Almost everything that interests preschool children has to do with their bodies. They run, test their balance, jump, carry heavy stones, throw things. I’ve always wanted to write about the years when we are very close to the ground and make use of sticks, mud and water. It’s so easy for us adults to forget those initial tactile and physical delights. And we don’t always understand how important this is in helping children develop their skills.

I grew up over a movie theatre. All of our games were influenced by the cartoons they showed there. The special quality that was for real but still make-believe. Children are always so close to the borderline between fantasy and reality. Vina Vina is one of those types. He’s at the edge of reality. For the illustrations, I looked for someone who ‘understood sticks’. I found Lotta Geffenblad who, besides being a major artistic talent, also has a real understanding of what goes on in the minds of young children. She created Vina Vina’s world little by little, as I wrote the five books.