Cockatoos: Celebrate Quentin Blake’s 90th Birthday

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By 2006, Blake had illustrated 323 books, of which he had written 35 and Dahl had written 18. [14] [a] To date, Blake has illustrated two of David Walliams' books and has illustrated Folio Society Limited Editions such as Don Quixote, Candide and 50 Fables of La Fontaine. D. Martin, "Quentin Blake", in Douglas Martin, The Telling Line: Essays On Fifteen Contemporary Book Illustrators (Julia MacRae Books, 1989), pp.243–263 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. Quentin Blake: 'I never wanted children. But I do invent them.' ". www.telegraph.co.uk . Retrieved 30 April 2023. Standard, Kate Church, Evening (13 April 2012). "My London: Quentin Blake". Evening Standard . Retrieved 30 April 2023. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)

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] Learning to read is hard for many, many children. They spend their early years being told what they can and can’t do, and must fit in with an adult’s timeframe. The Box of Delights; or, When the Wolves Were Running" John Masefield, Illustrated by Quentin Blake (Farshore, 2014)

Blake’s illustration both complements and contrasts with the text - and this is the book’s hidden superpower! Quentin Blake, "Research from an illustrator's point of view", in Research in Illustration: Conference Proceedings Part II (Brighton Polytechnic) (1981), pp.25–61 Blake, Quentin (18 December 2021). "Quentin Blake: 'Roald Dahl was a very different sort of person from me' ". The Telegraph. He also illustrated the British edition of Agaton Sax, a Swedish-language series of comedy detective novels by Nils-Olof Franzén (originally illustrated by Åke Lewerth, 1955 to 1978). Quentin Blake was awarded the O.B.E. in 1988, and in 1999 he was appointed the first Children's Laureate. This position, which he held for two years, saw him undertaking lots of ambitious projects in his quest to spread the word about the exciting world of children's books.

Kenyon, Ghislane (2016). Quentin Blake: In the Theatre of the Imagination: An Artist at Work. London: Bloomsbury. p.68. ISBN 978-1441130075. 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 Hans Christian Andersen Awards, 1956–2002. IBBY. Gyldendal. 2002. Hosted by Austrian Literature Online ( literature.at). Retrieved 2013-07-23. Welcome to the wonderful world of Quentin Blake! Celebrate Quentin Blake's 90th birthday with this collection of nine beautiful complete picture books: his best-loved characters, classic stories and marvellous rhymes - together for the first time in a treasury to be shared and enjoyed by all.