What inspired you to set the novel in the Ice Age?
Peter Stockwell: I have always been fascinated by the Ice Age. As a child I found mammoths more interesting than dinosaurs. The Ice Age seemed very recent. We now know there were mammoths still living when the Egyptians built the pyramids, so I was not far wrong.

As an adult I couldn’t wait to see the arctic. I worked in Finland for a while and have visited Greenland and Iceland. So I know the high latitudes and their wildlife very well.

What lessons can we learn from this way of living?
Peter Stockwell: That the environment shapes us. The people in the story were finding life more difficult because the climate was getting warmer and this affected the animals. They were having to learn to adapt to survive.

Did you have to do much research for the book? What did this consist of?
Peter Stockwell: I did some research, because I wanted to be as accurate as I could. For technical matters, regarding animals and climate I used an excellent book, Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe by R. Dale Guthrie. Professor Guthrie is a leading expert on the Ice Age and taught me a lot. The Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge had examples of Ice Age art and artefacts in their museum which helped with background. I had already visited some of the French painted caves, so had good background there. The place where the family first lived is based on Creswell Crags in Derbyshire, where Ice Age people had their homes. Indeed, if you look hard in one of the caves you can still find Aariak’s pictures.

Other than that I went to wildlife parks looking at European bison, wolves and other animals, although a lot of the animal description is based on my own previous experience.

Do you believe that Ice Age dwellers are as recognisable to us today as you present them?
Peter Stockwell: I do not think Ice Age dwellers would have been so different from the Inuit, although in my story the people were beginning to discover a more communal way of life and the problems that go with it. I have used Inuit names for most of the characters. I am sure we would relate to Ice Age people and understand their way of life.

How strong is the message about ecology and the threats of global warming in the story?
Peter Stockwell: The message is quite strong. Gardel laments that the animals are moving out, because warmer winters mean more snow, and the people could starve. The whole thrust of the story is that the people, the animals and the environment are intertwined.

What do you think The Horse Painters can offer younger readers at this time, when we are forever hearing that young people no longer read?
Peter Stockwell: I think young readers will read if the story is good enough. I hope The Horse Painters will attract their interest. There have been a few films about the Ice Age which might cause some children to want to read more.

What have been the initial reactions to this novel?
Peter Stockwell: I have been delighted by the reaction to the novel. There have been many positive reviews and it has won the 2009 Premier Book Award. Best novel of the year for Children’s Fiction, USA.

The ending certainly leaves the door open for a sequel. Is there one (or more) in the pipeline?
Peter Stockwell: I am at present working on another novel, but at some stage I will probably return to the Ice Age. I would quite like to find out what happens next myself.