Lu Fraser explores self-belief in Basil Dreams Big
About Author
In Basil Dreams Big, Basil, a young bat, must find the courage to fly! Author Lu Fraser and illustrator Sarah Warburton tell us more.
Lu Fraser is a hugely exciting voice in children's picture books. She is based in Hampshire, where she lives with her family, and writes in a shed in the garden. The Littlest Yak was her first book for children and won the Sainsbury’s Book Award 2021.
Sarah Warburton illustrates bestselling picture books, such as Timothy Knapman's Dinosaurs in the Supermarket, as well as illustrating fiction, including the Starfell books by Dominique Valente. She lives in Bristol.
Interview
Lu Fraser explores self-belief in Basil Dreams Big (Simon and Schuster Children's Books)
April 2025
Basil, a young bat, isn't sure that he has what it takes to fly, no matter how much his best friend Moth tells him he can. In this story of resilience and courage, we discover how important it is for Basil to believe in himself, before he can fly high!
ReadingZone caught up with author Lu Fraser and illustrator Sarah Warburton - the team behind One Camel Called Doug and Mavis the Bravest - to find out how Basil Dreams Big was created and how to create activities from the story for children at home and in the classroom, including learning about ecosystems and bats.
Review: "A perfect starting point for discussions about resilience, determination and not giving up."
Q&A with Lu Fraser and Sarah Warburton, Introducing Basil Dreams Big
"When it's said with meaning, I think 'I believe in you' is one of the most powerful things you can say
to another human being."
1. Which other picture book creators have inspired you, perhaps with your rhyming verse, Lu, and your illustrative style, Sarah?
Lu: I fell in love with Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton decades ago, and it's still my favorite rhyming picture book of all time - I'm in awe of rhyming picture books that work on more than one level or that are smart and twisty (Charlie Cook's Favorite Book by Julia Donaldson is another clever book that I love!). I'm always inspired by any picture book that has a drum-beat rhythm that you feel through the soles of your feet, too (anything by Dr Seuss and everything by Jeanne Willis!).
Sarah: This is such a hard question. There's so many illustrators and books out there that I find inspiring that don't necessarily influence the look of my work but sometimes spark off my imagination. I'm always adding new artists to my 'admire' list. My favourite overall book is the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel. Not just for the drawings, but the overall feel of the 'quiet' storytelling. It's like having a warm blanket on a rainy day all wrapped up in a book. I also love French illustrator Marc Boutevant. His work can be rather strange and exciting. Often animals are pictured in unusual situations. The book The day no-one was Angry is particularly absorbing!
2. What kinds of stories do you enjoy creating? What other picture books have you created together?
Our first book together saw us tobogganing through the desert in One Camel called Doug, which was followed by a night-time prowl around a farmyard with our lovely chicken Mavis The Bravest. Now, we're off to the jungle with our third book, Basil Dreams Big - it's packed with bats and a brilliant best friend!
Lu: I love creating heroes who feel very real and relatable - heroes who struggle with something, who have worries or who find themselves facing a tricky dilemma. Human beings aren't perfect, and I love showing children the beauty and the strength in that. I always try to write with the reader in mind, too, as well as for the child who is being read to - picture books should be a wholly shared experience so I'm always really conscious of the unique way in which they are delivered.
Sarah: I like stories I can get lost in. I love creating worlds and exploring all the details I can within them. I'm particularly fond of magic but also slightly darker things like friendly ghosts or monsters. For me, the key to a great story is the relationships between the characters. Often the dialogue hooks me in. I also love a story that can make me laugh. If it makes me laugh out loud on my own it's a winner for me. However the stories also have to have a 'heart' that pulls at my heartstrings. It's a tricky combo!
3. What is your new book, Basil Dreams Big, about?
Basil the bat is not having a good day; he's absolutely convinced that he will never, ever learn to fly (there's a lot of DOWN-NESS when he flaps and not much UP-NESS). His best friend, Moth, however, is absolutely sure that Basil can do it - if only he'd believe in himself! Unfortunately for our heroes there's a storm coming and, when Moth gets into trouble, Basil is faced with a dilemma - will he finally believe in himself and fly to her rescue?
