I Wish I’d Written: Emily Gravett

Emily Gravett selects books that inspire her.

It’s really difficult to decide on just one book that I wish I had written. The most recent example was a sneak preview I had of David Roberts’ Suffragette: The Battle for Equality. It is a Thing of Beauty. I wanted to hide it in my bag, and not give it back. In fact, quite often when I’m working on a book, I think how much better a job David Roberts would make of it!

When I look back on all the books I have known and loved, there are three that jump out.

The first is Dr.Seuss’s The Cat in The Hat. I spent many happy hours reading Seuss to my daughter. I love the simple colour palette, the craziness that is Seuss, and I pride myself on being able to do the tongue twisters.

The second is Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s The Jolly Pocket Postman. I was heavily influenced by this when writing my book Meerkat Mail, but theirs is the perfect combination of a parent pleasing ‘read aloud’ text, detailed absorbing illustrations, and something for little fingers to fiddle with.

Finally, I adore Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk. It is so simple and stylish, yet it is the very definition of a perfect picture book, with the illustrations adding something different to the straightforward and spare text.

Emily Gravett’s latest book, Cyril and Pat (978-1509857272) is published by Two Hoots, £12.99.

Suffragette: The Battle for Equality by David Roberts (978-1509839674) is published by Two Hoots, £18.99; The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss (978-0007348695) is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books; The Jolly Pocket Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (978-0670886265) is published by Puffin; Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins (978-1862308060) is published by Red Fox £6.99.