1. What drew you to working with mice, felt, and found objects in your work?  How did you develop your particular artistic style/idiom/aesthetic for your works inspired by Classical Antiquity? (These are overlapping questions, so feel free to answer them as one)

I had a couple of much loved felt mice, purchased in an English toy shop when I was a child.  About 25 years ago, with young children of my own, I took a pattern from those old survivors and began to make my own versions.  Then the mice needed somewhere to live, and the whole thing got out of hand.

I had been working for years as a fine artist, showing paintings and drawings in gallery shows, as well as other artistic pursuits like puppet-making, costume design, woodworking and jewelry fabrication.  Building Mouseland allows me to experiment with all sorts of techniques and materials, and my work day may include sewing, photo editing, book design, pattern drafting, soldering, painting, sculpting, photographing, dyeing or wood working. I like to use as many scavenged and recycled ingredients as I can, which satisfies my need for a challenge as well as being a legacy of thrift passed down from parents who grew up in wartime.

The mice have now evolved so much as to be unrecognizable to their English ancestors, and have been joined in Mouseland by squirrels, frogs, birds, and other wild creatures. In 2011 I began photographing characters and scenes to illustrate picture books; City Mouse, Country Mouse is my third book.

2. I suspect the answer is obvious, but why did you draw on Aesop in City Mouse, Country Mouse? How concerned were you with "accuracy" or "fidelity" to the original?  (another way of saying that might be—that I think writers are often more "faithful" to originals in adapting its spirit rather than being tied down at the level of detail—is this something you thought about?)--I really like how you resolve the underpinning conflict between the two mice--was that something you wanted to do from the outset, or did it come to you?

The idea of making CMCM was not mine, originally. It was suggested to me by an editor, who thought my illustrations would be a good fit. I was reluctant to undertake it at first, because it had been retold so many times, and it's a challenge to bring something new to such a familiar tale. 

There is a moral in Aesop's version of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse that can be summed up as "be content with your lot, for the unfamiliar is dangerous", which I thought was a rather fearful message for young children, who need be encouraged to explore the unknown and expand their horizons. I decided to focus instead on the friendship between the two mice and and how they learn to compromise so that they can be together.  I took Aesop's original appealing concept of the conflict of opposites-city and country-but gave it a happier resolution. 

The story has some resonance for me personally as well, as I am something of a country mouse and my husband grew up in the city.

3. Why do you think classical / ancient myths, history, and literature continue to resonate with young audiences?

I suppose they represent universal truths about people, boiled down into recognizable themes and types. Books of mythology are like field guides to human behavior.

4. Do you have a background in classical education (Latin or Greek at school or classes at the University?) What sources are you using? Scholarly work? Wikipedia? Are there any books that made an impact on you in this respect?

I don't have a classical education, although my university (Reed College) had a strong emphasis on the classics and we spent several semesters on the Odyssey and the Illiad, as well as other ancient Greek works. My grandmother taught Greek and Latin, and used to have books in those languages on her bedside table. My sisters and I also had a childhood book we were obsessed with (Tales of the Greeks & Trojans, Roger Lancelyn Green) that had fabulous illustrations and that gave us both a lifelong interest in Greek mythology. I use Wikidedia and Bulfinch's Mythology as references.

5. Are you planning any further forays into classical material?

My forthcoming book is a retelling of Cinderella, which I read first appeared in Greek as the tale of  Rhodopis, whose shoe is stolen by an eagle and dropped into the lap of a king!

Prepared by Elizabeth Hale, University of New England, ehale@une.edu.au