Helen Oxenbury facts for kids

Helen Gillian Oxenbury (born 2 June 1938) is a famous English artist who illustrates and writes picture books for children. She lives in north London. Helen Oxenbury has won the important Kate Greenaway Medal twice. This award is given by British librarians for the best children's book illustrations. She was also a runner-up four times for this award. For the 50th anniversary of the Greenaway Medal, her 1999 illustrated version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was chosen as one of the top ten winning books of all time.

Helen Oxenbury's Early Life and Career

Helen Oxenbury was born and grew up in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Her father was an architect. From a very young age, she loved to draw. After finishing school, she went to the Ipswich School of Art as a teenager. During her school holidays, she worked at a small theatre in Felixstowe and at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre Workshop, where she helped mix paints for sets.

Later, she moved to London to study at the Central School of Art and Design from 1957 to 1959. There, she met John Burningham, who would later become her husband. He was also a well-known children's book author and illustrator.

Working in Theatre and Film

After her studies, Helen started a career in theatre, film, and television. She worked as an assistant designer at the Colchester Repertory Theatre. For three years, she was a painter and designer for the Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv, Israel. In 1962, she came back to Britain. She did some design work for ABC Television and Shepperton Film Studios.

Becoming a Children's Book Illustrator

In 1964, Helen married John Burningham. After that, she started illustrating children's books herself. In 1988, she created a series of books about a playful young boy named Tom and his stuffed monkey, Pippo. Helen said that Tom was very much like her own son when he was younger. Just like Tom, her son would often blame his naughty actions on the family dog! Helen Oxenbury continues to illustrate books today.

In 1994, the Tom and Pippo books were made into a French animated TV series. It had 104 short episodes, each lasting two minutes. Some of her more recent work includes the pictures for The Growing Story. This appeared in the September 2008 edition of Bayard Presse's StoryBox magazine.

Awards and Recognitions

Helen Oxenbury is one of only 14 illustrators who have won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. Her husband, John Burningham, also won this award. The Kate Greenaway Medal is given each year by the British Library Association (now CILIP). It celebrates the best children's book illustration by a British artist.

Kate Greenaway Medal Wins

Helen first won the Medal in 1969 for The Quangle Wangle's Hat. This book was an edition of a 19th-century poem by Edward Lear. From 1989 to 1994, she was a "Highly Commended" runner-up four times. She won the Medal again in 1999 for her illustrations in Alice in Wonderland. The award committee said her Alice was "More abundantly illustrated than previous editions... Alice herself is a child of today – casually dressed, personable and spirited." In 2007, Alice was chosen as one of the top ten Greenaway Medal-winning books of all time.

Other Important Awards

Helen Oxenbury also won two "Emils," which are Kurt Maschler Awards. This award celebrates children's books where the words and pictures work perfectly together. She won her first Emil for So Much by Trish Cooke, which was also a Greenaway runner-up. Her second Emil was for Alice.

She has won three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes, all in the 0–5 years category. Children themselves voted for the winners of the Smarties Prize from a list of nominated books. Helen Oxenbury's illustrated books were the overall winners in 1989 for We're Going on a Bear Hunt, retold by Michael Rosen. In 1991, Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell also won, and it was another Greenaway runner-up. So Much won the age group award in 1994.

Farmer Duck also won the 1991 Illustrated Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Tickle, Tickle, which Helen wrote and illustrated herself, won the 1999 Booktrust Early Years Award. In the United States, Big Momma Makes the World by Phillis Root won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in the picture books category.

Selected Books Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

These are some of the many children's books Helen Oxenbury has illustrated:

• The Quangle Wangle's Hat (1969), by Edward Lear
  • —Joint winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal
• The Dragon of an Ordinary Family (1969), by Margaret Mahy
  • —Joint winner of the Greenaway Medal
• Helen Oxenbury's ABC of Things (1971)
• Pig Tale (1973), written and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
• Cakes and Custard (1975), children's rhymes chosen by Brian Alderson (children's book critic)
• I can (1985), a board book for babies
• I hear (1985), a board book for babies
• I see (1985), a board book for babies
• The Helen Oxenbury Nursery Story Book (1985), familiar folk tales
• All Fall Down (1987), written and illustrated
• Clap Hands (1987), written and illustrated
• Say Goodnight (1987), written and illustrated
• We're Going on a Bear Hunt (1989), retold by Michael Rosen
  • —Winner of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (age 0–5 and overall)
  • —Greenaway runner-up, Highly Commended
• Farmer Duck (1991), by Martin Waddell
  • —Winner of the British Illustrated Children's Book of the Year and the Smarties Prize (age 0–5 and overall)
  • —Greenaway runner-up, Highly Commended
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (1993), by Eugene Trivizas
  • —Greenaway runner-up, Highly Commended
  • —Parents' Choice Gold Award
• It's My Birthday (1993), written and illustrated
• So Much (1994), by Trish Cooke
  • —Winner of the Kurt Maschler Award and the Smarties Prize (ages 0–5 years)
  • —Greenaway runner-up, Highly Commended
• Tickle, Tickle (1999), written and illustrated
  • —Booktrust Early Years Award
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1999), an edition of the 1865 classic by Lewis Carroll
  • —Winner of the Kurt Maschler Award and the Kate Greenaway Medal
• Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair (2000), by Harriet Goldhor Lerner
• Big Momma Makes the World (2002), by Phyllis Root
  • —Winner of the 2003 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Picture Book
• Alice Through the Looking Glass (2005), an edition of Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1871)
• The Growing Story (2007), by Ruth Krauss (1947)
• Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes (2008), by Mem Fox
• There's Going to Be a Baby (2010), by John Burningham
• The Giant Jumperee (Re-Illustrator in 2017), by Julia Donaldson
• Red Riding Hood (2019), Lost Story by Beatrix Potter
• Welcome to the World (2022), by Julia Donaldson
• Oh Dear, Look What I Got! (2025), by Michael Rosen