It’s a saying that every reader, big or small, has heard: don’t judge a book by its cover! But in Alex Willan’s picture book series, The Worst!, protagonist Gilbert the Goblin is known for being pretty darn confident in his rather firm — and not particularly positive — opinions on fellow fairytale creatures. In the newest book of the series, Mermaids Are the Worst!, Gilbert has his beach vacation and preconceptions tested by a new annoyance. We had the chance to sit down with Alex and talk about his newest book, the importance of teaching kids to examine prejudices, and the indisputable humor of a bare backside.
About Alex Willan
If it were Alex Willan, and not Gilbert the Goblin, who was in charge of writing the stories, he’d make a book called Anchovies Are the Worst! Alex is the author-illustrator of The Worst! picture book series and the Jasper & Ollie series, as well as the illustrator of Got Your Nose, written by Alan Katz. Alex lives in Chicago with his dog, Harley, who is the absolute best.
Thank you so much for joining us, Alex! Let’s dive in.
For readers unfamiliar with Gilbert and his previous adventures, could you give us a short introduction to the persnickety fellow and his history of making assumptions about others?
Gilbert is a goblin who, when we first meet him, has been living alone in his meadow for hundreds of years, where he was quite content to spend his time completing his serious goblin work. So, while he is very grumpy and negative toward each new encounter with other magical creatures, I think that underneath all of that crankiness, he actually just doesn’t really know how to interact with others. With each new story, Gilbert is slowly learning how to be a better version of himself.
What are Gilbert’s reasons for being so averse to mermaids in the first place?
Gilbert is annoyed by the fact that his vacation, which was intended to be full of peace and relaxation, has been turned upside down by the arrival of the mermaids, who are competing in their annual tournament of aquatic awesomeness. As usual, he does not react well to the change.
While comedic in tone, The Worst! series centers around strong anti-prejudice and anti-bias themes. Why do you think these are such critical themes to explore with young readers?
I think that the greatest thing about reading at any level is that it teaches you empathy by allowing you to see things from a perspective other than your own. So, I’ve really enjoyed, in this series, taking a character whose views are so blatantly false (how could anyone not like unicorns?) and then figuring out how they might have gotten to such an incorrect conclusion.
For Gilbert, most of his issues come from some form of insecurity. Hopefully, by the end of each story, readers will not only see Gilbert realize the errors of his ways, but they will also see a character who had a certain prejudice, realized the faults of that assumption, and then used his new perspective to reevaluate his previously held views. That is, at least, until the next story in the series comes along.
Unicorns Are the Worst! recently made the cover of School Library Journal for facing censorship over an illustration of Gilbert’s bare backside, something a Moms for Liberty chapter president challenged as “pornographic.” Were you ever expecting this kind of pushback when you wrote the book, and how did you respond to it?
Previous to the book being banned or censored, I had seen the occasional online reviewer who took issue with the fact that you see Gilbert’s bare backside. So, I knew that there are people in the world who might take such offense, and if you are such a person, fair enough, my book’s not for you. What was really upsetting was seeing people decide what others should or should not read. It is quite the leap from saying something is not to your taste to saying that it is “pornographic.” In the end, all I can say is that butts are funny.
Tell us a little about your process as an author-illustrator. For instance, when developing a new project, what comes first: the words or the artwork?
Some of my ideas for a new project might start in my sketchbook, but once the idea starts to take shape, I usually have to get a version of the words down first. That sort of gives my brain some general guardrails to bounce between. But after that, the words inform the art which will inspire changes to the words and so on and so on. In a way, it is very freeing, knowing that whatever I put down in a manuscript is not set in stone.
You often interact with young readers at school and community events. Can you tell us about a favorite interaction that you’ve had with a young fan?
There are so many! I once had a Kindergartener at a school visit ask if I’d ever considered working on something non-fiction (which is not what you expect from a kid that young), and another time I had a student ask, “Is Gilbert ever going to get over it?” I also really loved Halloween as a kid, so seeing kids dress as Gilbert or decorate a pumpkin to look like one of my characters is always really special.
One of the most unexpected things I’ve seen came from the first book in the series, Unicorns Are the Worst! In that book, Gilbert points out that no one ever asks for a goblin-themed birthday party while he stands in front of a wall covered in unicorn party supplies. Since that book came out, I have had several parents reach out to me to let me know that their kids insisted on having a goblin theme for their own birthday parties. These amazing children decided to share their special day with Gilbert so that he wouldn’t feel so excluded. Talk about empathy!
We always love to ask children’s authors and illustrators what books inspired them when they were children themselves. Is there a particular book or series that you still hold in your heart from that time?
I loved Shel Silverstein’s books as a kid (Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic in particular). I think that his books really helped to inform my sense of humor. And artistically, I was really into comic books growing up (X-Men and Spider-Man in particular) so I have loved seeing the growing appreciation for that genre recently.
Lastly, in honor of Mermaids Are the Worst!, what do you love to do at the beach: go swimming, read a book, search for seashells?
I’m actually not the biggest beach person. I love being near the water, but a cabin on a lake would be more my vibe. Although, I used to live in an apartment here in Chicago that was really close to Lake Michigan, and I really liked taking my dog, Harley, down to the beach there. She is not very big, so she found the small waves coming in to be equal parts fascinating and terrifying.
An enormous thank you to Alex for taking the time to speak with us about his work! Be sure to find him online at AlexWillan.com, or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Lastly, don’t forget to check out Mermaids Are the Worst! and add it to your family’s TBR list!
For more of our favorite books about unexpected unicorns, check out our article on Outstanding Picture Books That Feature Unconventional Unicorn Stars.
To see all of our recommendations for mini bookworms, check out our Bookshop bookshelf.
