Welcome to The Quick Six Interview with Mo Davey!
It was a pleasure to have a chat with debut author and illustrator Ramona Davey about her much-awaited debut, I Am Tree Rex. Ramona is a passionate advocate of kid lit and is always there to cheer on her fellow kid lit creators, as well as being very supportive of aspiring creators, such as myself. Ramona recently featured on the Reading with a Chance of Tacos podcast and her episode is a great insight into her perseverance as a kid lit creator, as well as her wonderful sense of humour.
Encapsulating adorable illustrations and inspiring text, a beacon of light shines through the trees in this heartwarming environmental book about conservation and activism, featuring none other than a sweet-natured T-Rex on a mission to stop destruction and bring life back to the forest.
Thanks, Mo, for sharing your enchanting story with us! 🙂
About the Author-Illustrator
Mo (Ramona) Davey grew up on the tiny island of Jersey, home to the famous, big-eyed Jersey cows. She now lives in Sydney, Australia home of the mighty kangaroo, shy koala and wombats who are expert diggers!
Here she has huge fun drawing, writing and teaching art.
Please find Mo Davey at her website: www.ramonadavey.com and on Instagram.
I Am Tree Rex is available for purchase at: I Am Tree Rex | Berbay Books.
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
This book was written and illustrated by me, Mo Davey. Published by Berbay Publishing.
WHAT is it about?
I Am Tree Rex is about a t-rex who lives at the edge of a forest where he counts and hugs each tree every day. But one day a tree is missing. Rex takes action to find out who is taking the trees, making the birds homeless. Together with the birds, he hatches a plan to scare the tree takers away!
What is your favourite part of this book?
The party page celebrating their success. I love parties!
What media did you use to illustrate it?
I sketch ideas first in sketchbooks and then continue those sketches into Procreate where I can adjust, improve and add to them.
WHEN is its release / launch date?
It was released on the 1st August. The launch was Saturday 3rd August which I was nervously excited about!
WHY is this book meaningful to you?
Because it is my first and it has been a long journey to get here.
Why would its message resonate with readers?
Because trees are amazing. I know little ones would want to be just like Rex, brave and passionate about protecting his bird friends and planting more trees.
How long did it take to illustrate?
About nine months. It’s hard to measure as it is done in parts: sketches, coloured pages, endpapers, etc.
How do the illustrations convey the feeling, mood and themes of the book?
The orange land is inspired by the colours of the earth in the outback.
When I want more drama, I zoom in on Rex. I used vignettes to focus on a scene.
When Rex is angry, I used a sharp star shaped ground area to highlight his emotions.
OTHER information or experiences you’d like to share?
I feel like Nancy, the editor’s name should be on the book as it really is a collaboration of ideas and she was so supportive throughout the process, I will be forever grateful.
Please share some of your favourite promotional ideas for this book.
I love thinking up dress up ideas for school students to wear for Book Week.
What a beautifully hopeful story! Congratulations, Mo! 🙂
Interview by Gemma Creegan.
#thequicksixinterview #iamtreerex #conservation #environment #picturebook #justkidslit
