Behind the Scenes with Little Mole

I'm so pleased to share an interview with author Glenys Nellist and illustrator Sally Garland, regarding their latest collaboration, Little Mole's Christmas Gift. A book release is always a treat, especially right around the holidays, and I appreciate them taking a minute to share some thoughts behind the heart and inspiration of Little Mole!

Natalie: Tell us Glenys, what was your inspiration for the character of Little Mole?

Glenys: We first met Little Mole in Little Mole Finds Hope, which was released in the spring. The inspiration for his character came from my desire to write a book exploring the idea that hope can be found, even in the darkest place. I needed to feature an animal who lived, literally and figuratively, in the dark, and who could emerge into the light to discover hope and new life. A mole seemed like a natural solution, and everyone's favorite rodent was born. In the second title, Little Mole's Christmas Gift, Little Mole is in a much happier place, and he is seen taking the initiative as he finds a lovely big mushroom for Mama. But on his way back to the burrow, he encounters several animals in need. Little Mole has a big decision to make.. should he share his mushroom or save it for Mama? This story was an opportunity for Little Mole to shine, to demonstrate his compassionate, generous nature and to learn that the best gifts, such as kindness, are sometimes those that can't be wrapped.

Natalie: There is a tender theme of generous giving in the book. How did you experience Christmas in this way yourself, either when you were younger or even more recently?

Glenys: I grew up in England, one of eight children. When I was young my parents were not very well-off and we never had big gifts at Christmas. But that didn't matter. Christmas was absolutely magical to me... my dad would take us upstairs on Christmas Eve where we would all press our noses to the window in the dark to look out for Father Christmas's light. (We never referred to him as Santa!) We lived on a hill overlooking a town and there were always a million twinkling lights in the sky. It was easy to imagine that one of them was Santa's sleigh and we'd all jump into bed, anxious for the morning, when we would find our variously colored socks dangling from the fireplace, bulging with small gifts. In this way, my mind is filled with Christmas memories of growing up in a family where generosity, fun and family experiences were the best gifts of all.

More recently, I remember several years ago when my daughter was a church custodian. It was Mother’s Day, and she couldn’t afford to buy me a gift. So instead, she sat in the sanctuary after everyone else had gone home and sang my favorite hymn (Grace Alone) as she thought about me. I’ve never forgotten that gift. It meant the world to me. In Little Mole’s Christmas Gift, Little Mole discovers that his kindness is the best, most wonderful gift his mama could ever receive—just like my daughter’s little gift was precious to me.

Natalie: Sally, this is the second book in the Little Mole series that you have illustrated. What attracted you to Little Mole and how did you decide how to portray him?

Sally: Little Mole was very easy to imagine and I think this is a testament to Glenys’s good writing. He is very much 'a little mole with a soul' and you have a real sense of that in both stories. When I first started drawing him, his thoughtful little character emerged quickly and I could imagine him wandering through a woody, snowy landscape similar to where I grew up in the North East of Scotland. It struck me later when I saw Glenys’s instagram page and her photos of snowy woods near where she stays; how it looked so like the woods where I grew up. I can almost imagine little mole following her through those woods. See below for photos of the sketches.

Natalie: Sally, Can you describe your process as an illustrator?

Sally: I draw using soft graphite pencils initially so the basic structure and layout of the illustration is rendered by hand. I then scan and work on those drawings digitally to create lots of layers of texture and colour. Illustrating a picture book is a well worn process of first roughing out thumbnails, then submitting full pencil drawings, before finally moving on to colour. It is very much a collaborative process between author, publisher and illustrator.

Natalie: Do you have a favorite illustration in the book?

Glenys: I adore ALL Sally's illustrations, but if I had to pick one, I might choose the scene where Little Mole is dragging his massive mushroom back through the snow to his burrow and as he does, he's imagining how his lovely big gift for Mama is going to look when it's wrapped up. I love this image because I think it's something we can all identify with. We've all been in the position of choosing a really special gift, and imagining the surprise and delight of our loved ones on Christmas morning when they open it. This illustration makes the very small gift depicted at the end of the book all the more poignant.

Sally: My favourite illustration is the second spread in the book depicting when little Mole first sees his Mummy’s Christmas gift. You have the feeling his good idea is a bit bigger than him and he’s maybe bitten off far more than he can chew.

Natalie: 2020 has been quite a challenge! What is your biggest hope for 2021?

Glenys: Oh, goodness! I am hoping, as everyone is, for a vaccine to be widely available to combat this virus so that we can all hug again, and see our families again. Beyond that, I'm very much hoping for America to be kind again, just like our character, Little Mole.

Sally: I’m thankful that I have been, like little mole, able to keep safe with my family in my own wee burrow. I think if anything comes out of this year it will be a sense of not taking things for granted and being grateful for the people who have kept everything going - from the shop owners, post workers and of course our social care and health workers. I hope we all manage to hold on to that feeling for the future.

Thanks again to this talented team behind Little Mole’s Christmas Gift!