The creators of the Cutest Baby: A Q&A with illustrator Sarah Zweck and author Davina Bell

SARAH ZWECK

What inspired you to work on this book with Davina Bell?

As a mum of two boys, this was such a joyous book to work on as I could easily relate to all the funny scenes! Drawing from memory and looking back at photographs of my children as babies helped inspire me. The fabulous thing about babies is everything is new and exciting because they are experiencing the world for the first time. Even the way they move is special. It was important for me to convey this wonder and warmth on every page. I did this by keeping my lines loose and used a range of mix media and collage, so it felt tactile and lived-in, like a home. I enjoy using my hands when I work, which teaches me that art doesn’t have to be perfect, like life itself, it’s even lovelier with a few unexpected wobbles. 

As the story unfolds, you’ll notice the baby hides from the detective, but the reader can clearly spot them getting-up all kinds of mischievous antics! Keeping the detective in the dark was intentional, as it adds to the humour to the story. The detective’s cat and the family’s dog reinforce this message as they too get up to all kinds of fun! With each read you will spot something new.

What was your favourite kids book when you were growing up?

The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allen Ahlberg.

What are you reading at the moment?

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray.

Do you have a favourite spot for illustrating?

In my sunny studio, at the very top of the stairs.

What is your favourite snack when drawing?

Greek yogurt, nuts and berries.

DAVINA BELL

What inspired you to write your book? 

There are so many beautiful books for new parents that explore the picturesque and calmly beautiful aspects of life with a baby. I so enjoyed reading these to my own son, but I also found it funny, the disconnect between these depictions of domestic bliss and the mess and muddle of my own life as a new mum. I wanted to write a book that captured the humour and wildness of life with a baby - how ridiculous your life becomes under the rule of these tiny dictators and their individual whims and demands. I hope parents reading it feel seen!

What was your favourite kids book when you were growing up? 

The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr was my favourite picture book, and I remember so clearly the magical feeling that stirred within me when, post-tiger-chaos, the family heads out in the night to have supper at a restaurant. Then when I graduated to chapter books, it was a bizarre and deliciously subversive little novel called Tales for the Perfect Child by Florence Parry Heide about naughty monster children. And then The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - I remember my sister, who is an excellent mimic, reading this to me on a rainy winter holiday and performing all the different northern accents.

What are you reading at the moment? 

I'm teaching a course on writing for children and I've so enjoyed revisiting classic kids books while coming up with the course content. As part of that, I'm rereading Fierce Bad Rabbits by Clare Pollard, which is part memoir and part exploration into the context and backstory of many of these books. Highly recommend for children's literature nerds.

Do you have a favourite spot for writing?  

I am lucky enough to have a writing studio at an old convent and a desk inside my closet with the most beautiful wallpaper, but I will always prefer writing at a cafe or at a picnic table outside.

What is your favourite writing snack? 

Is coffee a snack? Just that.