Cockatoos: Celebrate Quentin Blake’s 90th Birthday

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The basic but yet colourful illustrations, typical of Blake's books makes it accessible to most age groups even if it is just as a picture book. In March 2014, he was awarded the insignia of a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur at a ceremony at the Institut Français in London. [36] He is also a Companion of the Guild of St George. The first book that Blake illustrated was The Wonderful Button by Evan Hunter, published by Abelard-Schuman in 1961. [12] In his subsequent career, he gained a reputation as a loyal, reliable and humorous illustrator of more than 300 children's books, including some written by Joan Aiken, Elizabeth Bowen, Sylvia Plath, Roald Dahl, Nils-Olof Franzén, William Steig, and Dr. Seuss. He illustrated the first Seuss book that Seuss did not illustrate himself, Great Day for Up! (1974). [13]

He is also famous for illustrating books for other authors, including Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen and Russell Hoban. But he is most famous for the illustrations he did for Roald Dahl's books.

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Quentin Blake is one of Britain's best-loved and most successful author-illustrators, and was made the first Children's Laureate in 1999. He has won the Whitbread Award, the hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, been shortlisted for The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award which rewards the best in contemporary children's and young adult literature from all over the world and has won the Kate Greenaway Medal among others. The Hans Christian Andersen Awards, 1956–2002. IBBY. Gyldendal. 2002. Hosted by Austrian Literature Online ( literature.at). Retrieved 2013-07-23. Blake has never been married nor had any children. [24] He lives in South Kensington, West London, and has another house in Hastings, East Sussex. [25] [26] Comics [ edit ] Kenyon, Ghislane (2016). Quentin Blake: In the Theatre of the Imagination: An Artist at Work. London: Bloomsbury. p.68. ISBN 978-1441130075. Blake, Quentin (18 December 2021). "Quentin Blake: 'Roald Dahl was a very different sort of person from me' ". The Telegraph.

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One after another they escaped through a broken pane of glass they had discovered in a corner of the conservatory.

All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog a b (Greenaway Winner 1980). Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 15 July 2012. He was born in 1932 and has been drawing ever since he can remember. His first drawing was published in Punch when he was only 16. He studied English at Downing College, Cambridge, and after that he did a postgraduate teaching diploma at the University of London. This was followed by a part-time course at Chelsea Art School. Find sources: "Quentin Blake"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( January 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Blake was born in 1932 in Sidcup, Kent, son of William and Evelyn Blake. His father was a civil servant, and his mother a housewife. [5] [6] [7] Blake was evacuated to the West Country during the Second World War. He attended Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church of England Primary School and Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, where his English teacher, J. H. Walsh, influenced his life's work. [8] Chelsea Arts Club secretary signs off with 'lunatic' plea". London Evening Standard. 17 January 2013 . Retrieved 15 February 2017. He is one of the best-known and best-loved illustrators of our time, and his books with a wide range of authors have been treasured by generations of children throughout the world. In 2013 he was knighted for services to illustration. Quentin lives in London.

Quentin has received many awards for his books including the Kate Greenaway Medal, the Children's Book Award, the Emil/Kurt Maschler Award, the Bologna Regazzi Prize and the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, which is the highest international recognition given to creators of children's books. All Join In (Cape, 1990) —winner of the Kurt Maschler Award for integrated text and illustration [29] Quentin Blake: 'I never wanted children. But I do invent them.' ". www.telegraph.co.uk . Retrieved 30 April 2023. Quentin Blake: 'Spend time with children? Good God, no' | Children and teenagers | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com . Retrieved 30 April 2023. Quentin Blake knighted in Queen's New Year honours". BBC News. 29 December 2012 . Retrieved 30 December 2012.Blake was educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. His English teacher, JH Walsh, influenced his ambition to become involved in literature. His first published drawing was for the satirical magazine Punch, at the age of 16. He read English Literature at Downing College, Cambridge (1953-6), received his postgraduate teaching diploma from the University of London, and later studied at the Chelsea School of Art. He gained another teaching diploma at the Institute of Education before working at the Royal College of Art. Quentin was the inaugural Children's Laureate (1999-2001), an experience he recorded in his book Laureate's Progress. During his time in the role, he celebrated children's books and children's book illustration with a range of projects and exhibitions, and conceived the idea for the House of Illustration, the world's first centre dedicated to the art of illustration in all its forms.