riding his balance bike through a park so you could say it is directly inspired by one of my favourite activities
9. What about relaxing when you're out of your studio?
I love to cycle and swim outdoors, one of my favourite places for both these activities is where I grew up in the Lake District.
10. Are there any other picture books you'd recommend for children who enjoy Henry the Artistic Dog?
There are so many funny picture books that I love, some of my all-time favourites off the top of my head are Dr Dog by Babette Cole, Burglar Bill by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, I'm coming to get you by Tony Ross and Me and My Cat by Satoshi Kitamura. I don't have many picture books with an artistic theme but a recent one I have read is The Artist by Ed Vere, it's brilliant.
Henry the Artistic Dog
