A fascinating, beautiful, and definitive account of the life of esteemed artist Helen Oxenbury.
Filled with insights that span Helen Oxenbury's life — from her early childhood through a career in children's books that started in the 1960s and is still going strong today — here is an exquisitely designed and thoroughly entertaining celebration of one of the finest illustrators of our time. Written by acclaimed author Leonard S. Marcus, Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration is a keepsake that is sure to engage and delight everyone from scholars to art aficionados, as well as the many fans who have grown up with Helen Oxenbury’s enchanting books.
Children’s literature historian Marcus (Golden Legacy: The Story of Golden Books) presents an eloquent, sumptuously illustrated account of the life and work of versatile, prolific British illustrator Helen Oxenbury...Further enhancing the book are warm testimonies from Oxenbury collaborators Trish Cooke, Mem Fox, Phyllis Root, Michael Rosen, and Martin Waddell. Deftly capturing Oxenbury’s grace, artistic brilliance, and humor, this handsome volume offers an affectionate and substantive tribute. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A sumptuously illustrated biography of a grande dame of children's literature. Marcus brings his formidable talents as a children's-literature historian to this title, which both documents and honors the distinguished career of British illustrator Helen Oxenbury...Postscript tributes from some of her collaborators over the years—Trish Cooke, Mem Fox, Phyllis Root, Rosen, and Martin Waddell—are the cherry on top to Marcus' thorough scholarship, which culminates with an exhaustive bibliography/timeline of Oxenbury's 88 published works. —Kirkus Reviews
Children’s literature scholar Leonard Marcus tracks the personal and professional life of famed illustrator Helen Oxenbury...Oxenbury’s illustrations are on full display with reprints from her books stretching across full spreads and serving as spot art, all elegantly laid out to support the text. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The book’s production values are nothing less than sumptuous; the generous trim size provides a stunning stage for the pages and pages devoted to reprinting art from Oxenbury’s picture books; and despite the adulatory tone, Marcus’s underlying scholarship provides context for Oxenbury’s career at every step. A valuable keepsake for Oxenbury admirers. —The Horn Book
Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world’s leading writers about children's books and their illustration. His many books include The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy; Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy; Show Me a Story! Why Picture Books Matter: Conversations with 21 of the World’s Most Celebrated Illustrators; and Comics Confidential: Thirteen Graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box. His essays, interviews, and reviews appear in the New York Times Book Review and the Horn Bookmagazine. He also teaches children's literature and child development at New York University. Leonard Marcus lives in Brooklyn, New York.
A fascinating, beautiful, and definitive account of the life of esteemed artist Helen Oxenbury.
Filled with insights that span Helen Oxenbury's life — from her early childhood through a career in children's books that started in the 1960s and is still going strong today — here is an exquisitely designed and thoroughly entertaining celebration of one of the finest illustrators of our time. Written by acclaimed author Leonard S. Marcus, Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration is a keepsake that is sure to engage and delight everyone from scholars to art aficionados, as well as the many fans who have grown up with Helen Oxenbury’s enchanting books.
Praise
Children’s literature historian Marcus (Golden Legacy: The Story of Golden Books) presents an eloquent, sumptuously illustrated account of the life and work of versatile, prolific British illustrator Helen Oxenbury...Further enhancing the book are warm testimonies from Oxenbury collaborators Trish Cooke, Mem Fox, Phyllis Root, Michael Rosen, and Martin Waddell. Deftly capturing Oxenbury’s grace, artistic brilliance, and humor, this handsome volume offers an affectionate and substantive tribute. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A sumptuously illustrated biography of a grande dame of children's literature. Marcus brings his formidable talents as a children's-literature historian to this title, which both documents and honors the distinguished career of British illustrator Helen Oxenbury...Postscript tributes from some of her collaborators over the years—Trish Cooke, Mem Fox, Phyllis Root, Rosen, and Martin Waddell—are the cherry on top to Marcus' thorough scholarship, which culminates with an exhaustive bibliography/timeline of Oxenbury's 88 published works. —Kirkus Reviews
Children’s literature scholar Leonard Marcus tracks the personal and professional life of famed illustrator Helen Oxenbury...Oxenbury’s illustrations are on full display with reprints from her books stretching across full spreads and serving as spot art, all elegantly laid out to support the text. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The book’s production values are nothing less than sumptuous; the generous trim size provides a stunning stage for the pages and pages devoted to reprinting art from Oxenbury’s picture books; and despite the adulatory tone, Marcus’s underlying scholarship provides context for Oxenbury’s career at every step. A valuable keepsake for Oxenbury admirers. —The Horn Book
Author
Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world’s leading writers about children's books and their illustration. His many books include The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy; Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy; Show Me a Story! Why Picture Books Matter: Conversations with 21 of the World’s Most Celebrated Illustrators; and Comics Confidential: Thirteen Graphic Novelists Talk Story, Craft, and Life Outside the Box. His essays, interviews, and reviews appear in the New York Times Book Review and the Horn Bookmagazine. He also teaches children's literature and child development at New York University. Leonard Marcus lives in Brooklyn, New York.
