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Quentin Blake

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. 

Visit Quentin's website

Books

  • Angelica Sprocket's Pockets

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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…

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