Jackie Morris facts for kids

Jackie Morris, born in 1961, is a talented British writer and illustrator. She creates amazing books, often for children. In 2019, she won the famous Kate Greenaway Medal for her beautiful pictures in The Lost Words. This book was even called the most beautiful book of 2016 by booksellers in the UK! Jackie also received the Tir na n-Og Award for her children's book Seal Children.

About Jackie Morris's Life

Jackie Morris was born in Birmingham, England, in 1961. When she was four, her family moved to Evesham. Even though some people told her she couldn't be an artist, Jackie loved to paint and learned how.

She went to Prince Henry's High School in Evesham. After that, she studied at the Bath Academy of Art.

Early Career and Illustrations

After college, Jackie started working as an illustrator for magazines. She drew pictures for popular magazines like Radio Times and Country Living. For many years, she illustrated different books. In 2016, her book Something About a Bear, which features her lovely watercolor paintings of bears, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Today, Jackie lives in a small house by the sea in Wales. There, she continues to paint and write her wonderful stories.

Jackie Morris's Creative Work

Jackie Morris is known for her unique and beautiful books. Many of her works combine her writing with her stunning illustrations.

The Lost Words Book

One of Jackie's most famous books is The Lost Words. She created this book with writer Robert Macfarlane. It's a special book filled with "spells" or poems. These poems help readers find clues to words about nature, like acorn, blackberry, and conker.

The idea for The Lost Words came from a change in the Oxford Junior Dictionary. In some newer versions, words about nature, like kingfisher, were removed. Instead, words about technology, like attachment and chatroom, were added.

In 2017, a protest letter was sent to the dictionary. Many famous writers and artists, including Jackie Morris, signed it. This led to the idea for Jackie and Robert Macfarlane to create The Lost Words. The book became very popular and was even voted the most beautiful book by UK booksellers in 2016.

Exhibitions and Adaptations

An exhibition of The Lost Words was held at Compton Verney in 2017. It showed large, immersive displays of the book's poems and illustrations. This exhibition then traveled around Britain, visiting places like the Foundling Museum in London and the Royal Albert Museum in Exeter.

The Lost Words was also published in Welsh as Geiriau Diflanedig. The author Mererid Hopwood adapted Robert Macfarlane's poems for the Welsh version. There's even an audiobook of The Lost Words. It's read by famous voices like Guy Garvey and Benjamin Zephaniah, with nature sounds by Chris Watson.

Books by Jackie Morris

Jackie Morris has written and illustrated many books. Here are some of her notable works:

As author and illustrator

• Cities in the Sea (1996) with Sian Lewis
• The Seal Children (2004)
• Can You See a Little Bear (2005) with James Mayhew
• The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems (2006) - a collection she put together and illustrated
• The Snow Leopard (2007)
• Tell Me a Dragon (2009)
• The Ice Bear (2010)
• The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes (2011)
• Queen of the Sky (2011)
• I am Cat (2012)
• Song of the Golden Hare (2013)
• East of the Sun, West of the Moon (2013)
• Something About a Bear (2014)
• The Wild Swans (2015)
• Cat Walk (2015)
• The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow (2016)
• The While Fox (2016)
• The Lost Words (2017) with Robert Macfarlane
• The Secret of the Tattered Shoes (2019) with Ehsan Abdollahi
• The Lost Spells (2020) with Robert Macfarlane

As illustrator for other authors

• The Snow Whale (1996) by Caroline Pitcher
• Out of the Ark: Stories from the World's Religions (1996) by Anita Ganeri
• The Time of the Lion (1998) by Caroline Pitcher
• The Fourth Wise Man (1998) by Susan Summers
• Stories from the Stars: Greek Myths of the Zodiac (1998) by Juliet Sharman-Burke
• Lord of the Dance (1998) by Sydney Carter
• Grandmother's Song (2000) by Barbara Soros
• How the Whale Became (2000) by Ted Hughes (new edition)
• Marianna and the Merchild (2000) by Caroline Pitcher
• Parables: Stories Jesus Told (2000) by Mary Hoffman
• Animals of the Bible (2003) by Mary Hoffman
• Lord of the Forest (2004) by Caroline Pitcher
• Little One, We Knew You'd Come (2006) by Sally Lloyd-Jones
• Singing to the Sun (2008) by Vivian French
• Starlight Sailor (2013) by James Mayhew
• Walking on Water: Miracles Jesus Worked (2017) by Mary Hoffman
• Lost and Found: Parables Jesus Told (2017) by Mary Hoffman

Other Artworks

Jackie Morris has also created cover art for many books by author Robin Hobb. Her artwork, including a print called Three Hares, has been featured in other places too. For example, her art was used for the second release of Judy Dyble's album, Talking with Strangers.

Awards and Achievements

Jackie Morris has received several important awards for her work:

Awards Won

• 1997 Tir na n-Og Award for Cities in the Sea
• 2005 Tir na n-Og Award for The Seal Children
• 2017 Books Are My Bag Readers' Award for The Lost Words
• 2019 Kate Greenaway Medal for The Lost Words

Shortlisted for Awards

• 2016 Kate Greenaway Medal for Something About a Bear

See also

In Spanish: Jackie Morris para niños