I Wish I’d Written: Louise Forshaw

Louise Forshaw on a book that caught her imagination as a child and that still inspires her.

This is a tough question, since there are so many brilliant books! If I have to choose just one, it would be a book that I associate with my childhood: The Three Little Pigs retold by Vera Southgate and illustrated by Steve Smallman.

I owned very few books growing up and this was one of them. Part of the Ladybird Well Loved Tales series, this is a classic retelling of the original story with some fun differences.

I love how resourceful the third little pig is. He works hard to build his house out of bricks, knowing that it will take him much longer to do so, but he doesn’t give up. When the wolf is unable to blow down the brick house, he resorts to all manner of tricks instead. Anything to ensure the third little pig leaves the safety of his home, so that he can eat him. What follows is the wolf being outsmarted at every turn by a very clever pig.

This book also inspired the illustrator in me as I pored over Steve’s art. The soft watercolours mixed with rough pencil lines results in some truly wonderful illustrations. I’d spend hours taking in all the details. Even adding my own doodles and sketches on every page.

The message of this book is that dedication, patience and hard work pay off. Something that I still believe in.

The Three Little Pigs by Vera Southgate and illustrated by Steve Smallman is published by Ladybird Books, 978-0721409955.

Louise Forshaw’s new book, Bad United, is out now, published by Little Tiger, ‎ 978-1788956666, £6.99 pbk.