Meet the O'Hare family in Leaving the House, Sally Nicholls's new picture book series about family life
About Author
Author Sally Nicholls tells ReadingZone how her own family helped inspire her new picture books series about the O'Hare family, in Leaving the House.
Sally Nicholls grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, and a did a degree in Philosophy and Literature at Warwick before travelling the world and then undertaking a masters in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa.
It was here that she wrote her first novel, Ways to Live Forever, which won the Waterstone's Book Prize, and she has been shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Costa Children's Book Award, and the Carnegie Medal, twice. She lives in Liverpool with her husband and two sons.
Interview
July 2026
Sally Nicholls introduces the O'Hares in Leaving the House
Enjoy the chaos of family life with the O'Hare siblings as their parents navigate the morning stresses and strains of leaving the house on time, with two small children. With games to play, breakfast to share and clothes to find, these loveable brothers turn routine into fun and calm into chaos!
ReadingZone caught up with author Sally Nicholls to find out more about the O'Hares and how her own family helped inspire the stories - and what else she has planned for the young O'Hare family.
Find out more about Leaving the House
Q&A with Sally Nicolls: Creating the O'Hare family in Leaving the House
"I've really enjoyed leaning into the more chaotic moments of raising two lively children, and it's very affirming
to hear other parents recognise themselves in the chaos too!"
1. Hello Sally, thank you for joining ReadingZone to talk about your new picture book, Leaving the House. Can you tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of stories you enjoy creating for younger children?
Hi, I'm Sally and I live in Liverpool with my husband and two sons, who are ten and eight. I've written around thirty books for children of all ages (some will be published later this year). I currently have seven picture books in print and they're all very different - from silly interactive books for babies to narrative non-fiction and fairytale retellings.
Leaving the House is probably the closest I've come to a traditional picture book story. I find writing a first draft of a picture book fairly easy but getting it perfect is very hard! And every time I read my books aloud, I notice things I wish I'd done differently.
2. This story is about a family 'leaving the house' (or trying to!) and it gives a warm and recognisable snapshot of family life. Did your own family help inspire it? Are there details from your own family life in the story?
Oh yes, definitely! My kids are older now and mornings are much calmer since my husband took over, but when I wrote the book, we were right in the thick of lost shoes and dirty jumpers and kids getting distracted by games.
3. We loved meeting the O'Hare family, but why did you decide to feature a rabbit family, rather than a human family? Do you feel that animals have more appeal to young children?
That was actually my publisher's decision. I pictured human children when I wrote the text - but one of the joys of being a picture book author is seeing your ideas transformed by the illustrator and art director.
4. The picture book is written from the youngest rabbit's perspective, Harley. Why did you decide to do this and what do you feel it brings to the picture book?
I feel like the default relationship for this age group is often child and younger sibling. It's Peppa Pig not George, Bluey not Bingo, Alfie not Annie Rose, Horrid Henry not Perfect Peter. Charlie narrates the Charlie and Lola books even though the story often concentrates on Lola. I thought it would be nice to make the younger child the narrator for once. It's also why this family is two boys - not just because I have two boys but because I felt like boy/girl pairs are often the default option.
5. Harley and Jackson have a lovely relationship. Do you think it's important for siblings to be portrayed as friends? What are your favourite things about Harley and Jackson? Did you enjoy creating them?
Interestingly, there's some research that says books where the 'message' is that siblings are worth getting on with actually have the opposite effect. If a book spends 10 pages showing a rocky relationship only to resolve everything on the last two pages, what the child learns is that you're supposed to hate your sibling. Books which show a positive sibling relationship as the norm have a much greater effect.
I think as parents, it's tempting to downplay the chaos. I'm certainly very careful about how I talk about my children online, for example. I've really enjoyed leaning into the more chaotic moments of raising two lively children, and it's very affirming to hear other parents recognise themselves in the chaos too. Being able to be honest about some of the trickier moments of parenting without feeling like I'm badmouthing my kids has been very cathartic.
6. There are lots of funny moments through the picture book, too, especially the harassed parents and the lovely illustrations by Ellie Snowdon - what made you laugh the most?
I love the scene with Harley pouring breakfast cereal all over the table. Sadly, that is still a semi-regular occurrence in my house ...
7. Do you have more picture books planned about this young family? What are you writing currently?
I do! Ellie is currently working on the illustrations for Doing the Shopping which publishes in 2027. I'm in the middle of finishing up copyedits for my next YA novel at the moment, then I'm getting to work on Going Camping. My kids are very invested in this one and have loads of ideas for things that could go wrong. They love the series, which is really lovely.
8. What is most likely to make you and your family late in leaving the house - and what are your favourite things to do with your family - once you've managed to do so?!
At this stage in life, it's probably a child losing something (glasses, bike helmet, shoes ...) or getting distracted by reading a book instead of getting dressed. My eldest starts secondary school next year though, and is going to have to leave 20 minutes earlier every day, so that's going to be fun!
My husband and I still read to both our boys every night, which is one of the highlights of my day. I'm currently reading Redwall to my 8-year-old and Project Hail Mary to my nearly-eleven-year-old. We're also a big board game family, and my youngest still loves a trip to the park.
Leaving the House
