Next week author Jason Hook launches his first picture book with V&A Publishing, Wendy and the Wallpaper Cat. Illustrated by Ilaria Demonti, the book is inspired by the work of Walter Crane, a 19th century illustrator whose wallpaper designs are exhibited in the V&A. Jason told us more about the book via e-mail.

BookMachine: The book is inspired by the work of Walter Crane. What was it about Crane’s work that led to this particular story?

Jason Hook: I knew that Walter Crane was one of the finest illustrators of children’s books in the nineteenth century, when he developed some of the earliest picture books – known as ‘toy books’ – into miniature works of art. But until I looked through the V&A collection, I hadn’t realised that he also designed fantastic wallpapers. I loved the idea of using those wallpapers as the setting for a story, to try to create a modern children’s book as imaginative and beautiful as those of Walter Crane himself.

BM: Having settled on a story inspired by Crane, how did you then make wallpaper engaging for children? Or do you think that children already have a particular fascination with it?

JH: I think the images children look at before they go to sleep – whether on a screen or a wall – fire their imaginations and fill their dreams. With this in mind, Crane was one of the first people to design wallpapers specifically for children’s nurseries. The main wallpaper in Wendy and the Wallpaper Cat is populated by characters from nursery rhymes, so I think children will engage with it instantly. But the idea that takes that all important extra step is that the wallpapers come to life when Wendy touches them. I hope children will find it exciting when an orange tumbles out of the wallpaper – and even more so when a blue paper cat playing a fiddle leaps down from the wall and leads Wendy away into the night!

BM: You wrote the book in collaboration with Ilaria Demonti. Was there a consultation or development process with Ilaria before work started on the illustrations to outline what you had in mind, or were you both on the same wavelength more or less from the off? Did you, for example, send pieces of Crane artwork to give an idea of what you were looking for?

JH: I think it’s vital for a successful picture book that the writer and illustrator collaborate closely, and Ilaria was wonderful to work with. I had a clear idea of how I wanted each double-page spread to work, and I supplied a visual outline along with the draft text and my choice of Crane wallpapers. Ilaria followed the brief beautifully, but she also took it to the next level. She extracted details from the Crane artworks and integrated them with the characters, and developed the themes in each room into flights of fancy that were much wilder than I’d imagined. It brought a wonderful freedom to the book.

BM: The book is published by V&A Publishing. How did that come about? Were you specifically commissioned by the V&A to write about pieces they were exhibiting, or did inspiration strike independently?

JH: I was asked by V&A Publishing to develop ideas around some of the objects in the collections. We wanted a book with a strong connection to the V&A, but without the action being restricted to a museum setting. I couldn’t have asked for a more inspirational ‘palette’. It was a pleasure to wander around trying to imagine different pieces of art and design history reinvented for a children’s book. The wallpaper idea was the one that came together most vividly and got strong support from an early stage.

BM: Was there added pressure in knowing that besides being an enjoyable children’s book, being published by the V&A might lead to the book being seen as an ‘art’ title?

JH: We certainly all wanted to create a book that fitted with the V&A’s aesthetic, and I guess that brought a degree of extra pressure. But as a huge fan of children’s illustration, I also thought of the project as a great opportunity. It is tricky to create that balance of sophistication and simplicity that helps a book appeal both to parents and children, but I believe that Ilaria (with the help of Walter Crane) has achieved it. Crane was a great believer that every element of a children’s book should be considered in the design, and I think this is even more important in the digital age. Even the endpapers of Wendy and the Wallpaper Cat make you want to explore the book, and the title looks very much at home on the shelves of the V&A giftshop.

Wendy and the Wallpaper Cat will be launched at Castor & Pollux in Brighton on Thursday 21 May at 6pm.