Caroline Binch facts for kids

Caroline Binch, born in 1947, is an English artist who illustrates and writes books for kids. She is well-known for her beautiful and realistic pictures in many popular children's stories.

Caroline Binch's Career

Caroline Binch started her journey as a children's book illustrator in 1987. Her first book was Hippo, written by Therese Pouyanne. Since then, she has illustrated more than 20 books, bringing many stories to life with her artwork.

She studied graphic design at Salford Technical College. This helped her learn the skills needed to create amazing illustrations.

Awards and Recognition

Caroline Binch has received many awards and honors for her work:

• She was recognized three times for the Kate Greenaway Medal, a major award for children's book illustration. This was for her work on Gregory Cool in 1995 and Down by the River in 1997. She was also a finalist for the award with Silver Shoes in 2001.
• She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (for ages 0-5) for her book Hue Boy. This book was also named one of the ten best illustrated children's books by The New York Times that year.
• She has been a finalist twice for the Sheffield Children's Book Prize.
• Two of her books were listed among the "50 best culturally diverse children's books" from 1950 to 2015 by Seven Stories, a special museum for children's books.

Amazing Grace and Its Impact

Caroline Binch's illustrations for the book Amazing Grace became very popular, especially in the United States. This book won several awards, including:

• The "Certificate of Excellence" from Parenting magazine.
• "The Parents Choice Award".
• The "Best Children's Book Honour Award" from Waldenbooks.
• It was also listed as "One of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year" by The New York Times.

She was also nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal for her illustrations in Amazing Grace. This book was so loved that it led to three more books, all illustrated by Caroline Binch. The book review magazine Kirkus Reviews praised her, saying she captured the main character Grace "with her detailed, realistic watercolors."

Amazing Grace, first published in 1991, was very important because it featured one of the first black heroines in a successful picture book. Caroline Binch is known for her work that celebrates different cultures. She illustrated books with Caribbean themes, like Look Back! and Gregory Cool. She hopes these books help children from different countries see how much they have in common. She even visited the Trinidad and Tobago National Library and Information System. To make the illustrations for Amazing Grace and its follow-up books, Caroline Binch worked closely with West Indian families to make sure her pictures were accurate and respectful.

How Caroline Binch Creates Her Art

The author Mary Hoffman, who wrote the Amazing Grace books, said that a big reason for the books' success is Caroline Binch's "beautiful naturalistic pictures." She explained that Caroline "brought Grace and her family to life in a way that has helped to keep her popular for so many years."

Another artist and critic, Joanna Carey, described Caroline Binch's special way of working. She said Caroline plans her books like a film director. She takes many black-and-white photos, and then uses them to create her detailed watercolor illustrations. Joanna Carey noted that Caroline has a "sparkling fluid technique" and pays very close attention to small details, which makes her art look so real.

Books Illustrated by Caroline Binch

Here are some of the books Caroline Binch has illustrated:

• Petar’s Song (2003) by Pratima Mitchell
• Starring Grace (1996) by Mary Hoffman
• New Born (1999) by Kathy Henderson
• A Pack of Liars (1998) by Anne Fine
• Down by the River by Grace Hallworth
• Grace and Family (1995) by Mary Hoffman
• Hue Boy (1993) by Rita Phillips Mitchell
• Rosa’s Grandfather Sings Again (1993) by Leon Rosselson
• The Hell Hound of Hooley Street (1993) by Jon Blake
• Billy the Great (1992) by Rosa Guy
• Amazing Grace (1991) by Mary Hoffman
• Come into My Tropical Garden (1990) by Grace Nichols
• Taste of Blackberries (1990) by Doris Buchanan Smith
• Fibs (1990) by Dick Cate
• Flames (1989) by Dick Cate
• Close to Home: Say No is Not Enough (1989) by Oralee Wachter
• Foxcover (1988) by Dick Cate
• Ghost Dog (1987) by Dick Cate
• Twisters (1987) by Dick Cate
• The Private World of Leroy Brown (1987) by Rhodri Jones
• No More Secrets for Me (1985) by Oralee Wachter
• Paris Pee Wee and Big Dog (1985) by Rosa Guy
• Hippo (1983) by Therese Pouyanne