Matt Robertson
About Author
Matt Robertson grew up in Suffolk, and spent most of his childhood drawing and creating characters. He completed his MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in 2014, receiving a Distinction for his work.
Matt was the winner of a Lara Jones Award and received second prize in the Macmillan Children's Book Prize. His first picture book, Super Stan, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Picture Book Prize and was the winner of the 2017 Dundee Picture Book Award.
Matt lives with his wife and two naughty cats in Norwich.
Interview
DO YOU LOVE BUGS
BLOOMSBURY CHILDREN'S BOOKS
MAY 2020
DO YOU LOVE BUGS is a fabulous picture book to share with young children aged 5+ before or after a walk through nature or a mini-beast hunt!
With colourful spreads dedicated to particular kinds of bugs - from spiders and grasshoppers to snails and butterflies - this picture book gives a lively and informative introduction to the wildlife we can find in our gardens.
We asked author and illustrator MATT ROBERTSON to tell us more about DO YOU LOVE BUGS:
Q: What kinds of books do you enjoy writing and illustrating?
A: I love writing stories that make people look at the world in a different way and I always try to put a little bit of humour in there too.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your new picture book, Do You Love Bugs, and why you decided to create it?
A: Do You Love Bugs is my first non-fiction picture book and is full of amazing BUG facts. I wanted to create this book to show off these incredible creatures but I also wanted to create a fun, entertaining book for children to cherish for years to come.
I wanted to create a book that combined elements of a picture book and a factual book so that children of all ages can enjoy.
Q: What did you think of bugs as a child?
A: When I was a child I loved watching bugs go about their daily activities in my family's back garden and was fascinated by the little worlds they inhabit.
Q: Why are bugs awesome?
A: Bugs come in all sorts of strange shapes and sizes and are extremely important at keeping a balance in our food chain. Without bugs there would be no food on our tables.
Q: Where did you go to research bugs, and to check what your bugs should look like?
A: I did the majority of my research in the library and some online, including watching nature documentaries. Although my bugs aren't totally life-like I did have to look carefully at how their bodies looked and which colours to paint them as some have beautiful markings.
Q: Any favourite bug facts?
A: Here are two; If you weighed all the ants in the world they would out-weigh all the humans! Also, did you know that some butterflies that live in the jungle smell like cake! CRAZY!!
Q: There's a lot of information in the book - how did you decide what to include, and what to leave out?
A: After I completed my research I spent a long time with the publisher double checking that each fact was correct. Then it was a case of seeing which facts would work best illustrated.
Q: Any suggestions for how families and teachers might want to use Do You Love Bugs?
A: The best way to use the book would be to go on your own bug hunt whether in the garden or in the woods and try to identify some of the bugs you come across.
For Schools, children could produce fact files on bugs they find and maybe produce a series of Top Trump cards examining the attributes of each bug.
Q: You can tell us.... are you secretly scared of spiders / worms / grasshoppers?
A: I'm a little scared of big spiders. Little ones are fine but if I came across a Goliath Bird Eating spider I might shriek!
Q: How did you create the illustrations for the book? Is it hard drawing bugs?
A: All the bugs in this book are painted using gouache paint with a little colour pencil. Once the painting is ready I scan it into my computer where I make changes to the pictures and colours. Some bugs were tricky to draw so I had to do lots of practice before.
Q: Do you have a favourite spread? Or bug?
A: My favourite spread in this book must be the Worms. I really like how the browns and the pinks work on this spread. I don't really have a favourite bug as I think they ALL have their own special attributes.
Q: Where do you write and illustrate your books? What are you working on now?
A: I create all my books in my studio (spare bedroom) at my home in Norwich where I live with my Wife Amy and my cat, Charlie. I'm currently working on my next picture book and a follow up to DO YOU LOVE BUGS? called DO YOU LOVE DINOSAURS? which will both be published next year.
Q: What's your favourite outdoor activity?
A: Apart from going on bug hunts, I love going on long country walks and I try and go running a few times a week.
Do You Love Bugs?: The creepiest, crawliest book in the world
