![](https://axelscheffler.com/media/pages/books-with-julia-donaldson/tiddler/6601f97969-1642776558/tiddler-960x.png)
The smallest fish can tell the tallest tales ... "Sorry I'm late, Miss. I set off really early but on the way to school I was captured by a squid. I wriggled and I struggled till a turtle came and rescued me." "Oh, no, he didn't." "OH, YES, HE DID." Tiddler is a little fish with a BIG imagination! What ever will he come up with next?
![Tiddler book cover](https://axelscheffler.com/media/pages/books-with-julia-donaldson/tiddler/0cd737a06c-1642776551/tiddler-600x.jpg)
![](/assets/portraits/axel.jpg)
Axel says:
The underwater world was something new for me...I wondered whether it should all be tinted blue - but then I decided to do the colours as usual - as if it was above water. I got some support finding references for all the fish from the publisher - they produced a little folder where I could look them up - but then my animals are never terribly naturalistic.
![](https://axelscheffler.com/media/pages/books-with-julia-donaldson/tiddler/6f1ecce2f8-1642776557/tiddler-fish-practice-990x.jpg)
Fish practice
![](https://axelscheffler.com/media/pages/books-with-julia-donaldson/tiddler/6fb5e93863-1642776555/tiddler-colour-sketch-990x.jpg)
Front cover rough
![](https://axelscheffler.com/media/pages/books-with-julia-donaldson/tiddler/ad57a24a82-1642776546/tiddler-cover-ideas-sketch-990x.jpg)
Front cover ideas