An Interview with BAME Children’s Author Swapna Haddow
The following interview with award-winning BAME children’s book author Swapna Haddow was conducted as part of our series that promotes BAME authors and their works in anticipation of our BAME-themed panel at the ChLA Conference in June. As will be seen in the interview below, Swapna uses humour in her books to transcend boundaries of ethnicity, disability, language, and culture.
Swapna’s first published book Dave Pigeon, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, received rave reviews and went on to win three regional awards in the UK and was shortlisted for the prestigious Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award. The series is based on two pigeons who find themselves battling predators in an array of madcap scenarios, all the while proving that friendship and teamwork can defeat anything.
TN: As a BAME author, how do you feel that your books contribute to diversity in children's literature?
SH: I write what I know. The Dave Pigeon plotlines and characters are very much reflective of a British Indian who was born and brought up in London. There are elements of my British culture in the stories and of course, my Indian culture permeates through, too.
As the Dave Pigeon series has grown, I’ve definitely felt freer to write more diversely. I’ve often wondered if I would have landed a book deal with Dinesh Pigeon or Divya Pigeon. Sadly, I think not.
My publisher has been nothing but supportive of my writing but in those early days, to make sure my books worked commercially I think, on some level, I compared myself to what else was already out there, and with pretty much only honour killings, forced marriage, and terrorism representing for BAME literature and a very limited number of characters in junior fiction to compare to, I think I was tentative about allowing my ethnicity to filter into my work in a way that wasn’t issue-based. As I’ve grown as a writer, my confidence to take chances with my work has grown, too. I want BAME characters to feature in the mainstream, not just in issue-based literature, but in humour and young fiction too.
My parents bought my sisters and me an incredible collection of Amar Chitra Katha comics as children. They were filled with stories of Indian mythology, and I always loved reading about the Indian rajas and ranis who ruled the subcontinent. My fascination with Indian royalty has definitely inspired my latest book, Dave Pigeon (Royal Coo!). There are royal Indian pigeons who have settled in Britain and a power struggle that the Mahabharata would be proud of.
When we talk of diversity, it’s important to know that ethnicity is not all that is neglected in children’s literature. We must do better to reflect all diversity, including sexuality and disability. The main character of my first series of books has a broken wing and this remains so throughout the series. His disability is neither overcome in the series but nor does it defeat him. Dave Pigeon adjusts to life with his broken wing and my hope is that the books go some way to bringing disability into the mainstream.
TN: What prompted your move to New Zealand? Will anything change for your London pigeon, Dave, as a result?
SH: My husband was offered a job in New Zealand and quite honestly, with the current political climate in the UK, it is a good time for us to see what the rest of the world has to offer. I think Dave will always remain a Londoner, as will I, but our adventure here in the South Pacific has so far been too incredible and inspiring not to have Dave leave London in a future story, so watch this space!
TN: The Dave Pigeon books emphasize that the reader must be able to understand "Pigeonese" and that the enemy cats only speak "Meow." What inspired you to create this form of language play? In what other ways do you feature language as a form of code?
SH: It’s a joyous feeling to discover an ability that only a minority have, (I’m still trying to master licking my elbow so I can join that club), and introducing the Pigeonese element does that for the readers. It’s a superpower they never knew they had.
As the stories are told from the perspective of the pigeons, it is their interpretation of the world and language that we see. They are convinced that a cat has only evolved to make a solitary sound. The pigeons interpret human touch as affection and abandoned food as theirs to own. Non-verbal language communication is so important in the stories as the animals and humans don’t share a verbal language.
TN: Humour plays a central role in your books. You have stated that you are passionate about creating humorous books. How does humour contribute to your reaching a diverse audience? What challenges do you encounter when creating humorous books?
SH: The wonderful thing about humour is that it can be so uniting. Laughing brings us together and laughing at the same things can break down barriers.
I suppose the main challenges are in not achieving that unification. Humour is subjective. I particularly struggle when I let my husband play first reader and he doesn’t laugh when I hope he will—we’ve had many an argument over that—now, if he reads my work, I have to leave the room and usually the house for the sake of our marriage!
Not everyone will find the Dave Pigeon books funny, but I hope with a strong story of friendship, revenge, and personal discovery there is something for everyone.
TN: Have your books been translated into other languages? Are there other audiences you would like to reach?
SH: Dave Pigeon was translated into Braille for the RNIB’s library. As yet, the Dave Pigeon books haven’t been translated into any other languages, but Sheena and I receive fan mail from all over the world including USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, and South Africa, so Dave Pigeon is flying far and wide.
I have a new book publishing with Stripes Publishing called Little Rabbit’s Big Surprise. It’s a young fiction book in full colour illustrated gorgeously throughout by Alison Friend and has recently sold to Poland, Russia, and USA. It would be lovely to see Dave follow in Little Rabbit’s footsteps and for him to be roosting on shelves worldwide.
