Interview with Klaus Flugge Winner- Flavia Z. Drago

Flavia, Congratulations on winning this most prestigious award. The longlist was incredible and we can imagine the debates and discussions held over Gustavo, the Shy Ghost. A clever and brilliantly illustrated book, this is already very popular in schools and libraries.

We so appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions!

How did it feel to learn of being longlisted, then shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Award?

I felt incredibly excited and honoured to have my book shortlisted next to other illustrators whose work I admire and respect so much!

Do those feelings change upon learning you have won? What was the first thing you did upon learning this?

I think I squealed, and stayed in a state of disbelief for a little while!

I was already amazed to have been shortlisted, but when I got the news, I felt incredulous and surprised. I would have never imagined that the judges would have chosen my book as this year’s winner. I feel very happy, grateful and motivated to keep working very hard.

Where did the idea and inspiration for Gustavo come from?

The idea for the story came from a Tweet I wrote in 2016 when I was thinking about the reason behind ghosts wearing sheets ‘It must be because they are shy’. I had a little laugh and thought that it could be fun to write a book about a shy ghost, who in the end takes off his sheet and discovers his true self to others. By the way, this is not how the book ends because as I was working on Gustavo, I understood that telling his story was a way in which I could speak about my own experiences as a shy child, and how art helped me to connect with others, rather than having a character as a means for telling a joke.

How long did it take you to design and illustrate the book?

I started working on the book on May 2017 and finished it by March 2018, half of the book was made while I was living in Cambridge in the UK, and the other half, while I was in Mexico City.

Are there any pages you are particularly proud of and want to draw attention towards?

My favourite spread is the one where Gustavo is looking at the monsters playing from the balcony because it reminds me of own my childhood. When I was in kindergarten, I sat alone during lunch breaks and watched children play while being amazed by the fact that they seemed to be completely happy to talk and play with each other.

I also like that in the graveyard scenes, you can find the names of my grandparents engraved in the tombstones – Chuta, Lupe, Rolando and Tuto. The Day of the Dead is my favourite Mexican celebration, because we remember our loved ones who died by making altars –that we call ofrendas– with their favourite things and food. The main idea is to celebrate their lives by welcoming them back home. In a way, my book is honouring the tradition, and my loved ones at the same time.

What would you hope readers will take from reading Gustavo?

When I started working on the book, I didn’t notice how much I had in common with Gustavo, but the more I got to understand him, I realized that telling this story was important for me because I wanted to show that being shy doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy the company of people -or in this case, monsters! – It just means that you find it difficult to reach to others, especially for the first time.

Do you experiment with a variety of art media? Is there something you prefer or something you still wish to try?

During the years that I have been working as an illustrator I have tried lots of different media – pencil, watercolour, ink, collage, digital. Lately I have been enjoying a mix of pencil, ink and crayons on different kinds of paper, which then scan, and I colour digitally. This gives me the warmth of the textures of the materials and the liberty to edit and make some changes.

Recently I have been experimenting at the print room making linocuts. I find it challenging and frustrating at times, but equally I think that experimentation is important because it keeps your curiosity alive and pushes the boundaries of that what you thought you could achieve.

Are you working on anything else you can share with us at the moment?

At the moment I am doing a PhD on horror tropes in children’s picturebooks in Anglia Ruskin University, so far, new ideas are coming from my research.

I also have a few new more books coming soon with Walker Books. This October, my monster board book collection called ‘Monsters Play’ will feature familiar and new faces. On 2022 you will be able to see my second picturebook about a family of witches who are experts in the dark arts of patisserie. It’s a celebration to family, identity, self-acceptance and imperfection.

Many thanks for taking the time to answer these and we are so pleased you have won! We can’t wait to see what you do next!

Thank you so much for the prize, I still can’t believe that I have won!