22/08/2025
Where's Spot?! ๐ถ As a curious two-year-old in 1978, Chris Hill kept lifting the paper his artist father Eric was working on, to see what was underneath...
Soon afterwards, the iconic children's book - Where's Spot? - was born.
Chris spent a lot of time in his father's studio, and there was nothing he loved better than rifling through his papers.
"[My father] probably saw how enthusiastic I was about, what's under here? What's under here?" Chris says.
Eric realised how few books there were for toddlers, and decided to design an interactive book for his son about a yellow puppy. It became one of the first ever lift-the-flap books.
Chris loved it.
"I do remember the excitement I felt reading the book," he remembers. "There is a core early childhood memory of finding this puppy, and wondering where this puppy is."
The book became an instant hit when it was published in 1980. More than 65 million copies of Spot books have since been sold worldwide, in more than 60 languages.
Eventually, Eric was awarded an OBE - a medal from the UK's Queen Elizabeth and an honour he was hugely proud of.
"The whole reason for the honour they gave was contributions to children's literacy. Which really meant a lot to him," says Chris.
Despite this, Eric hardly ever thought of himself as an author. For him, he remained a parent - speaking to a young child.
๐ง Witness History https://bbc.in/47zXzgZ
