I did about 2000 covers altogether, for all sorts of books - from Shakespeare to James Bond - and I always had the idea that I must give 100%, no matter who the author was.

I thought it was amazing to work with authors, to get a manuscript and try to make up a cover for it.

My father realised that for me to become a publisher in his firm would have been the end of the firm!

I thought it would be very nice to become Picasso or Rembrandt, or a van Gogh.

I did about 2000 covers altogether, for all sorts of books - from Shakespeare to James Bond - and I always had the idea that I must give 100%, no matter who the author was.

Then one day I thought it would be wonderful to make a whole book, to make my text and my drawings together, and that's how I started doing children's books.

Each book first begins with a little idea.