This is a tale about self-belief and dreaming BIG dreams but, at its very core, Basil Dreams Big is about the power of four little words - I BELIEVE IN YOU! - and how those words can empower a child (or a grown up!).
4. What inspired this story of resilience and self-belief? Did you enjoy creating it?
Lu: Like so many of the books that I write, they are rooted in something deeply personal. Basil Dreams Big came about as the result of something I used to say to my daughter ("I believe in you!"). When it's said with meaning, I think it's one of the most powerful things you can say to another human being.
I love being a children's writer (and I'm hugely proud of all the books we've made) but, if I'm honest, there are some books (and some characters) that you can't help loving just a little bit more than the others. I have a very soft spot for Basil and Moth - I absolutely loved writing their story!
Sarah: Lu and I sometimes discuss which animals we'd like to explore stories about, so I sometimes have an idea from Lu which animal will land on my desk. However, I'm never completely sure what Lu's given me until I read it and that's so exciting! I have been known to shed a little tear at some lines in Basil. The line that got me was:
'"Flap!" Basil squeaked, but a storm is no place
For a mothling with wings made of moonlight and lace.'
When I read Basil Dreams Big it resonated with me about all the times in my life I've tried and failed a few times but kept going. When I read the Moth character, I just melted. She is what we all deserve in our lives. Someone who just has our back, is there with support and always believes in us, even when we don't believe in ourselves.
5. Why did you decide to make your lead characters a fruit bat and a moth?
Lu: Honestly? This was one of those books where I feel like I had absolutely nothing to do with Basil and Moth being created! A bit like Gertie the Yak, they simply popped into my head, fully formed. It doesn't always happen like this (indeed, Sarah and I have had many chats over our animal character in book 4!) but with Basil and Moth…Ta Da! They arrived and that was that!
I've always been a huge fan of bats and have been lucky enough to travel to see Fruit Bats in the wild many times, so that probably had something to do with it! I talked to Sarah about Basil and Moth and she fell in love with them, too, so…that was that!
6. Can you tell us about your creative processes and how Basil Dreams Big was created? What were the particular challenges and what are you happiest with in how it turned out?
Lu: I never write in a linear (or sensible!) fashion! I start with the lines that mean the most to me…then I might do an action scene…then I'll probably do the end…then I might have a quick look at the start - it all depends on how I'm feeling! At some point I sit back and think ‘I should probably try and stitch this lot together!'. It's random…but it works for me! The hardest thing on Basil was the opening spread. I usually do it last but I attempted this one earlier on and couldn't get it right AT ALL! I'm hugely fussy about the opening spreads and I must have written over 20 versions. I love how it turned out in the end, though! Probably one of my favorite openers that I've written!
Sarah: I always find it hard to fit everything in that I want to include. Also, sometimes I have a great sketch design in mind but can't work it around the text. Sometimes text can be moved a bit but I don't like to that too much as it effects the flow of the story and the lines.
I found it quite hard finding the look of Basil at first but he was easy (shape wise) after that. The hardest with Basil is that he's black in colour. That brings challenges in describing facial expressions (eyebrows, little smiles) because they get lost in the colour. I got around this by including purple and blue tones in his face that taken as a whole end up looking like a black bat.
The hardest spread was the only where all the bats are flying away from the storm. Bats often have colours that shine through their thin wings, and I wanted to incorporate this as it would make the spread much richer. However, there were so many bats! It was hard to remember which wings were which.
7. How did you decide on the look of Basil and Moth? Was it hard to make these creatures look appealing?
Sarah: Yes! Photos of baby fruit bats look absolutely gorgeous, however to translate all the pointy, flappy bits, the weird little nose and the pure black eyes into an appealing baby bat that needs to have hand gestures and facial expressions was hard. I ended having about 100 bat photos on a private Pinterest page. Then I looked at how other illustrators had drawn bats. I ended up looking at old sketches of gargoyles from old Disney concept art. After a few days of absorbing all that I managed to find our Basil.
