Anna McGregor talks pears and oranges
The idea for A Pair of Pears and an Orange first came to me as the title. I was brainstorming word-play ideas, and 'A Pair of Pears' struck me as interesting. I imagined a perfectly harmonious friendship of two pears, but a story needs drama, so I introduced a third character to unsettle this perfect world. I chose an orange because there was something about the sound of the word orange that clashed with the sound of pair/pears, and the shape and colour of an orange was also a nice contrast to the pears. With that, my characters, title, and premise were settled. The idea of games for two came next and seemed like an excellent way to set up and then unravel the pears' perfect world. I also introduced three peas in a pod for humour and drama when Big Pear's life goes from bad to worse.
As a kid, my family moved a lot. I went to five different schools across three states and was constantly making new friends. As an already sensitive person, I became ultra perceptive to the ins and outs of friendship dynamics. Like most people, I've been all three of these main characters at various times, and I hope my empathy and lived experience shines through. No one character is right or wrong in this predicament, but they all learn and adapt by the end, making for a satisfying story.
I'm very proud of the characters, drama, humour and themes in this deceptively simple book. Design is also fundamental in the experience and delight of this picture book. The cute, modern illustrations pop off the page with a limited palette of neon and pastel colours and a tactile linen-textured cover.
A Pair of Pears and an Orange was my Covid project and a welcome diversion during the long Melbourne lockdown. With all the emotional turmoil that the world's been through during the past eighteen months, I hope this book helps children (and perhaps even adults) make a little more sense of their world.