Gustavo, the Shy Ghost (The World of Gustavo)

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Mat: The design of the whole book, from the cover to the endpapers and everything in between is a delight. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.

Your words, like your reviews, bring books to life and give them a voice before the front cover is even turned.at some point during the process, I decided that Gustavo was going to be a ghost, which made me very happy because that meant that he could shapeshift into objects, something that could be visually playful; but also, it meant that I could create a world where Mexican calacas (skeletons) and monsters could happily live together, which meant that I could introduce children to Mexican, and horror cinema culture at the same time! You can also watch this YouTube video where I share the process behind the scenes, and my inspiration for the artwork. On 2022 you will be able to see my second picture book with Walker Books about a family of witches who are experts in the dark arts of patisserie. In one hand we had the black and white Universal Monsters tribute and a nostalgic ghost, which made me think of vintage pictures in sepia tones; on the other hand, we have the really bright Mexican colours.

Although he loves all the usual things about being paranormal such as walking through walls, he’s too shy to join in and make friends. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do. I’m glad this book has given my toddler a character to identify with—it’s a very validating feeling to have your own complex emotions represented! Drago won the prestigious Klaus Flagge Prize for this entrancing, funny, empathetic and original picture book.

From around the world, I really love the work of Isol, Sara Fanelli, Carson Ellis, Jon Klassen, Marta Altés, Anushka Allepuz and Beatrice Alemagna - the list is endless! When I was a child, I remember that some people didn’t like the idea of mixing Day of the Dead and Halloween, however, I have to say that I loved and cherished them both because they mean different things. You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. Flavia: Learning how to use colour has been a slow process, I remember that on my first illustrations I tended to use all the colours of the rainbow and all the textures at the same time – what a nightmare! I’ve been seeing this book on Pinterest/ig influencers’ photos of their kids’ seasonal bookshelves and I wasn’t sure about it—I am very picky about what messages I am representing to my toddler through books, and like them to have nice illustrations as well.