Quickfire Questions with Trent Jamieson author of 'The Giant and the Sea'

We caught up with Queensland local Trent Jamieson to ask him five Quickfire Questions about his beautiful new children’s book The Giant and the Sea…

‘You never know where the sentences will take you, but I keep having so much fun finding out…’

What inspired you to write The Giant and the Sea?

The opening sentence “There was a giant who stood on the shore of the sea” which sprang from a nap – which has to have been the most productive nap of my life. I had it stuck in my head while I was working on a novel (see question 5), and I decided I needed to know where it went. I followed the sentences, and the rhythm of the story, and I was surprised where it led me. Which is always (well, mostly) a good thing!

Obviously, the themes of the book around climate change have been playing on my mind, and I’d like to think I’m far from the only one, it’s just one of my responses was to write a story about a brave girl and a giant.

This is such a beautiful and deeply moving story. What message do you want kids to take away with them after reading The Giant and the Sea?

That even in the darkest times there is still hope but also to question perceived or comfortable wisdom. Often our culture gets by on ignoring uncomfortable truths and that’s where stories can help us: they’re a safe space to start a discussion.

We’ve had our giants (scientists) warning us for decades that the climate catastrophe was coming. It’s well past time that we listened to them as a community and did something.

Responding to climate change means making big changes to our society, and none of them are going to be easy. But if we do it together, as a community, we can make it easier for everyone. There’s a brave girl in this story, but I believe we can all be brave and if we work together bravely and compassionately we can change the world for the better.

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. How did you end up working with Rovina Cai and what was that process like?

I adore Rovina’s artwork, and I am so lucky that she agreed to illustrate the story.

She was the artist that I wanted from the start of the project. From the moment my agent Alex Adsett suggested her and I checked out her work I knew that she would be the perfect fit for the book. The stars aligned so that she could do the work, and now I can’t even imagine anyone else illustrating it. It was wonderful seeing the work develop, though I didn’t see much of the artwork until late in the process. The words came first, then the art, and then in the final stages of editing we tweaked a few things amplify the resonance between the words and the pictures.

I’m no artist so I was happy to be a bystander looking on in wonder at that side of things. I was lucky too that Hachette treated me so gently, the editorial team of Suzanne O’Sullivan and Sophie Mayfield were fabulous. I didn’t really know what to expect with a picture book, but I hadn’t expected it to be so much fun. Hannah Janzen did the design work on the book, and that really brought everything together.

As you can see, a picture book is a team effort. We’ve all made something that I am very proud of, and very proud to share with these wonderful artists.

What are three books that have inspired you or changed your life in some way?

Oh, that’s so hard! I feel like every book is a tiny detonation inside you that pushes you somewhere new.

The three I’m going to pick today are The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, I love the entire series of Earthsea books, but this book had me from such an early age (it wasn’t a tiny detonation it was a supernova), and it still teaches me things about rhythm and concision and the deep truths in fantasy fiction. And the dragons are incredible!

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. I adore this book, suggested to me by my school librarian Mr Foley when I was about seven. I’ve read it many times since my primary school years, and it always surprises me. The last time I read it was to my newborn daughter while she slept in my arms. While I wish it had more female characters (well, any, to be honest) it is a wonderful adventure that is also a glorious critique of the insidious nature of greed. (Also, Smaug, and riddles!)

Lud-in-the-Mist Hope Mirrlees This book written in 1926, is even older than The Hobbit, but it is one of my favourite books about fairies, fairy fruit, and the weird nature of our relationship with creativity. It’s a book that always manages to deliver a new thing on each reading too. ‘

So, I guess I am drawn to stories with a preponderance of dragons, magic and fairies.

If I was to mention more recent books the Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox has just started doing something to my story brain (more fairies). Bone Clocks by David Mitchell really taught me how to tell a fantasy story that was also deeply focused on climate change (though you don’t know that to the end #slightspoiler).

Congratulations on publishing your first picture book! What’s next for you?

Thank you! The Giant and the Sea has been in the works since 2017 and I’m still surprised by it!

As for what’s next, I have a few picture books (some extremely silly) in various stages of draft, so we’ll see. I have a novel (that I can’t talk about at the moment) that will hopefully see the light next year (I’ve been working on it for what feels like a very long time).

I’ve also just “finished” a draft of a big fantasy novel, that I’ve already started playing with again, and which I think is going to grow even bigger. I don’t think I’ve ever written anything as wholeheartedly fantastical, and the writing has given me a lot of joy; the characters in it have been entertaining me so much. Hopefully I can find a home for it too.

You never know where the sentences will take you, but I keep having so much fun finding out.

More About The Giant and the Sea

A stunningly beautiful and powerful take on climate change, standing up for what you believe in, and the power of hope. With lyrical text by acclaimed author Trent Jamieson and illustrations by CBCA Award-winner Rovina Cai that will resonate long after reading. For fans of Shaun Tan and Armin Greder.

A giant stands on the shore, watching the sea. She never moves, never speaks, until the day she turns to a little girl and says, 'The sea is rising.'

The brave girl takes the message to the town. But when the people refuse to listen, the giant must find another way to save them.

Perfect for the children of the Climate Strike, this is a lyrical and deeply moving story about climate change, standing up for what you believe in, and the power of hope.

Discover The Magic Hidden Between The Pages…