Brett Helquist facts for kids

Brett L. Helquist (born in November 1965) is an American artist who draws pictures for books. He is most famous for his drawings in the popular children's book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. His artwork for this series can be seen in the books themselves, on audio book covers, and in calendars.

Brett Helquist studied at Brigham Young University (BYU) and earned a special degree in illustration in 1993. After finishing college, he moved to New York City. There, he worked as a graphic designer, but he also drew pictures for newspapers and magazines. Helquist's art has been featured in children's magazines and even in The New York Times. He has illustrated nearly 50 books throughout his career.

About Brett Helquist

Brett Helquist was born in Ganado, Arizona, in 1965. He grew up in Orem, Utah, with his six sisters. He loved art and wanted to become an illustrator because he enjoyed reading comic strips in newspapers when he was a child.

Before going to college, Helquist served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hong Kong. He then earned his art degree from Brigham Young University in 1993. Interestingly, he first studied engineering before deciding to switch to art. During his college years, he took a year off to work in Taiwan, where he illustrated a textbook. This experience helped him realize that he truly wanted to focus on illustration and visual arts. He then worked closely with Utah artist and BYU professor, Robert Barrett.

Helquist has lived in New York City since 1993. Right after graduating, he worked as an intern for another illustrator named Robert Neubecker. For six years, he was a graphic designer, drawing for magazines and newspapers in his free time. His work has appeared in the children's magazine Cricket and The New York Times.

In 2011, Brett Helquist was chosen to create new pictures for the well-known Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz. The original books were famous for their very spooky artwork by Stephen Gammell. When Helquist's new, less scary illustrations were released, many fans were disappointed. Because of this, the new versions did not sell well. In 2017, the original, scarier illustrations by Stephen Gammell were brought back into the books.

In August 2017, Helquist gave many of his early drawings for A Series of Unfortunate Events to BYU's Special Collections department. These sketches were shown at BYU for about a month.

In February 2019, Helquist was a special guest and speaker at the 37th annual Life, the Universe, & Everything event, which focuses on science fiction and fantasy art.

In 2024, a book he illustrated, The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity, won the Sibert Medal. This is a special award for excellent non-fiction books for children.

Books Illustrated by Helquist

Besides the 13 books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, Brett Helquist has drawn pictures for almost 50 other books. These include books for young children and novels for middle schoolers and young adults.

Children's Books

Middle Grade Books

Young Adult Books

Helquist also drew new cover pictures for a new printing of the 1954–1976 Green Knowe series by Lucy M. Boston (Harcourt, 2002). The inside pictures by the writer's son, Peter Boston, were kept.

• The Children of Green Knowe, ISBN: 0-15-202468-9
• The Treasure of Green Knowe, ISBN: 0-15-202601-0 (also known as The Chimneys of Green Knowe)
• The River at Green Knowe, ISBN: 0-15-202607-X
• A Stranger at Green Knowe, ISBN: 0-15-202589-8
• An Enemy at Green Knowe, ISBN: 0-15-202481-6
• The Stones of Green Knowe, ISBN: 0-15-205566-5

He also made new illustrations for a new printing of the 1981–1991 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz (Harper & Row, 2011):

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, ISBN: 978-0-397-31927-5
• More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, ISBN: 978-0-8124-4914-3
• Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones, ISBN: 978-0-7607-3418-6

Helquist has also written and illustrated his own books:

• Roger, the Jolly Pirate, ISBN: 0-06-623805-6, published in 2004
• Bedtime for Bear, ISBN: 0-060-50205-3, published in 2010
• Grumpy Goat, ISBN: 0-061-13953-X, published in 2013

See also

In Spanish: Brett Helquist para niños