Jackanory time: Hannah Gibson’s book introduces children to cockney rhyming slang

The illustrator and designer Hannah Gibson started life in West London, later living in the south and east of the city; its bright lights and diverse communities have always served as inspiration to her. “The work I create is personal,” Hannah says, “but I hope to relate to anyone with the exciting yet scary experience of growing up in a big city,” something she has embraced in her new book: When I Say Rosey Lea, You Say Tea.

An illustrated guide to cockney rhyming slang for children, the book arose after Hannah went on a search for something meaningful during her final year at university, and found herself asking – did she even know what cockney rhyming slang was? “The idea for focusing on cockney rhyming slang came to me as I was chatting with my dad in a fish and chip shop (appropriately British!),” Hannah says.

Hannah describes her dad as a typical Londoner, constantly dropping slang around the house. “I quickly discovered that most people around me hadn’t heard it – which sounded crazy to me but made sense,” she says. Soon, she realised that the linguistic art form was one lost on her generation. That is, apart from herself and writer of When I Say Rosey Lea, You Say Tea, Grace Crowley, who also happened to be well-versed in old school London vernacular: “We felt it would be important to try and keep the culture of cockney rhyming slang alive and use it to tell our story.”

A work in progress since March 2023, Hannah recalls how seamlessly she and Grace aligned on the story after their first conversation. “Topics like money and bus journeys were conscious choices to make the story relatable to working class children,” Hannah says, whilst equally illustrating how much of an adventure one can have around “mundane, everyday” London. “I always knew if there was anyone that I wanted to write the book with, it would be Grace, as she knew exactly what I wanted to communicate,” Hannah says, “our London upbringings informed the entire process.” 

In terms of visual approach, Hannah says that she focused heavily on shapes and colour, returning to many of her favourite childhood books for inspiration. Her style leans heavily toward 50s and 60s illustration, especially in her character design and warm colour palette, something that lends itself well to the vintage subject matter of the story and setting. As you may have expected, she also spent a lot of time making her way around London looking for pattern and colour references on public transport and sightseeing spots, as well as returning to places she loved as a child, like the ice cream van at the top of her road and her local park.

Hannah and Grace recently got the opportunity to conduct a read-along at a primary school in southwest London. “We were thrilled to see that it went down a storm,” Hannah recalls, “and that the children really engaged and understood the story.” Kids told the pair that they were excited to share their learning with friends and family. “We have been left with a sense of pride, in our work, backgrounds and our city!”