TN: When you start a new project or participate in a school visit or event, do you consciously consider your role in representing diverse voices? What responses have you received from your audience?
SH: I’m not sure I consciously consider my role from a diverse perspective. I’m there as a storyteller and that’s my job. But I have certainly noticed when I attend schools and festivals that children of colour are surprised to see a BAME author and it’s inspiring to think that they recognise writing and creative jobs in general as viable careers for those of BAME backgrounds.
As a child, I never met an author of colour. Who knows? If I had, perhaps it might not have taken me thirty odd years to find my passion!
TN: How important has diversity in children's literature been to you? In books that you read as a child or young person? In your career?
SH: I don’t know that I was particularly aware of diversity as a child. I happily read books that only featured white, hetero-normative, able-bodied protagonists for the majority of my childhood, but I remember feeling so excited when I discovered books with BAME characters, such as Kamla from Kamla and Kate by Jamila Gavin. They stood out to me because I was finally seeing characters that reflected me and now looking back, I can see that excitement was my way of processing the need to see more books that reflected my reality.
Right now, we are in a golden age for children’s books and publishers are sitting up and listening to the need to see more diverse characters in children’s literature. Being BAME has never been so trendy, which in itself can be problematic. Firstly, I hope this isn’t a trend that is forgotten in a few years. I hope we are seeing change at every level of publishing. Secondly, there is that horrible awkwardness you find at the beginning of any social movement; BAME authors and illustrators suddenly thrust into the spotlight in terms of making it onto award shortlists and so must wonder on some level if they are there for their talent or in a more tokenistic way?
It’s a double-edged sword but on the whole the call for change and publishers recognising that lack of diversity is a problem is a good thing for career writers and illustrators from diverse backgrounds, and I hope with change comes more opportunities to nurture talent from diverse communities.
TN: Will Dave Pigeon ever befriend a cat? Or possibly be forced into a temporary collaboration with one?
SH: It’s very interesting that you mention this! A peace treaty between Dave Pigeon and Mean Cat has always been an idea for a book so I’m not sure I want to reveal too much about that just yet.
TN: What's next? Do you have a new character, book, or
series planned that will reflect your New Zealand locale
SH: I have lots of pots on the boil at the moment. In 2019 Little Rabbit’s Big Surprise, illustrated by Alison Friend, publishes in Spring and the fourth Dave Pigeon book, Dave Pigeon (Royal Coo!), illustrated by Sheena Dempsey comes out too.
Sheena and I are working on a brand new young fiction series, which will feature a naughty panda, and the first book publishes with Faber & Faber in 2020. I’m also working on my first picture books with Dapo Adeola and the first of those publishes with Macmillan in 2020.
I’ve only been in New Zealand for a couple of months now, and I feel so inspired already so I’m sure an Aotearoa-inspired adventure will be on the horizon soon.
About Swapna Haddow:
Londoner Swapna Haddow is the award-winning children’s author of the Dave Pigeon series, published by Faber & Faber. She loves to write about boisterous animals that cause mayhem and is working with Faber & Faber, Little Tiger Press and Macmillan to make sure mean cats, grizzly bears and big-hearted little rabbits find their place on the bookshelves. Friendship and humour are always at the heart of what Swapna loves to write. Swapna currently lives in New Zealand with her husband, son and their dog, Archie.
Books:
Dave Pigeon
Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
Published by Faber & Faber (2016)
Age: 5+
Dave Pigeon (Nuggets!)
Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
Published by Faber & Faber (2017)
Age: 5+
Dave Pigeon (Racer!)
Published by Faber & Faber (2018)
Age: 5+
Little Rabbit’s Big Surprise
Illustrated by Alison Friend
Published by Little Tiger Press (2019)
Age: 3+
Dave Pigeon (Royal Coo!)
Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
Published by Faber & Faber (2019)
Age: 5+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Over the past decade, Tanja Nathanael has been building substantial experience in international children's literature by means of travel, coursework, publications, and conferences. Her study of children's literature has taken her to Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Additionally, she has published numerous "postcard" book reviews in Bookbird, an international children’s literature magazine. She has also presented on the topic of international children's literature at both regional and international conferences, including the 15th Annual European Conference on Reading in Berlin in 2007 and on ChLA's international panel on Iceland in 2008. Professionally, she has served on ChLA’s international committee (2015-2018) and continues her support as Co-Editor of the blog. She is currently serving on the Studies in Languages and Literatures Advisory Board for The International Federation for Languages and Literatures (FILLM). As a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, she successfully defended her dissertation in Fall 2018. Her research interests include nineteenth century British Literature—especially Old Northern antiquities as celebrated by the Victorians—and children’s literature, including broader connections to international literatures within these areas.