Behind the Book: A Crocodile Should Never Skip Breakfast by Colleen Larmour

Having a solid meal in the morning sets us up for success throughout the day, and Colleen Larmour’s new book reminds young readers just that. A CROCODILE SHOULD NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST is Larmour’s first author-illustrated book in 15 years, and follows the main character, Croc, throughout his hectic work day after running late and missing breakfast. Colleen shares with us her experience in crafting this book from it’s inital conception to finalizing the idea with the team at Kids Can Press.

A Crocodile Should Never Skip Breakfast, published by Kids Can Press is available at all booksellers now.

Can you share a bit about the main character, the crocodile, and what makes them relatable to young readers?

Crocodile works as the jungle ferry, carrying lots of animals up and down the river. But on this particular day he oversleeps and rushes out the door, skipping breakfast. This bad decision is followed by a lot of bad luck that means Croc must work on an empty stomach. As Croc gets increasingly desperate for food his passengers look like they might just be about to bear the brunt of his HANGER! I think children and adults alike can relate to this type of chaotic morning and the hangry pangs that follow. It’s a fun and silly reminder that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

What inspired the character design and artistic style of the book?

The idea for this book started with a single visual image I had of a crocodile carrying lots of animal passengers on his back along a dense jungle river. This idea floated around inside my head for a long time with no story. Then one night as I lay in bed unable to sleep the entire story idea came to me and I noted it down in my phone before it escaped. No doubt I was knackered and overslept the next morning, late for the school run. I wonder did we skip breakfast?

Anyway, I began experimenting with how Croc should look and to no one’s surprise he was green. But green didn’t quite suit my Croc, and once I decided I wanted Croc to be a brilliant blue, and the river to be green, the rest of the art style felt much easier. I took inspiration from bright summer colour palettes and sprinkled donuts, which feature in the book as the problem and the solution! I mixed this palette with a contemporary retro art style. I’m always inspired by mid-century illustration, art and design. I love furniture and home style from that era so it always comes through in my art one way or another.

Did you encounter any challenges while developing the storyline or creating the illustrations? If so, how did you overcome them?

The story was quite tricky to get right and took a lot of development. Fortunately, I had the most incredible editor and designer team to work with, Patricia Ocampo and Andrew Dupuis at Kids Can Press. This was my first authored book in 15 years so I felt very out of practice and was really open to the editorial process and learning on the job. Patricia is amazing to work with. Passionate, funny and inspiring, and the perfect collaborator for Croc. She worked me hard to get the pacing right and we had great fun working out what to do with the cover. That first image that must grab your attention from the get go and pull you in. I sketched a lot of them before settling on what it is now.

How did you incorporate elements of humor or surprise to keep young readers engaged throughout the story?

A lot of the humour is conveyed through the characters facial expressions and body language so getting that right was important. I loved creating exaggerated gestures with Croc’s elongated body shape! Then it was about stacking up a good amount of unexpected obstacles preventing Croc from eating breakfast. This really helps add to a sense of Croc’s desperation and the threat level for his passengers! I hope the humour is at a level that kids will enjoy and that their adult readers can relate to, such as Croc finally getting to work only to realise another employee has had all the staff room snacks and coffee. Horrendous!

What advice would you give to an aspiring author/illustrator who are working on their own children’s picture books?

Really throw yourself into and enjoy the editorial process. Be open to discarding or changing elements of your story many times in order to get the best from it. I think I love this early part of making a book the best because anything is possible and getting it right feels like solving one big puzzle. I really enjoy the collaborative process with an editor and designer and bashing around ideas. For Croc there were many different scribbled thumbnails, dummy books and wrong solutions before it was right, so you’ve got to almost go though a process of eliminating all of the not-quite-right ideas for the book in order to distill it down to the one that works best.

Colleen is represented by Nicky Lander. To work with Colleen, get in touch with Nicky here.