1) On the first double
page of "The Rabbits" there is a statye at the front of the cave, is there any
motive behined it, and was it intended to appear that way?
Do you mean a statue?
No, it's not really meant to look like anything, just a weird rock, like
something from inland Australia. You may notice the 'rock art' though, which
is meant to maybe look like drawings of the 'dead marsupials' we see later, as
the 'many grandparents' mentioned in the text.
2) What animal is
representing the Aborigines?
I've already answered this question from another
group.
3) Is there a meaning
behind the numbers written on the Rabbits, if so what?
No particular meaning, just to get a sense that the
rabbits are very interested in numbers the way Europeans were, and numbers to me
suggest a number of things. On the rabbits, I was thinking that the numbers
could show 'rank' or that some rabbits are 'higher class' than others. Also,
because there are so many rabbits, they may have to use numbers a lot, just as
we do ourselves (ID numbers, phone numbers, etc.) and are a society of strangers
to each other. For a tribal indigenous people, these ideas would probably be
very strange.
4) On the last page
are the rabbit and the "possum" uniting or is there a different
meaning?
That's a good question, and basically I don't have
an answer for it. I wanted to do a picture that was very open to
interpretation... they are not necessarily united, but may about to be. They are
both looking at stars reflected in a small pool of water, which suggests to me
the idea of seeing a 'big picture' and thinking in a philosophical way. I guess
I believe that before you can ever do the right thing, you have to think deeply
about everything first (which is the main mistake the rabbits have made - not
thinking enough beyond their own desires).
5) On the front
cover, we have come to a conclusion that the clouds are resembling the British
and the Aboriginals coming towards each other into a battlefield is this
correct?
Well, I didn't think of that myself, but the thing
about pictures is that you are free to see whatever you want in them, as long as
you believe it works. Personally, I just think that the swirling clouds look
dramatic, like a storm might be coming - they are not peaceful at least... so it
might give a sense that some big event or conflict is coming. But I don't often
put things in as symbols, it's more to create a sense of something; often in a
vague way so that there are no correct or incorrect interpretations. It just
either feels right or it doesn't.
6) Did you come
up with the illustrations yourself or did John Marsden help?
I came up with them myself, and had very little
contact with John (in fact, we did not speak to each other directly for the
whole 8 or 9 months that it took me to complete the illustrations). This was
because John did not feel he had enough experience of illustration to be
involved in this side of the book, but he remained very supportive of all my
ideas, and was quite surprised by them.
