A Little Bit Worried

A Little Bit Worried by Ciara Gavin, ill. by Tim Warnes (Little Tiger Press 2020) | © 2020 by Tim Warnes

“I think this is how we are all feeling right now. A little bit worried. Some of us more than others …”

— @book.mother

Today I want to share some more about my book, A Little Bit Worried by Ciara Gavin (Little Tiger Press 2020)

When I received the first edit, the editor commented, ‘We would make small changes to the text to try and bring out the anxiety theme a little more. It feels very 'now' as a topic.’

It’s one year on, and sadly the anxiety theme feels even more ‘now’ than ever. Because the book’s release coincided perfectly with the sudden rise of the coronavirus pandemic. I immediately saw the parallels - fearful Weasel locks himself away, afraid of the raging storm outside. A Little Bit Worried seems to have struck a chord with many book reviewers and parents, too. So this week, I’m going to share some of their thoughts - and share the process behind bringing Ciara Gavin’s charming story to life.

You’d think it would be reasonably straight forward creating the characters. Well, yes and no.

Gavin had written the characters as ‘Weasel’ and ‘Mole’. Mole is good to go - everyone loves a mole! But Weasel? 

‘Sales are not confident in having a weasel character so we would look to change this to another woodland creature,’ warned my editor.

But I really wanted the opportunity to draw a weasel - I just had to convince the sales team. I sent over some initial sketches to Little Tiger Press:

 

Development work for A Little Bit Worried | © 2018 by Tim Warnes

 

They replied:

 

 The weasel has had a mixed response! Everyone loves him in principle but - as anticipated - there's a nervousness about what the actual customers might think.

 

Because there is this perception that weasels are wicked, duplicitous little creatures. Well, I wasn’t going to give up that easily. This time I sent some finished art samples.

 

Development work for A Little Bit Worried | © 2018 by Tim Warnes

 

They did the trick! (And I think my editor - who was rooting for the weasel -was very persuasive.)

Either way, sales relented, and we were allowed to break the weasel stereotype. As the US title tells us: Weasel is Worried. But in her story, Gavin doesn’t use the word ‘worried’ to describe Weasel. Instead, it’s implied with her clever use of language, using words like nervously, fretted, shiver and frightened.

In the same way, one of my jobs as illustrator is to convey the characters’ emotions. So somewhere along the line, I came up with the idea of giving Weasel a necktie to fiddle with, to portray his anxious personality.

 

Detail from A Little Bit Worried by Ciara Gavin, ill. by Tim Warnes (Little Tiger Press 2020) | Illustration © 2020 by Tim Warnes

 

Now for Mole.

He kind of bucks the trend, too, because moles are often portrayed as shy, reserved and timid. Not this mole. He is full of beans and lovin’ life!

Despite having drawn many, many moles before, there was still a lot of discussion with the editorial team. To begin with, I wanted to illustrate a smaller, more lithe mole than my previous characterisations. With true-to-life teeny-tiny eyes - so I could give my mole spectacles! 

 

Development work for A Little Bit Worried | © 2018 by Tim Warnes

 

Here’s the feedback I received from my designer on the first round of drawings:

 

Mole is very sweet in his colour character, although we almost imagined him to be a bit more ‘rotund’ in the body, like he could rest his clasped fingers over his little podgy belly and recline in an armchair without a care in the world! Could you try making him a touch more podgy, with bigger eyes, and lowering the lids so he looks more relaxed and easy-going? … we really love his nose and snout when its straighter and a bit more snub, rather than wibbly. What do you think?

 

I had no idea what ‘a bit more snub, rather than wibbly’ nose meant, so I asked for clarification. Then, being none the wiser, I worked on Mole some more.

 

Development work for A Little Bit Worried | © 2018 by Tim Warnes

Development work for A Little Bit Worried | © 2018 by Tim Warnes

 

Bingo!

 

Character drawings are fantastic Mr T. Love them, mole is really funny and so so rotund, I think he must have an account at Greggs!!!!!

 

I can’t remember when I decided to give Mole a bowler (or derby) hat. Partly because I love hats; partly because I’d recently seen the movie, Stan and Ollie. Anyway, it turns out it was a good move, and inspired Creative Director Paul to create this backstory:

 

We love his ickle, ill-fitting hat. It was bought for him as a birthday present when he was a tiny mole and, altho’ he’s outgrown it he loves it so much he can't bear to be parted from it. (He’s also a massive fan of Laurel and Hardy!!!)

 

(I loved Laurel and Hardy as a kid. I think they subconsciously influenced the tie-fiddling Weasel, too!)

 












































 I shall hand over now to some recent reviewers of A Little Bit Worried.

(Emphasise in bold are mine.)

 

A fitting title and story, A Little Bit Worried speaks to what everyone around the world is going through. It's layered with so many important messages, we really fell in love with it!

When faced with a powerful storm, Weasel builds a fortress as a means to protect himself from the storm and the outside world. One day, Mole appears inside the fortress much to Weasel's dismay. Luckily for Weasel, he will soon learn how to overcome his fears thanks to Mole' help and support.

The story beautifully and gently addresses issues such as anxiety and fear in an age appropriate manner. Despite the underlying messages, the story is very uplifting and joyful! It really encourages children to become mindful and emphatic of struggles that are found within themselves and others. To appreciate and understand other people's perspective.

It also emphasizes how friends can support each other and how we can find joy in any situation. And the illustrations are so