These illustrations were created by Sallys husband, the writer and directorSylvain Chomet.
Do you both have favourite moments or details fromCalebs Cab?
Sally:On the whole we had a similar general vision of what Calebs story was.
Once that was established I was left to get on with the writing part.
Two people cant write a book.
It was no problem to accommodate those.
Sylvain:I was inspired by Sallys vision of the story.
I have to confess Ive always been envious of Quentin Blakes luck to illustrate Roald Dahls stories.
Thats why illustrating a book has never been my priority.
Then I met Sally and realized that she has some Dahl-like qualities in her writing and sense of humour.
So I married her…. (for a lot of other reasons too!).
Did you create the book with a particular audience in mind?
Or were you writing it for yourself?
And a book with general appeal was an important goal.
But ultimately we wanted to write a book we could imagine our own children reading and enjoying.
Right now they are eight and ten years old.
The youngest being still a little on the young-side forCalebs Cab.
Sally:I had a purely creative role in our collaboration this time.
Generally my role on Sylvains films is less about an artistic contribution and more about facilitating the fabrication process.
It was Sylvain who chose me to write rather than me choosing him to illustrate.
But what an opportunity!
Knowing his preferences Im not sure Id have pushed him if it had been the other way round.
I am delighted he made an exception for me.
I wrote most ofCalebs Cabwhile Sylvain was away shooting his live action filmAttila Marcel.
I sent him chapters when they were ready so he could read after a days filming.
Was it difficult to strike a balance between the comic and the scary aspects in the writing?
How do the illustrations help to maintain that balance?
A world where children are exchanged by their parents against bank loans is pretty grim.
Empowering Caleb and Myra with gutsy qualities despite such woeful circumstances makes their plight more palatable.
I think weve all probably been there!
Of course the illustrations help take the written word just that one step further.
Sylvain:Until now I honestly hadnt realized that this was a recurring theme.
But in reality without an element of dysfunction I suppose theres not much of a story.
If nothings broken theres nothing to fix.
I love Tarquin the dog in his Burberry footwear.
Sally:A dog in a story can be as enriching as having a dog in real life.
They provide further dimension and another point of view to a situation.
I cant imagine everyday life without dogs so its hard to imagine stories without them.
Sally and Sylvain, thank you very much.
Calebs Cabis published by Walker Books.
