Gloucestershire-based author Sarah Matthews and her husband, the award-winning fantasy artist Rodney Matthews, have just launched their latest book for children, Yendor: The Land of the Googolsaurs – and we have a special interview with Rodney about the project…
Sarah and Rodney have only recently stepped into the world of children’s books, creating fantasy stories for young readers, with several books available direct from the talented creators.
You’re celebrated for your fantasy artwork, particularly your album covers for rock bands in the 1970s and ’80s. Can you tell us a bit about that part of your career — and how it shaped you as an illustrator?
Rodney: From 1970 until 1976, I was part of a music agency, Plastic Dog, operating in Park Street, Bristol, UK. I was one of the two illustrators there. Many of my commissions were for album cover artworks for local folk bands, as well as for posters advertising music events in the area. As time passed, we started to get interest from national record companies, such as, United Artists, Transatlantic, Decca, etc. I seemed to be gradually channelled into rock album art from this point but strangely, in my spare time, I had been developing ideas for a children’s book.
You’ve worked in everything from concept art and album covers to animation and TV. What is it that drew you toward children’s books at this stage in your career?
My interest in children’s illustrated books goes back a long way, even to the 1960s, when I was employed in advertising. There was always an idea in my mind, but never the time to bring it to fruition!
Does illustrating for children require a different mindset or approach from your previous work in music and art?
I don’t design down to children, but I have found there is a formula that holds their attention. Colour is the obvious one, but I generally ensure that each illustration has a colour key so that my picture harmonises, rather than fragmenting because of poor colour choice – a trick I learned from the early Walt Disney artists. My other mainstay is humour – make them laugh and you have fans!
Was there a particular children’s book or illustrator that influenced you early on and does their work influence you now?
Back in the 1960s, there was one book in particular that blew my mind, Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are. Utterly different – stylised monsters with a fantastic story!
My favourite kid’s book illustrator of all time is the wonderful Arthur Rackham, whose pen and watercolour works have adorned many of the classics – Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, etc, etc, etc. Magical stuff!
Your signature style is instantly recognisable — rich in detail and otherworldly! Do you adapt your illustrations when working for a younger audience, and, if so, how?
Yes, I adapt according to the expected age of the reader, softer for the very young ones and a tad spikier for the more brave or adventurous. Dragons are always a good bet for the older ones.
Yendor: The Land of the Googolsaurs is your most recent book. Can you tell us a bit about its origins and what inspired it?
It’s a long story that commenced in 1973. In my spare time, I accumulated a small pile of watercolour illustrations that featured a little character called Yendor. Later, a musician friend, Graham Smith, provided me with a story and the whole thing, titled Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer, was published by Big O Publishing, London, in 1978. It was republished by Rodney Matthews Studios in 2020 – my wife, Sarah, revised the graphics and brought the text up-to-date. The Land of the Googolsaurs is our second book in the Yendor series, this time with a story by Sarah.
You work together with your wife, Sarah Matthews, on Yendor. What is that collaboration like and how do your creative strengths play off one another?
We work closely in the same studio area so that we can bounce ideas back-and-forth, ideas concerning storylines, illustration and graphics – it’s almost as if the book evolves before our very eyes! And yet the process can be quite exhausting.
When it comes to creating a book like Yendor, which comes first — your illustrations, or Sarah’s story? Or is it more of a back-and-forth?
Here it can be a bit of both. There are no hard and fast rules.
When you’re not illustrating books, what are your other interests and how have they informed your artwork?
I thrash my drums from time to time and often create and record music inspired by my artworks!
Yendor: The Land of the Googolsaurs (Book 2 in the Yendor series) is out now, for ages 8+. It’s available here, along with Yendor: The Journey of a Young Adventurer, direct from the Rodney Matthews Studio web site
• Yendor: The Land of the Googolsaurs by Sarah Matthews, and illustrated Rodney Matthews | Released 15th May 2025 | £8.99 | ISBN 9781916384385 | Paperback | Rodney Matthews Studios | 8+ | Buy it here | Buy the bundle, including a sticker book
When young dactyl Peetee’s mother disappears, adventurer Yendor and his friend Pink set off to help – climbing the Very Pointy Peaks and beyond! But the mystery grows, and Yendor soon finds himself on a much bigger adventure.
Yendor: The Land of the Googolsaurs bursts with colour and imagination, featuring new friends, fearsome enemies and stunning illustrations by fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. Written by Sarah Matthews, this exciting rescue tale is perfect for early readers and is a delightful read-aloud story for younger children.
Thank you to Dannie Price for her help with this feature
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 Shortlist spotlights five comic strip creations 
Crowdfunding Spotlight: Becoming Frazetta 
Happy Birthday, Noddy! 
Charming Annual art by Lawson Wood offered for sale