This book came about as the result of the inaugural Little Hare illustration prize, which is awarded to a new illustrator in the field of children’s books.

There were some guidelines I had to follow with the text. The setting had to be universal so that it could be interpreted in different ways. The characters had to be written so that they could be illustrated as either human or animal, and the story had to have straightforward language and not too much text!

At the time I was thinking about some of the big challenges the world is facing and how daunting this feels to many young children. I wanted to write a story that wasn’t didactic or obvious, but that celebrated getting through hard times together. And I’ve always had a thing for boats! Hence Let’s Build a Boat was born.

I really enjoyed working with Meg Rennie. She has such a bold style and a strong sense of colour. I think Meg has a big future ahead of her in the world of children’s book illustration.