Craig Silvey, author, 41: Q&A

Reading books is vital for our development, says Craig Silvey. So is that why he has turned his hand to a children’s book, Runt?

Author Craig Silvey. Picture: Daniel Grant

You are a well-established, prize-winning novelist. Why turn your hand to a children’s book, Runt? I respond to the story I get given. It always begins with character. A stranger visits my thoughts, like a ghost, and they beckon me into the unknown. My task as a writer is to follow them, earn their trust, learn their truth, and record it.

What is the story about? Annie Shearer is 11. Her best and only friend is a spry and agile stray dog called Runt, who she rescued. In a bid to save her family farm, Annie aspires to compete at the prestigious Krumpets Dog Show in London. Given the narrative, it felt necessary to employ a style that invited younger readers in. So the voice of Runt carries echoes of the books that shaped me when I was Annie’s age: EB White, Roald Dahl, James Herriot, Bill Watterson, Judy Blume, Sue Townsend, Paul Jennings.

Children’s books have been making news lately: should we be rewriting the classics to take account of modern sensibilities? I’m positioned somewhere in the centre of this issue. There’s little sense in overly-sanitising texts, particularly those written in different social and political eras. I’m more dismayed by books being banned outright. What gets lost in the noise of opinion are the young readers themselves, who are more sophisticated, perspicacious, robust and judicious than we give them credit for.

What role will children’s books play in introducing your daughter, Matilda, to challenging or frightening ideas? Books are vital for our development. Reading is an act of compassion. It is impossible to open a book and not meet somebody new. And for those of us who feel misunderstood, marginalised, or isolated in the real world, we might encounter someone who is just like us. In this most beautiful way, books help us feel less alone. And for young readers in particular, this can be life-altering.

Do you recall being read to, as a kid? Not really. My earliest memories of reading were by torchlight under my doona. I was an obsessive and independent devourer of books. I was a careful, sensitive kid, and books were a way for me to be brave. Through stories I could explore the world, and have adventures. They still give me courage.

Can book-loving parents win the war against screens? Of course. Blithely scrolling through screens will always have a lazy allure, because social media feeds offer endless nibbles of dopamine. It’s obviously very addictive. However, there’s only so much snacking we can do before we need something more substantive. We must nourish a deeper need, and that is where books have no peer.

Do you recall visiting a library as a child, and perhaps also your reaction to the idea that you could take any book off the shelf? I recall two specific books I speculatively borrowed that had a lasting impact. The first was Goodnight Mr Tom, by Michelle Magorian, which seemed to call out to me when I was 10 years old. It introduced me to a complexity of emotions that I’d never encountered before. The second I borrowed on a whim when I was 14. I grew up on an orchard, so maybe I was drawn to the piece of fruit featured on the cover. The book was A Clockwork Orange, and it was not about citrus. It blew my head clean off. I loved it.

Craig Silvey’s Runt has won Book of the Year for Younger Readers at the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards.