Quentin Blake
Children's Laureate 1999-2001
Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and read English at Cambridge, before attending Chelsea Art College. He has won many major prizes for illustration, including the Kate Greenaway Medal (1980) and the Red House Children's Book Award (1981) for Mister Magnolia. He is also the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and in 1990 was voted 'The Illustrator's Illustrator' by Observer Magazine. A tireless promoter of children's literature – and a long-time collaborator with roald Dahl – Quentin Blake was awarded the OBE in 1988 and in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to Children's Literature. In the most recent New Year’s Honours list he has been knighted.
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.
Books
Angelica Sprocket's Pockets
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Red Fox Picture Books
Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 7+
Angelica’s small chums are enchanted by the contents of her pockets which include mice, cheese, hankies, frying pans, umbrellas and much more!
Cockatoos
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 2+
Reading age: 2+
The eccentric and absent-minded Professor Dupont is the proud but worried owner of ten cockatoos.
Jack and Nancy
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Red Fox
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 5+
Jack and Nancy long to have an adventure - and then one day a strong wind and an umbrella make their wish come true.
Mister Magnolia
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 2+
Reading age: 6+
Mr Magnolia has many things - but only one boot.
Mouse Trouble
Author: John Yeoman Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 6+
A multitude of mice aggravate a grumpy old miller in whose mill they live, but the creatures are actually rather kindly souls. Then the miller buys a cat...
On Angel Wings
Author: Michael Morpurgo Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Farshore
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 6+
Quentin Blake's distinctive illustrations adorn this charming retelling of the nativity, which would be perfect for reading aloud on Christmas Eve.
Patrick
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Red Fox
Interest age: 0
Reading age: 6+
Setting out to buy a violin, Patrick finds that playing it transforms not only his outlook on life, but the lives of all he meets, be it plant, animal or human!
Quentin Blake's ABC
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Red Fox
Interest age: 2+
Reading age: 6+
Learning your alphabet has never been so much fun as with this brilliantly funny book from a favourite author and illustrator Quentin Blake.
Quentin Blake's Nursery Rhyme Book
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Red Fox
Interest age: 1+
Reading age: 6+
This collection of lesser-known nursery rhymes from the 1950s, with lively illustrations by Quentin Blake, will introduce children to a host of intriguing characters.
Rumbelow's Dance
Author: John Yeoman
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 6+
Rumbelow is dancing on his way to his grandparents' house - and soon, everyone else is joining in to dance too.
The Boy in the Dress
Author: David Walliams Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Despite its sensitive subject matter, this book is filled with humour
The Fabulous Foskett Family Circus
Author: John Yeoman
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 2+
Reading age: 5+
A simple rhyme introduces each exuberant personality from the Fabulous Foskett Family Circus.
The Five of Us
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Interest age: 5+
Reading age: 4+
This book is testament to Blake's belief that all children need to be able find themselves in books.
The Green Ship
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 7-11
Reading age: 7+
Two bored children climb over a neighbour's wall in search of adventure...
The Tale of Kitty - In - Boots
Author: Beatrix Potter Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 8+
Miss Kitty is an elegant and graceful house cat, well-behaved and doted on by her owner. However, at night she sneaks out to the woods to pursue her favourite pastime: poaching!
The Twits
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin Books
Interest age: 10+
Reading age: 9+
Mr and Mrs Twit are extremely nasty, so the Muggle-Wump monkeys and the Roly-Poly bird hatch an ingenious plan to give them just the ghastly surprise they deserve!
The Vicar of Nibbleswicke
Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
This is the highly amusing tale of Reverend Lee, who does not realise that his dyslexia is affecting his sermons.
The Witches
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Real witches disguise themselves as lovely ladies, when secretly they want to squish and squelch all the wretched children they despise.
Three Little Monkeys
Author: Emma Chichester Clark Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Interest age: 3-6
Reading age: 5+
Three Little Monkeys is the tale of Hilda Snibbs's attempts to keep a trio of messy monkeys under control - and the disasters that occur when she pops out for the afternoon. The story is a romp and promises lots of laughs.
Zagazoo
Author: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 3-6
Reading age: 5+
One day a strange parcel arrives at Bella and George's door containing a lovely human baby named Zagazoo. But Zagazoo doesn’t remain a lovely human baby for long…