Illustrator and author widely admired for The Church Mice, his series of children’s picture booksGraham Oakley, who has died age 93, was an illustrator and writer known almost entirely for one series of picture books: The Church Mice, published over a period of nearly 30 years from 1972. Beautifully illustrated, written and designed, they are a series of warm-hearted and witty books which demonstrate perfectly that a successful picture book needs to be subtle and many layered, on the assumption that it may be read and re-read many times over and that its audience will be intergenerational.Art-school trained and with a background in set design, latterly as a production designer at the BBC, Oakley was as interested in the settings of his stories as the characters and their actions. Drawing on the Victorian illustrative painters as well as, in particular, the work of the American artist Norman Rockwell, Oakley’s painterly illustrations for The Church Mouse (1972) appealed immediately, both for their colourful scene-setting and their wonderful observations conveyed in line illustrations. Into these Oakley crammed a mass of detailed action commented on in witty asides presented as part of the picture. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-24 17:41:11 UTC ]
Simon & Schuster Children's UK has acquired two picture books from author and illustrator Tom Percival. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-25 16:26:40 UTC ]
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Parents keen to encourage children into good hygiene practices during the coronavirus outbreak turn to Tony Ross’s anarchic creation for helpParents desperate to persuade their children to keep washing their hands have been turning to Tony Ross’s anarchic creation the Little Princess for help,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-23 12:31:25 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s Books has signed illustrator David Tazzyman to its list for his debut middle-grade fiction series and a new picture book. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-11 16:24:51 UTC ]
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Puffin has snapped up Zadie Smith and Nick Laird's "endearing" debut picture book, Weirdo, featuring a judo suit-wearing guinea pig. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-10 07:57:19 UTC ]
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A picture book newly arrived from Australia offers some advice as virus anxiety sets in. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-27 11:00:00 UTC ]
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For the next installation in our interview series with contemporary poets, Peter Mishler corresponded with Victoria Chang. Victoria Chang’s books include OBIT (April 2020), Barbie Chang, The Boss, Salvinia Molesta, and Circle. Her children’s picture book, Is Mommy?, was illustrated by Marla... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-21 09:48:19 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s Books is publishing its first new title in 37 years from writer and illustrator Jill Murphy this September. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-20 04:50:08 UTC ]
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Is there anything LeBron James can’t do? Before you attempt to form a response, let me save you some time; the answer, of course, is no. Case in point: HarperCollins yesterday announced a two-book deal with the LeBron James Foundation. James’ debut, a picture book titled I Promise,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-19 16:36:39 UTC ]
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When Jokha al-Harthi and Marilyn Booth won the Man Booker International Prize last year, for Booth’s translation of Sayyidat al-Qamr (Celestial Bodies), many hurried to note that al-Harthi was the “first Omani woman writer” to have a book in English translation.While true, this may give the... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-02-19 10:26:57 UTC ]
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Scholastic and Penguin Random House retained their #1 spots in our rankings of children’s frontlist fiction and picture book bestsellers by corporation, respectively, though each company’s share of positions on its list diminished slightly from 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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LOS ANGELES–BASED AUTHOR Mark Z. Danielewski recently published a strange picture book called The Little Blue Kite. The project marks an unexpected pivot from his most recent experimental quintet, The Familiar: Volumes 1–5 (2015–’17), which Danielewski described as a “love letter” to his home... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-02-14 20:00:12 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s Books has signed two picture books from author Swapna Haddow and illustrator Dapo Adeola. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-14 02:40:17 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has scooped the début picture book from “Queer Eye” star Jonathan Van Ness about a gender non-binary guinea pig. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-08 06:46:35 UTC ]
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Read these spectacular picture books featuring human main characters from a marginalized community. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-01-06 11:32:03 UTC ]
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Author-illustrator Benji Davies reveals how his latest picture book spawned from a single sketch. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-25 06:16:49 UTC ]
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Hachette Children's Group has signed a picture book adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to be written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Steve Antony. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-16 14:03:39 UTC ]
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Walker Books has bought world rights to nine picture books by author Smriti Halls, in a deal with Jodie Hodges at United Agents. The first book, Welcome to Your World, described as “a stunning celebration of new life and our precious natural world”, will be published simultaneously in March... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-09 21:28:42 UTC ]
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Picture book biographies of Thurgood Marshall, Katherine Johnson, Jimmy Carter and more introduce people who just kept going, until they changed the world. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-12-05 15:19:04 UTC ]
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Raymond AntrobusWho/ What inspired you to start writing? I never started writing poetry with the intention of writing books until publishers approached me. I was happy to write poems and travel and read the poems for audiences. I live poem by poem. The idea of a book of poems doesn’t really... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-12-05 12:09:15 UTC ]
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The Templar Illustration and Design Award is expanding in 2020 to include categories for children’s non-fiction illustration and children’s fiction cover design for the first time, alongside its picture book illustration category. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-27 10:18:01 UTC ]
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