Moth was easy. Lu had mentioned she had imagined a luna moth which are beautiful and white. A bit of research found that the ones in the rainforest are a lime green colour. A perfect contrast to Basil!
8. Are you more Basil or Moth?
Lu: I'm very MOTH when it comes to dealing with my friends and family, but I'm very BASIL when dealing with myself! Now, whenever I start to say 'I can't!' I think about Basil and stop myself!
Sarah: I'm a huge worrier and I often feel quite fearful. I'm scared of going to high places without secure barriers. So glass barriers, awful. No barriers is unthinkable. I also fear deep water. The bravest thing I ever did was jump into a high waterfall in a Malaysian jungle. I took me a few attempts, but I did it. However, if a loved one had fallen in before me I'd dive straight in! I definitely think I'm a Basil.
9. What kinds of discussions or activities can you suggest to follow on from Basil's adventures?
Basil Dreams Big prompts lots of discussions! From conversations about 'I CAN'T' versus 'I CAN' (and how those phrases make us feel), to looking at how we can support one another with the phrase 'I BELIEVE IN YOU!'. These learnings can be woven into all sorts of early experiences and activities, from the classroom to the playground!
We really hope this tale also sews the understanding that a positive mind-set, coupled with encouragement, can really make a difference (and that having a support-network can help us achieve all sorts of things!). Ultimately, the aim is to arrive at a place where a child will think 'I believe in ME!'.
The book also ends with a 'spring-board' moment, launching a whole new conversation about the future, as well - 'I wonder what wonderful things I CAN do?...'
- Would Basil Dreams Big also support children in learning about bats and moths?
Absolutely! Much like Basil, baby bats can't fly when they are born - it takes lots of flapping and lots of little practice flights, over and over again (with the aid of their Mum) before they ever begin to swoop around properly! In addition, Basil is based on a real bat that lives in Africa and Moth is based on a real moth that lives in Africa, too!
In their part of the world they also have crocodiles, spotty frogs and lots and lots of fireflies - all of which are in our story! And, if you look at Sarah's beautiful illustrations, you'll notice that the trees and plants in the story are not the kind you'd get in England, either! As an added extra, the place where this story is set supposedly gets the highest number of thunderstorms in the whole world - much like Basil and Moth's storm!
10. Are you working on any other books together? Where do you write / illustrate your books, and what are you working on currently?
Yes! In fact, we've already finished our fourth book (out in 2026) and we're about to start on our fifth book (due 2027). We've even agreed the character who is going to be the hero in our 2028 book, too! (book 6!).
Lu: When it comes to the 'business' of being a writer, I do all of that in my lovely shed in the garden - editing, meetings, planning, presentations, online events, etc. When it comes to writing, however, sitting at a desk is a big no-no for me! My best place to write is as far away from my laptop and phone as possible - ideally, sitting in bed, in my pajamas, with a pencil and paper and an endless supply of tea! At the moment, I'm working on my next two books for Simon & Schuster (my fifth book with Sarah Warburton…and my fifth book with Kate Hindley!).
Sarah: I have a garden office, next to a pond. It's often full of frogs. At the moment we have hundreds of tadpoles. I have to be away from the house to work. I find the 'roughs' the hardest part of the book. That is where all the thinking and plotting happens. The images also have to work around the text. No drawings or often dark colours can go behind the text so sometimes it feels like a jigsaw. At roughs' stage I listen to 'ambient' music I find on Youtube. They often have small, animated fantasy scenes accompanying them like 'Tranquil Fairy forest' or 'Magical Forest in the rain'. After the rough sketches all worked out and approved, I feel like the bones of the book is there and I often listen to podcasts or Netflix while working.
Basil Dreams Big: perfect for encouraging resilience & self-belief!
Mavis the Bravest
One Camel Called Doug
