IT'S hard to speak to Lauren Child without humming the Charlie And Lola theme tune in your head. "It's catchy isn't it?" she admits.
The 51-year-old writer and illustrator has just published her sixth Charlie And Lola book – A Dog With Nice Ears – and in June, was crowned the 10th UK children's laureate, which she calls "an honour, a responsibility in a good way and an opportunity".
Lauren's first Charlie And Lola book, I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato, was published in 2000, before the brother and sister were brought to life in an animated CBeebies series.
The mum-of-one (she adopted daughter Tuesday from Mongolia) is also known for the well-loved Clarice Bean books and spin-off series Ruby Redfort.
What inspired A Dog With Nice Ears?
I wrote that book many years ago, before the TV show came out. I often write ideas or partial stories and don't get round to illustrating them. When my daughter arrived on the scene, she had exactly the same feeling about wanting a dog as I'd had. My sister and I desperately wanted a cat, but my father was allergic.
So I decided that Lola would have an imaginary dog, she makes it happen in her head. When she gets her rabbit, she's told everyone it's a dog and that's that.
Why do you think Charlie and Lola are so enduring?
I think they're nostalgia characters. When I came up with them, I was thinking about the very best moments of childhood and the most reassuring times, particularly being with my older sister, who was one of those very responsible children, rather like Charlie, and the fun you can have with a sibling.
Charlie and Lola live in quite a 70s world, where things are a little bit simpler. I always think of them walking on their own, but in the TV show, we have to keep mentioning mum and dad, because otherwise people get very worried.
Also, having got a child myself now, I realise what parents meant when they said it's so nice to see children getting along rather than bickering – there is something very sweet and soothing about seeing them figuring out their problems in a kinder way.
What would you like to do during your time as children's laureate?
I really want to talk about opportunities for children to be creative and think for themselves, have time to discover things at their own pace and do things for the sake and pleasure of doing them, rather than for an end goal or for grades.
If you fancy taking up knitting, it would be really nice if you can just have a go and just enjoy the whole feel of it, not necessarily making some elaborate garment. It's just so nice to have a go and see if it takes you anywhere. And sometimes, where it takes you is you've enjoyed that day trying it out.
I'm [also] going to launch a website called 'Staring into Space', because I want to talk about the importance of just sitting with your thoughts and looking out of the window. A lot of the ideas I get come to me because I'm allowing myself time to sit and think – and then you start seeing things.
What are your earliest memories of reading or being read to?
I never remember a time when we weren't read to. My parents are both very big readers and my mum was a primary teacher, so she was passionate about books. They read aloud to us every single night.
When we were older and went on a family holiday, my father would always drive somewhere, stop the car and would read from a book while we'd look out at the Yorkshire Dales or something – it was a rather beautiful thing to do. I remember that very clearly.
What was your favourite book as child?
Pippi Longstocking meant a lot to me and that was because of the kind of character she was. She happened to be a girl, but the books weren't about being a girl and they weren't about doing your hair. In a way, she's got super powers, because she's incredibly strong and she doesn't seem to care what anybody thinks of her. If you can do that, you are incredibly resilient.
Which book has had the biggest impact?
Restoration by Rose Tremain. The character squanders everything and then feels terrible regret, but then it all comes right. [At the time] I was feeling very regretful about my choices, about the art school I'd gone to and the course I'd taken and just feeling awful.
People always say, 'Don't feel regret', like it's a really dirty word, but actually regret is quite a useful thing because it makes you look back and think, I don't want to get into that situation again.
That was the moment I started saying yes to things. Instead of being terrified of everything that came along, I thought there is nothing worse than regretting something because you haven't done it. Better to regret because you have done it. So that book was fundamental in me changing my attitude.
A Dog With Nice Ears by Lauren Child is published in hardback by Orchard Books
