Ruby Amy Thompson introduces her picture book, Rock and Roll
About Author
Author and illustrator Ruby Amy Thompson's debut picture book, Rock and Roll, introduces two characters who, at first, seem very different. We asked Ruby to tell us more about them
Before starting to illustrate and write picture books, Amy spent nearly a decade working in entertainment and comedy television, most recently assistant producing BBC's The One Show. She left to do an MA in Illustration at Falmouth University. She loves to use bright colours, unexpected protagonists, and the occasional pun in her work.
She lives in Hackney, East London, with her fiancé.
Interview
February 2026
Meet two new and very different picture book characters, Rock and Roll (Little Tiger)
Rock and Roll appear to be very different. Rock is strong, Roll is soft. Rock hates attention. Roll loves it. But if you look a little more closely, maybe they're not so different after all!
Author and illustrator Ruby Amy Thompson introduces her debut picture book, Rock and Roll, exploring the differences, and similarities, between these two very good friends.
Review: "Rock and Roll is a delightful book, showing that whilst people might be different, they can still have so much in common!"
Q&A with Ruby Amy Thompson, introducing Rock and Roll
"It is impossible to sum people up with just a few words; there is so much more complexity to everyone
than we initially think when we meet them."
1. Thank you for joining us on ReadingZone to tell us about your picture book, Rock and Roll. Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and what brought you into writing for children?
Thanks so much to ReadingZone for having me! I'm an author and illustrator who grew up, and still lives, in Hackney, East London. I was brought up by a jazz musician and a drama teacher, and creativity was always very present in my house. My mum would make up a different story for me each day on the way to school and I'd often spend afternoons at my other mum's band practices.
I started working in television almost as soon as I left University, first as a runner, laying out pastries on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, and later as an assistant producer for BBC's The One Show. I'm very grateful for my time working in TV, because no two weeks were ever the same! Gaining the ability to condense a big chunk of information into something bitesize and snappy for television was very helpful for when I made the transition into children's writing. During my career I also constantly had to think of puns and word-based humour, which is sort of the backbone of Rock and Roll.
I think writing is always something I've done, but it wasn't until I quit working in TV and began an Illustration MA at Falmouth University that I realised my passion was to make picture books for young children.
2. So what is your debut picture book, Rock and Roll, about?
Despite most people probably associating the phrase 'Rock and Roll' with music, this book is much sillier than that: it is about an actual rock and a bread roll, and their friendship! The pair are really different (and if you have ever come across a rock and a roll you will know that you shouldn't mix them up!). However, just when the reader thinks that there is little that they have in common, the narrative switches perspective and highlights all their similarities instead.
Despite its focus on two inanimate objects, the book is, of course, about people at its heart. It's about how differences don't have to separate us and how common ground can always be found if we are willing to look for it.
3. What inspired you to bring together a rock and a roll in a story? Was it challenging creating such a simple text with some quite complex ideas?
I started writing Rock and Roll whilst on holiday in Greece three years ago. I truly believe we can find inspiration for stories anywhere, and the character Rock sprang into my head whilst walking on the beach. I decided Rock would need a buddy, but who or what would be friends with a rock?
During my time in TV, I learnt that often a fun idea can start with a fun title. I soon became hooked on the concept of a book about a rock and a bread roll, which I would of course have to call, 'Rock and Roll'. The text was tweaked over the years, and new pages were added once I started working with my wonderful publisher, Little Tiger. However, the first three spreads have remained the exact same since that day on the beach!
The simplicity of the text is something I initially worried about - was there enough of a storyline? However, the early responses to the book were positive, and what I love about picture books is that they can be flexible - a little goes a long way!
4. What kinds of discussions would you like Rock and Roll to encourage among young children. Can you suggest any follow-up activities, to take the story further?
What I hope people take away from Rock and Roll is that it is impossible to sum people up with just a few words, and that there is so much more complexity to everyone than we initially think when we meet them.
I also think Rock and Roll can encourage children to re-evaluate what they think a character has to be - because there are no rules! Characters can be found everywhere, and stories can take us anywhere.
A great exercise for kids after reading Rock and Roll would be to make their own iconic duo and think about what connects them. They could do this with different objects (like Rock and Roll) or make characters from their favourite animals, people, fantasy creatures – absolutely anything! Some families have started doing this online and I saw an amazing creation involving a potato and a pinecone. I wish I'd thought of that one!
5. Would you describe yourself as like Rock, or Roll, or a little bit of both?
I think I unintentionally based some of Rock's and Roll's characteristics on mine and my fiancée's. I naturally lean more towards being like Roll, with my high energy and slightly extroverted personality, whereas she is more like Rock - strong on the exterior and happier without much attention, but with a soft side underneath and a big heart!
6. There's some lovely wordplay and humour in the pages - any favourites?
I am really proud of the section in the book where the words 'soft' and 'strong' are used with new meanings; initially they refer to physical attributes, and then they refer to Rock and Roll's emotions. I also love the pages featuring a volcano and a bag of flour when describing where Rock and Roll come from. Hopefully this is a good reminder to children that friends can have very different upbringings and still be excellent mates. I'm really pleased the mould and moss pages stayed in too - arguably one of the wackier comparisons in there!
7. Did you also illustrate Rock and Roll? Where did you train, and how do you create your images?
I didn't study art until my early 30s, opting to take 'Food Education' instead of Art as a GSCE, which I regretted terribly! After doodling a bit in my spare time, I enrolled in Curtis Brown's Writing and Illustrating a Children's Book course to test out if the area interested me. I adored making a picture book from start to finish! It was then that I decided to quit my career and study MA Illustration at Falmouth University. I left Falmouth with three picture book dummies, one of which was Rock and Roll!
I mostly create illustrations on my iPad in Procreate, partly as I don't have a studio or big workspace and share a desk with my partner. The style of Rock and Roll is informed by trying to create digital illustrations that have a feel of being analogue - particularly by mimicking crayons, colouring pencils and gouache paint.
8. Will there be more Rock and Roll stories, or are you working with different characters? What are you working on currently?
Very excitingly, I am working on a follow-up to Rock and Roll with Little Tiger, in which a third character throws a bit of a curveball into their dynamic! It's been really rewarding expanding their world and explore how friendships shift and change in response to new energy. Otherwise, I have been developing a counting book for young kids, with a bit of a twist, that uses the double meaning of words to shape the narrative, much like Rock and Roll.
9. Who are your favourite picture book creators - do any other authors or artists help inspire you?
Absolutely! I don't think I'd be where I am without the work of author-illustrators like Jon Klassen or Carson Ellis. Their beautiful, unique and witty stories (such as the 'Hat' trilogy and Du Iz Tak?) showed me the scope of what a picture book can say and do. I also love stories with big, meaningful twists, like The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. More recently I chuckled my way through Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron, which I think is absolutely fantastic.
10. What kinds of things do you enjoy doing in your downtime when you're away from your desk? Where do you go to inspire fresh ideas?
I get a lot of inspiration from living in London, and really am a city girl at heart. My most productive days of work are in noisy cafés - drinking coffee, writing, drawing and soaking up the happy hum of other people. I give myself a monthly budget for working from places like this, and spend what I would on a studio on cakes and coffees instead. Not sure how sustainable this plan is, but it works at the moment!
When I'm not working, my biggest hobby is probably playing video games, particularly those that are rich in story and allow me to explore open worlds. I write a gaming and illustration newsletter on Substack, called Simply the Quest!, in which I review what I'm currently playing and create related doodles. If picture book making and my love of gaming could ever meet on a project, that would be an absolute dream!
Rock and Roll
