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 ]
Scholastic has acquired world rights to Zog and the Flying Doctors, a new picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The deal for world rights to the book, which is a follow-up to Zog and features Zog the dragon, Princess Pearl and Sir Galahad, was made by Alison Green of Alison Green... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Remember those customized children's books that the rich kids in school used to get, featuring a story with their name and face pasted onto the pages? It turns out that these things are still going, but now the companies that make them are harnessi... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Walker Books Group has acquired a picture book written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers and artist Sam Winston. The picture book, entitled A Child of Books, is about a little girl who sails her raft “across a sea of words” to arrive at the house of a small boy. There she invites him to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Penguin Random House Children’s has acquired the bestselling self-published title The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep after the title shot to number two in the charts last week following extensive media coverage. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Bear Who Went Boo!, about a cheeky polar bear cub, will be David Walliams’ next picture book, published by HarperCollins later this year. Children’s publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said the book, which will be released 5th November in time for Christmas, is a “deliciously funny new tale”... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Mark Mills, owner of the Plum Pudding Illustration Agency, and former Bloomsbury editor Fiz Osborne, are setting up a new children’s literary agency. Plum Literary will be based in Reigate, Surrey, and cater for writers for all kinds of children’s books, from picture books to YA. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Quirk Books's 'Home Alone' picture book, new Star Wars Little Golden Books, Chronicle's bestsellers-to-brands initiative, Dynamite's expanding roster of licenses, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Walker Books Group will next year publish a picture book by rapper and actor Ben Bailey Smith across the Walker Entertainment and Candlewick Entertainment imprints. Smith, who raps under the name Doc Brown, has penned I Am Bear, a rap-style read-aloud story about a mischievous bear. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With 600,000 books sold, the startup Lost My Name is redefining personalization in publishing.There's no company sign or logo out front. No indication of any kind that this quiet stretch of Pritchard's Road in East London includes the headquarters of a global publishing sensation. A squat,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. is a publisher of books and magazines with a specific focus on illustrated and picture books, drill books and other educational materials including toys and learning services for Japanese preparatory schools and the children’s markets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Capstone has acquired a picture book by Carmen Oliver, author and founder of book agency The Booking Biz. Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies was created to encourage literacy and is about a little girl called Adelaide and her reading buddy, Bear. In the story, Adelaide has to persuade her... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
At 1 p.m. today in Room 1A10, “Mixed Me: A Discussion with Taye Diggs and Shane Evans” will address more than just a new picture book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A forthcoming line of picture books from HarperCollins Children's Books invites a new generation of children and their parents to "Explore the World of Margaret Wise Brown" via new editions of some of the late author's stories. The program debuts in 2016 with the publication of two newly... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This children's book not only teaches about ecology, it practices it.Despite the rise of ebooks, most children's books are still made from trees. One new picture book is designed as a simple reminder of that fact: When kids finish reading a story about an adventure in the rainforest, they can... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Puffin is to publish a new picture book by The Very Hungry Caterpillar author Eric Carle. The Nonsense Show will celebrate surrealism, and will be published in October to coincide with US publication. Jo Hanks, editorial director at Puffin, bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin again features on a list of books to have received the most complaints from library users. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Rob Biddulph was today (26th March) announced as the overall winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, as well as the best illustrated book category. Biddulph, who is also the art director of the Observer magazine, won the prize for Blown Away (HarperCollins Children’s Books), about a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Simon and Schuster Children’s Books has bought a new title in the Underpants series from author and illustrator team Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. The series was launched in 2007 with Aliens Love Underpants and includes titles such as Dinosaurs Love Underpants and Monsters Love Underpants,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Sue Buswell, deputy publisher at Random House Children’s, will step down from her role at the end of March. Penguin Random House said Buswell decided to leave the company, where she worked with authors such as John Burningham, Nicholas Allan and Emma Chichester Clark over a period of five... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Pan Macmillan will this autumn launch a children’s book imprint within Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB), to be run by Suzanne Carnell. Carnell is currently publishing director of picture books and pre-school of the MCB Under 6 division. Under the new imprint, which is yet to be named, she will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this