We're thrilled to be finishing off the tour for A Smile. This is a gorgeous new edition of a classic poem, with spectacular illustrations. Read a review and an interview with illustrator Hoda Hadadi and learn more about her collage technique. Discover why this project was particularly meaningful for Hoda, see her advice for aspiring illustrators, and find out how she feels about centipedes...
What's it about?
The text is a poem which celebrates the act of smiling and was written by French journalist, poet and humanitarian, Raoul Follereau, in 1920. The images show two children waking up, going to school, buying a cake for their teacher, and wishing her a happy birthday when she arrives in the classroom. Then we watch them travel home again at the end of the school day. As we follow their route in each direction, we see examples of the transformative nature of smiling in every scene.
What can we learn?
Smiling is something that unites us all, and something that anyone can afford to give and receive, regardless of their age or circumstances. If someone looks as though they have forgotten how to smile, then they are in need of a smile from you. Sometimes the most effortless things are the most effective, and everyone can have a positive impact on the world around them - even children.
What makes this stand out? This is a simple but powerful poem, with a timeless message about spreading kindness, and the illustrations are stunning and inspirational too.
About those illustrations...
Hoda Hadadi really makes Follereau's work her own, and through her art creates a wonderful visual narrative. I love her cheerful and child-friendly style of collage. Every page is extremely interesting as well as attractive. It would be difficult, and perhaps even impossible, to find a book whose images communicate more joy and affection.
I love all the intricate details, like the silhouette of a child in the door of the school, and the little boy plucking a flower on the way there. There are tiny smiles embedded in the images almost everywhere you look. They can be found on the sun, soft toys, books, flowers, bunting, and in a child's drawing. The cover image features clouds smiling! I love the children's art that hangs on the bedroom wall and the scene of the family reading beside the biographical note about Follereau. The little girl's smiling toy bunny, tucked up in its own bed in the first scene, is adorable.
Why we love it...
It's just so beautiful! Even though this was originally written over 100 years ago, it's as relevant as ever. Follereau's writing is amazing and Hoda Hadadi's illustrations have their own poetry.
Why you need it...
This is perfect for gently introducing children to the importance of kindness and altruisim, as well as easy ways to practice what they've learned. It's a fabulous bedtime story and Hoda's art will encourage young people to be creative themselves. This is ideal for use in a classroom and for basing activities around too. This book would also make a marvellous and memorable gift, for adults as well as children. It's sure to put a smile on the face of anyone who reads it.
About the author:
Raoul Follereau (1903-1977) was a French writer and humanitarian. He established World Leprosy Day (the last Sunday in January each year), and worked tirelessly for the dignity of the poor and marginalised, touring the world thirty-two times with his wife Madeleine. In France, his name is found on schools, streets and squares. Today, in seventeen countries, you can find associations that bear his name and continue his work. His ever popular poem, ‘A Smile,’ has been translated into many languages, and is valued for its simple, uplifting message.
About the illustrator:
Hoda Hadadi was born in 1977, and lives in Tehran. A multi-award winning illustrator with sixty books to her name, Hoda is also a poet and author. Her list of accolades speaks to her immense creativity, and you can see a list of the many awards Hoda has won here.
We were delighted to get an opportunity chat to Hoda about her work recently, read our interview below...
When and how did you first become familiar with the work of Raoul Follereau?
I first discovered Follereau when approached by Pikku Publishing to collaborate on this book. Then I found out that my favorite poet in Iran, Forough Farrokhzad, may have been influenced by Follereau’s poems. To satisfy my curiosity, I did more research on Follereau, and that made me more familiar with different aspects of his life and work.
I love how even the sun and the flowers are smiling in this book! Smiling is so powerful and something that is easily taken for granted or forgotten. Is smiling very important to you and do you make a particular effort to smile in your everyday life? Do you have any personal experience(s) of, or anecdotes about, a smile having an impact on you or those around you?
I take myself as a person who smiles a lot, since there are numerous small things in life that make me smile. As you pointed out, smiling is powerful enough to overcome the small bad things that happen in life. In particular, I believe that nature is always smiling at us and when the nature smiles, I smile. My experience of the power of smiling is that it has a calming influence and helps people form friendships.
What, if anything, did you find most challenging about this project?
The trickiest part was building a narrative as the poem itself does not possess one. Through teamwork and many revisions, the publisher Elena Mannion, art director Rachel Lawston and myself, created a visual story that reflected Follereau’s vision. The end result is highly satisfactory, despite the creative challenges along the way.
Do you have a favourite spread or scene from this book?
I certainly do! It’s the scene showing the children on their way to school, as their parents bid them farewell, and a neighbour sweeps her shop’s front door. Another is the bakery where all the loaves of bread are baked in the morning. To me, bread itself is full of life and a vital start to the day.
How long were you working on this book and how long does a project typically take?
It took me almost one year, and it typically takes the same amount of time to finish any illustration project. I have to add that the duration depends on the amount of research required, and the extent to which it demands certain environments be created.
Do you do much research or any other preparation before beginning to illustrate a book, and if so, what does this process involve?
Certainly, research has to be done based on the individual story told by each book.
Most importantly, there is the consideration of the location where the action takes place. Then comes the culture in which the narrative is rooted. Capturing the identity, appearance and the philosophy of the people and places comes next. Stories based on real characters or events require more research. Poetic and fantasy stories draw on the illustrator’s inner feelings and emotions.
There’s a very strong sense of joy that springs from each page of this book. Is this something that you strive to create when you’re working on an illustration or does it just appear naturally because you enjoy what you are doing?
