Guest Post: Illustrating Sophie Johnson - Ella Okstad

I'd love to give a warm welcome to Ella Okstad today, who has written a great post about coming up with the initial illustrations for a new picture book series and to share some of her early sketches! I'm very much a fan of Ella's style and it's one which I admire and would love to be able to emulate!

Illustrating Sophie Johnson - Ella Okstad

When I first read the Unicorn Expert it was instantly clear to me how Sophie would look. As she is a self-confessed expert on unicorns and a detective genius it was very important to capture this in how she moves and behaves. For the Unicorn Expert, the publisher sent me a link to a John Lewis Insurance commercial video to describe her personality which I felt was really on point.


I wanted her to have a simple stripy dress and a couple of thin legs. This way it would be quite easy to mover her around. Her face is dominated by a large pair of round glasses which gives her an important look; she is, after all, an expert and it also makes room for lots of different expressions.

Whereas Sophie's look came quite instantly, the real Unicorn was a little more tricky. At first, I imagined it to be quite flamboyant with a more horse-like body and a long wavy tail and mane. Then after re-reading the text and sending a couple of emails back & forth, we decided to go with the chubby quite insecure type of unicorn. It is, after all, seeking unicorn advice from the world's best unicorn expert!

In Detective Genius, Bella the dog is always there with an attentive look keeping an eye on Sophie. She is the true detective!



The guinea pig from Unicorn Expert can be spotted a couple of times in Detective Genius. Have another look and see if you can spot it hiding in the pages!

Review Links

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert

Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius

Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad

Sophie Johnson studied very hard to become a detective and it's a good thing she did – there has been a terrible crime!

Someone has stolen Lion's tail. Unfortunately, this means that Sophie doesn't have time to train her new (and not very good) assistant, Bella.

However, is it possible that, while Sophie is busy rounding up suspects, she doesn't see that Bella may be better than she thinks?

Following on from the joy that is Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert Sophie is now a fully qualified detective! She also has an assistant, Bella the dog, who naturally isn't as good as Sophie, but there isn't anyone else to fill the position!

Lion's tail has gone missing, believed stolen, and Sophie is busy interviewing suspects and taking fingerprints. In the meantime, Bella has her nose to the ground and finds the tail long before Sophie, but Sophie remains oblivious - as usual! It's obvious who is the better detective but Sophie has had training and she sometimes eats her vegetables.

Ella's wonderful illustrations bring the story to life and the two blend together seamlessly to make a fabulous tale that any little one will enjoy. There's a touch of humor on every page and some of the animal's expressions are priceless when they're watching Sophie follow all the wrong clues and question the wrong suspects. Sophie yet again misses what is happening right under her nose but it's okay because Bella is there to save the day. Sophie might think she's smarter, more hardworking, and observant but we all know she's not, and that adds to the charm of the story.

As with Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert, this is a great book read out loud and both children and adults will enjoy something on every page. Some of the illustrated hints might need some explanation to younger children who won't quite understand what they mean but this doesn't detract from the genius that is Bella, I mean Sophie! I'm very much looking forward to Sophie Johnson's next adventure, Morag and Ella have created something special in her and I think she'll become a firm favorite. Oh, and check out the title page. It shows a row of houses and shops, and it just so happens there are a detective agency and a unicorn emporium right next door to each other!

Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad

ISBN - 9781471145650

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Release date - May 30th, 2019

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository | Hive UK

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad

A very funny story about a little girl who thinks she knows all there is to know about unicorns...
Sophie Johnson is an extremely endearing new picture book character, just bursting with information and knowledge that she is keen to pass on. She’s a self-confessed unicorn expert (among other things) and has dressed up her toys and pets with their own unique horns. Strange then, that she doesn’t seem to notice the real unicorn who has come into her house...

A wonderfully humorous story, from a new picture book dream-team, about a unicorn hiding in plain sight and a little girl who is totally oblivious to his presence!

There's a certain young lady I know who is mad about unicorns, she has unicorn books by the dozen but Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert stands out from the rest of the crowd! Sophie has seventeen unicorns, from her baby brother to the family dog to her stuffed toys - nobody is safe from having a unicorn head attached to their heads!

Sophie spends a lot of time looking after her unicorns - defending them, teaching them, and most time consuming, cleaning them. She's so busy looking after them that she doesn't notice when a real unicorn joins her in all of her adventures! It's a great way of showing littles how you have to look after something.

Both text and illustrations join together to make a fun read for all little (or not so little) fans of unicorns. It's a fun book to read out loud and to be shouted at by said little ones that they can see the unicorn, followed by lots of laughter that Sophie can't, because she is the expert.

I've read several of Morag Hood's picture books with the twins and read several other books illustrated by Ella Okstad and admired both. Ella's illustrations are fantastic and very much of the style that I wish I could draw! I'd like to applaud whoever put these two together as I think it's a stroke of genius!

If you'd like to see more of Ella's beautiful illustrations check out her Instagram page! Next up in the Sophie Johnson series is Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius and I'll be sharing my review and a guest post from Ella herself about coming up with the illustrations for Sophie.

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert - Morag Hood & Ella Okstad

ISBN - 9781471145629

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Release date - April 5th, 2018

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository | Hive UK