This month we celebrate the latest collaboration from multi-award-winning creative team, Levi Pinfold and Hannah Gold. Not only receiving numerous awards but also reaching the top of the Sunday Times best-seller chart this hugely talented duo have created a magical format together. Turtle Moon will the fourth fiction title in their fantastically gripping wildlife adventure series, which inspires young readers to be more mindful of the natural world and to be compassionate to other people and themselves.
Levi is well known for his stylistic realism, majestic use of colour, and fine attention to detail, atmospheric and absorbing with stunning gilt detailing on the cover all the illustrations featured in Turtle Moon originating from exquisite hand drawn illustrations and paintings. This traditional fiction format also features full page black and white illustrations and chapter headings which perfectly compliment Hannah’s words.
"The girl and the turtle held each other's gaze. It wasn't just a look though. It was a question. From one living being to another. 'You want me to help?' The turtle inclined her head ever so gently. So gently it might have been a figment of Silver's imagination."
You can see the illustrations here on Levi's portfolio.
From his studio on the other side of the planet Levi kindly spent some time to tell us a little more about this incredible project...
Did you research leatherback turtles in detail before embarking on this project and have you ever seen one in real life ?
I have never seen a leatherback in real life, much as I would love to. Such majestic creatures! Most of my research in this case was of the google variety, although I did quiz my marine biologist sister a little.
Has becoming a parent changed your feelings about conservation and the natural world?
It has been pretty surprising, as you might expect! I thought I’d be angrier than ever at corporate greed and self-serving exploitation of the environment, and I am. But I wasn’t expecting how much I would learn from witnessing my children’s fascination at the natural world, and how much joy it brings them. It suggests that a sense of wonder and connection to nature comes totally naturally to us, and that gives me hope.
You live in a very picturesque part of the world, does the environment around you inspire your work?
Absolutely! We’re extremely lucky to live near the beach here. One of my favourite things to do is to pop our two kids in a beach trolley and drive them through the woods down a sandy track to the shore. The beach tracks around here look a lot like the picture on the cover to Turtle Moon, so it almost drew itself.
If you could travel anywhere in the world and study any animal where would you choose and which animal would you choose?
I think perhaps I’d have to choose Snow leopards in the Himalayas, although studying colossal squid deep in the ocean around New Zealand would come a close second.
If you were to be stranded on a desert island which items you would hope to have with you?
Which three creative materials?
A good knife for carving, a spray bottle for sand sculpting, and a hammer and chisel for stone sculptures. Limitless potential! Paper and pencils would run out too quickly.
Which book?
That’s a hard one. I’m going to cheat and take something useful like the SAS survival guide, or perhaps a complete set of encyclopaedia.
Which animal companion?
I’d like to say my dog, Murphy, but he eats so much we probably wouldn’t last long.
Perhaps an orangutan. Great company and handy with the old coconut retrieval.
Two bonus items:
A picture of my family, and a guitar
Do you still have time to create art for pleasure and if so can you show us the most recent page in your sketch book?
The last pictures I managed were some quick charcoal portraits of my wife before we had our first, four years ago! It has been a busy time, to say the least.
Turtle Moon shines a fantastic light on Levi’s incredible talent so with huge thanks and congratulations both Levi and Hannah we will retire to our reading chairs to re-read this future award-winner.
"Such clever, corageous storytelling. I adored it." Emma Carroll
"Turtle Moon is gorgeous...full of heart and Hope" Abi Elphinstone
"Turtle Moon is, without doubt, Hannah Gold's best yet" A. F. Steadman
Turtle Moon is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books and you can grab a copy here. (if you manage to get your hands on a hardback copy, don’t forget to check under the dust jacket, you’re in for a real treat)
If you would like to donate to the WWF Turtle conservation fund please click HERE
You can find Levi Pinfold on Instagram. Please sign up to Hannah Gold's newsletter to find out all about her books.
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