Allow me to say that I smiled throughout every moment I spent illustrating this book. I’m grateful to Follereau and Pikku Publishing for every smile that landed on my face. While working on this, I was undergoing tough treatment for cancer, and this book helped me smile under those difficult moments. I believe this book itself was a miracle and the joy that radiates from every page is authentic and a reflection of my own smiles.
How did you develop your distinct style? Have you always loved collage?
I’ve been using this technique for many years as my own personal style, and I draw great joy from it. It’s an intense technique, and it takes a lot of time to stick the small pieces of paper together. But it has a distinct characteristic which is of great interest to me - the unpredictable shapes and features that sometimes appear on paper cuts. In a way, these have their own influence on the direction each work takes.
Before you get to work on a collage, do you make a sketch first or use another technique to design how the illustration will look?
It depends on the topic. In the books solely incorporating poems, I start collage directly, without any prior sketch or any pencil outline. In books such as A Smile, which is concerned with story and character, the sketch and the storyboard are of great importance to me.
What materials do you use in your collage? Some of the paper looks like it has a different texture to the rest. Do you collect and re-use things like wrapping paper for future projects? The bedspreads in the children’s room look very delicate but also as though you may have made them by drawing onto very thin paper - do you make your own patterned papers?
For a couple of years, I’ve been using transparent papers, called silk or tissue paper. If I wish to apply a colour which is unavailable, I paint a white tissue paper with Ecoline, until I reach the desired colour. You guessed correctly; I created the texture of the bedspreads with rollerball pen. I do incorporate recycled papers, such as chocolate wrappers, wrapping paper, old notebook pages etc.
Do you make images of your collages and work on them digitally too, to apply things like the lettering on the wall of the bakery?
90% of my work is manual and the rest is digital, which includes, letters, shop signs, editing colours, and at times, small changes in composition. All of these digital works are done after scanning the work done manually and transferring them to a computer.
I’ve never been to Iran, but I’ve read a few books set there and it strikes me as a very vibrant place, from the types of food to the plants and flowers. Has Iran had an influence on how colourful and vibrant your work is? And/or where do you find inspiration?
Iran’s art has had more of an influence on me than Iran itself as a whole. The Iranian miniatures from which I take inspiration, use colour in its pure and original form. Moreover, Iranian literature is filled with celebrations of nature and wildlife. Tehran, the city I live in, may not be filled with greenery, but living with the Iranian art and literature, keeps me green.
Nature appears to be a driving force in your illustrations, do you have a favourite flower or plant?
Well, I can never find an end to my curiosity about herbs. The more I look at them, the more wonderful they become in my eyes. I find herbs with thinner stems, and more delicate components, increasingly more mysterious and intriguing.
Have you always wanted to be a children’s book illustrator and/or how did you become a children’s book illustrator?
I loved to read and the illustrations in the books used to mesmerise me. I always wanted to be someone who painted the pictures in books, without being aware of what this profession is technically known as. Time went by, and I realised that this is called illustrating. I was certain that I would become a children’s book illustrator since I was a teenager. I attended an art university and have been illustrating for 22 years.
Are you working on anything at the moment and if so, can you tell us anything about it?
I’m currently working on poems by Sohrab Sepehri, a contemporary Iranian poet and painter, whose work combines simple literature with profound messages. He’s a poet I’ve loved since childhood, and his poems always feel fresh. Although his work is primarily read by adults, I’d like to introduce Sepehri to children. His focus on nature will speak to children, and help them interpret the deeper layers of meaning in his poems when they’re older.
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you during your children’s book career?
I’ve always been afraid of centipedes, but then I found myself working on a project, whose central character was a centipede. The story comes in three volumes and I had to draw this character for something close to a hundred times. What’s interesting is that this book is a favourite of Iranian children! For years, they’ve painted the centipede in that book, made puppets modelled after the main character, and they constantly tell me they love the centipede. They ask me how much I love centipedes, since I created this character, and I have no answer for them! This character’s name is Kooti Kooti. The books were written by Farhad Hasanzadeh, published in Iran by Kanoon Publications, and have been translated into many languages.
What’s the best review you have ever gotten from a child about your own work?
I receive the best reviews for my young adult novel The Clown. Most of the readers say they would like to be the character in the book. One of the most interesting comments I received from a young person was the one saying, “Hey I know that you yourself are the clown and you’re trying to hide that from us.”
What were your favourite books when you were younger? Are there any authors and/or illustrators who have had a particular influence on you?
As already mentioned, I’m heavily influenced by Iranian miniatures, but concerning my technique, I may be a follower of Eric Carle. When I was younger, in addition to children’s books, I was a great fan of mystery books and thrillers. A book I used to read when I was ten, called Shahnameh, or the book of kings, inspired me to write myself.
What do you love most about being a children’s book illustrator?
Constantly recalling my own childhood, reliving every moment of all the games I used to play, and seeing the world through the eyes of a kid.
Do you have any advice for aspiring children’s book illustrators?
I want them to know that they themselves are the first audience of their work, but not at their current age. I mean at the time when they were their target audience’s age. They should therefore assess their own work by asking themselves whether they would have enjoyed seeing this creation when they were young. If the answer is yes, then their work is suitable for children.
How would you describe your work?
In general, I’m an illustrator who’s a fan of nature, transparency and femininity.
A Smile will be released by Pikku Publishing on 28th April 2021 - see this book on the publisher's website
A huge thanks to Hoda for answering all of our questions and to Pikku publishing for our review copy, and for having us on the Instagram tour. All opinions expressed are our own. Don't forget to visit the other tour stops to learn more about this beautiful book:
