Chris Riddell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Riddell
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Riddell in 2010
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| Born | 13 April 1962 Cape Town, South Africa |
| Occupation | Illustrator, author, political cartoonist |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Brighton Polytechnic |
| Genre | Children's |
| Spouse | Joanne Burroughes |
| Children | 3 |
Chris Riddell (born 13 April 1962) is a talented British artist. He is famous for illustrating and sometimes writing children's books. Chris also draws cartoons about politics for The Observer newspaper.
He has won the important Kate Greenaway Medal three times. This award is given by British librarians for the best-illustrated children's book. Chris also won two other awards for his books. In 2015, he was chosen as the UK Children's Laureate. This is a special role for a children's writer or illustrator.
Contents
About Chris Riddell's Life
Chris Riddell was born in 1962 in Cape Town, South Africa. His father was a church leader who was against apartheid. This was a system of unfair rules that separated people based on their race.
When Chris was one year old, his family moved back to England. He grew up there with his sister and three brothers. Chris showed a love for art from a young age. His mother helped him by giving him paper and pens. This kept him busy during his father's church sermons.
As a child, Chris admired the drawings of Sir John Tenniel. Tenniel illustrated the first Alice in Wonderland book. He also liked the work of W. Heath Robinson. Chris later studied illustration at Brighton Polytechnic. One of his teachers was Raymond Briggs, another famous illustrator.
Chris worked as an illustrator for The Economist in the 1980s. He then started working for The Observer newspaper in 1995. He often names Tenniel and E. H. Shepard as big influences on his art. Shepard illustrated The Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh.
Chris Riddell lives in Brighton with his wife, Joanne Burroughes. Joanne is also an illustrator. They have three children.
Chris Riddell's Career and Books
Chris Riddell has created many popular books. He is known for his detailed drawings.
The Edge Chronicles Series
One of Chris Riddell's most famous works is The Edge Chronicles. This is a series of children's books. He co-wrote these books with Paul Stewart. Chris also drew all the amazing pictures for them.
The stories take place in a made-up world called "The Edge." People love these books for Chris's beautiful and detailed drawings. They also like how Chris and Paul worked together to create the stories.
Other Amazing Books
Chris Riddell has illustrated many other books. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2001 for Pirate Diary. This book was written by Richard Platt. It was special because it was one of the first "information books" to win the award. It told a fictional story but was based on real history.
In 2004, Chris won the Greenaway Medal again. This time it was for his illustrations in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver". This book was a new version of the classic story Gulliver's Travels. The judges said his drawings were "fantastic" and made the story even better. They also noted that his picture books are for all ages, not just young children.
Chris also worked with Paul Stewart on other series. These include Muddle Earth and the Barnaby Grimes series. He has also written and illustrated his own popular books. The Ottoline series is one example. The first book, Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2007.
Besides books, Chris Riddell is a well-known political cartoonist. He draws funny and clever pictures of politicians for The Observer newspaper. His drawings help people understand what's happening in politics.
In 2017, Chris Riddell spoke out about a Christmas advertisement. He felt that the department store John Lewis had copied ideas from his 1986 book Mr Underbed. John Lewis said that the idea of a monster under a bed is a common story. Even so, this discussion made many people interested in Mr Underbed, and copies of the book quickly sold out.
Books Written and Illustrated by Chris Riddell
- Mr Underbed (1986)
- The Wonderful World of Zoom (1995)
- The Emperor of Absurdia (2006)
- Wendel's Workshop (2007)
- 100 Hugs (2017)
- Once Upon A Wild Wood (2018)
- Humphrey Series:
- Humphrey the Hippo (1986)
- Humphrey Goes to the Ball (1986)
- Platypus Series:
- Platypus (2001)
- Platypus and the Lucky Day (2002)
- Ottoline Series:
- Ottoline and the Yellow Cat (2007)
- Ottoline Goes to School (2008)
- Ottoline at Sea (2010)
- Ottoline and the Purple Fox (2016)
- Alienography Series:
- Alienography or How to spot an alien and what to do about it (2010)
- Goth Girl Series:
- Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse (2013)
- Goth Girl and the Fete Worse than Death (2014)
- Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright (2015)
- Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony (2017)
- The Cloud Horse Chronicles:
- Guardians of Magic (2019)
- Tiggy Thistle and the Lost Guardians (2022)
Books Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell has illustrated many books for other authors. He has worked a lot with Paul Stewart.
- Books written by other authors
- Peter Pan (1988), by J. M. Barrie
- Treasure Island (1988), by R. L. Stevenson
- Something Else (1994), by Kathryn Cave
- Castle Diary (1999), by Richard Platt
- Pirate Diary (2001), by Richard Platt
- Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver" (2004), adapted by Martin Jenkins
- Just So Stories (2013), by Rudyard Kipling
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin (2014), by Russell Brand
- Things You Find in a Poet's Beard (2015), by A. F. Harrold
- The Hunting of the Snark (2016), by Lewis Carroll
- The Lie Tree (2016), by Frances Hardinge
- How To Stop Time (2017), by Matt Haig
- The Tales of Beedle The Bard (2018), by J.K. Rowling
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2020), by Lewis Carroll
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2021), by Douglas Adams
- Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (2021), by Lewis Carroll
- The Little Prince (2023), by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (2023), by Douglas Adams
- Mothtown (2023), by Caroline Hardaker
- Books written by Paul Stewart
- The Edge Chronicles:
- Beyond the Deepwoods (1998)
- Stormchaser (1999)
- Midnight Over Sanctaphrax (2000)
- The Curse of the Gloamglozer (2001)
- The Last of the Sky Pirates (2002)
- Vox (2003)
- Freeglader (2004)
- The Winter Knights (2005)
- Clash of the Sky Galleons (2006)
- The Immortals (2009)
- The Nameless One (2014)
- Doombringer (2015)
- The Descenders (2019)
- Rabbit and Hedgehog Stories:
- A Little Bit of Winter (1998)
- The Birthday Presents (1999)
- Muddle Earth:
- Book 1: Muddle Earth (2003)
- Book 2: Muddle Earth Too (2011)
- Far-Flung Adventures:
- Fergus Crane (2004)
- Corby Flood (2005)
- Hugo Pepper (2006)
- Barnaby Grimes:
- Barnaby Grimes: Curse of the Nightwolf (2007)
- Barnaby Grimes: Return of the Emerald Skull (2008)
- Books written by Neil Gaiman
- The Graveyard Book (2008)
- The Sleeper and the Spindle (2013)
- Fortunately, the Milk... (2013)
- Coraline (2013)
- Odd and the Frost Giants (2016)
- Neverwhere (2017)
- Pirate Stew (2020)
Awards and Special Recognitions
Chris Riddell has won many awards for his amazing illustrations.
- 2001 Pirate Diary, written by Richard Platt, won the Kate Greenaway Medal.
- 2003 Pirate Diary won the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Book with Facts.
- 2004 Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver", adapted by Martin Jenkins, won the Kate Greenaway Medal.
- 2004 Fergus Crane, written by Paul Stewart, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.
- 2007 Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, written and illustrated by Riddell, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.
- 2008 Ottoline and the Yellow Cat won a Red House Children's Book Award.
- 2013 Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse won the Costa Book Awards (Children's category).
- 2016 The Sleeper and the Spindle, written by Neil Gaiman, won the Kate Greenaway Medal. This made Chris the first person to win this award three times!
- 2019 He was given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was for his work in illustration and for charity.
Images for kids
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Riddell in 2010
