Bob Graham (author/illustrator)

Bob Graham (born 20 October 1942) is an Australian author and illustrator of picture books, primarily for very young children.

Graham won the 2002 Kate Greenaway Medal from the British librarians, recognising the year's best-illustrated children's book published in the UK, for the picture book Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child (Walker Books), which he both wrote and illustrated. (He donated the £5000 cash prize to refugees.)[1][2] The story features a young girl who finds a tiny fairy family "in cement and weeds", contrary to her father's teaching.[1] He also won a 2000 Smarties Prize, ages category 0–5 years, for Max[3] and the 2002 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Picture Book, for "Let's Get A Pup!" Said Kate.[4]

For his contribution as a children's illustrator, Graham was Australia nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2012.[5]

Biography

Bob Graham was born in New York in 1942, but then moved to Sydney at the age of ten. He grew up in Sydney with his family. He loved drawing and was greatly influenced by comics such as The Phantom and Mandrake.[6]

He studied drawing and painting, went to the UK after graduation, returned to Sydney in 1969, and there began his career as an illustrator and designer. Between 1983 and 1995 he lived in Melbourne working as an illustrator for a publishing house, The Five Mile Press. He now lives in the UK and works on a monthly comic-strip for a French magazine, Les Belles Histoires as well as continuing to produce picture books.

In 1982 he illustrated the music and lyrics booklet for Australian Broadcasting Commission's Sing primary school music radio broadcast. A scene from Greetings from Sandy Beach was used as one in a series of Australia Post stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of the annual Children's Book Council of Australia awards.

WorldCat reports from participating libraries that his most widely held work is How to Heal a Broken Wing, a 36-page picture book about a city boy who rescues an injured bird; published in 2008 by both Walker and its US division Candlewick Press. WorldCat libraries hold editions in Scottish Gaelic, French, Spanish, Catalan, and Chinese.[7]

Awards

Overseas, Graham has won three annual book awards for picture books.

Runners-up, etc.

In Australia

Awards
Runners up, etc.

Notes

  1. ↑ Today there are usually eight books on the Greenaway Medal shortlist. According to CCSU, some runners-up were Commended (from 1959) or Highly Commended (from 1974). There were 99 distinctions of both kinds in 44 years, including two highly commended for 1997.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 (Greenaway Winner 2002). Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 (directory, 2003 CILIP Awards press releases). CILIP. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
    • Four press releases 11 July 2003 pertain to Graham. See also the earlier release 2 May 2003, "... Judges Comments on the Shortlist". Unfortunately, the primary release "Bob Graham Wins CILIP Greenaway Medal" is mis-linked to the next year's announcement, as of 2012-07-18.
  3. 1 2 3 "Nestlé Children's Book Prize". Booktrust. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards: Winners and Honor Books 1967 to present". The Horn Book. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "2012 Awards". Hans Christian Andersen Awards. International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).
      "Bob Graham". Hans Christian Andersen Awards. IBBY. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  6. ↑ "A Guide to the Papers and Artwork of BOB GRAHAM" (PDF). University of Canberra. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Formats and Editions of How to heal a broken wing". WorldCat. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Kate Greenaway Medal". 2005(?). Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library. Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Retrieved 24 October 2013.

External links

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