Video - Dinner Detectives - Meet the Creators
When screenwriter Yves Stening and illustrator Nigel Buchanan met at the school gate it was inevitable that one day they would merge their creative talents. Together they have created an inspired new kid’s series, Dinner Detectives, which begins with Case #101, A Fearsome Beast and a Dumpling Feast
Screenwriter and director Yves Stening, and internationally recognised illustrator Nigel Buchanan are both stay-at-home dads who met through their children’s primary school. Yves had been working on a story about kids and food for a while, so when he met Nigel it came to life. Yves said, “While my family was living in LA, I became interested in the origins of certain dishes and how different cuisines evolved in different countries, at different times”
He continued, “Having a young child, I was also curious as to why children liked certain foods and disliked others. Through friends, we became aware that many children were very fussy eaters but at the same time some dishes were universal hits.”
Dinner Detectives is the result of Yves’s curious stories and Nigel’s wonderful illustrations, bringing to life an original and intriguing way to encourage kids to develop a healthy interest in food. Aimed at infant and primary school kids, this unique series incorporates friendship, humour, the power of imagination and a love of food.
The series features dinner detective siblings, Clementine, (who loves ‘all types of food’) and Aksel (who eats ‘only white things’). They travel back in time and around the world to uncover magical stories behind the food we eat every day.
In their first adventure, A Fearsome Beast and a Dumpling Feast, they travel with their cousin, Ying, to ancient China to discover where dumplings came from. Each story includes a recipe that kids can make with their parents. Parents will enjoy reading these stories with their children as it opens up a discussion about where food comes from and how much fun it is to cook.
Yves Stening is a screenwriter and director. His career spans 30 years, working in theatre, film and television as a director, writer and actor in Australia and the US. The Dinner Detectives books are his first children’s stories. He lives in Sydney and has two children who love to read and tell stories.
Nigel Buchanan is an internationally renowned and award winning illustrator. His clients include The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Fortune 500, Golf Digest, The New York Times, Money Week Paris, TIME magazine, Universal Pictures, The Radio Times, Australia Post, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Pentagram, American Lawyer, Financial Times London and The Economist.