Jane Ray facts for kids
Jane Ray, born on June 11, 1960, is a talented English illustrator. She has brought to life over 70 children's books with her beautiful artwork. Her very first book, A Balloon for Grandad, written by Nigel Gray, is so special it's listed in `1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up`. Jane Ray also writes and illustrates some of her own books, like Can You Catch a Mermaid?, Ahmed and the Feather Girl, and The Elephants Garden.
She won the 1992 Nestlé Children's Book Prize for her book The Story of the Creation. This award was for readers aged 6 to 8. Jane has also been nominated many times for the Kate Greenaway Medal, which is a big award for children's book illustrators. In 2017, she was nominated for the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava.
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Jane Ray's Early Life
Jane Ray grew up in Chingford, London. Her parents, Donald Edwin and Barbara May, were both teachers and musicians. Jane loved books from a very young age. Her first book ever was Alice in Wonderland.
How Jane Started Making Books
When Jane was just five years old, she started making her own books during a summer holiday. Her first book was called Mr Teddy and Mrs Teddy go for a picnic. She still has it today! During that time, she created about thirty books.
Who Inspired Jane Ray?
One of Jane Ray's biggest inspirations is Beatrix Potter, who created characters like Peter Rabbit. Jane loved the tiny details in Potter's work. She found it amazing how Potter combined careful observation of nature with pure fantasy, like "dormice in bonnets." Jane used to imagine herself walking into those illustrations.
Other artists who inspired Jane when she was young include Lucy Boston, Brian Wildsmith, Arthur Rackham, and Jan Pienkowski.
Jane's Path to Art School
Jane's art teacher at school encouraged her to go to art school. She later studied Ceramics and 3 Dimensional Design at Middlesex University. Before becoming an illustrator, Jane thought about teaching deaf children.
Jane Ray's Career as an Illustrator
Before becoming a famous author and illustrator, Jane Ray had many different jobs. She worked as a special needs teacher and even designed greeting cards. Her first full-color picture book, A Balloon for Grandad, was published in 1989.
Books Jane Ray Has Illustrated
Jane has illustrated books for many well-known authors. These include Carol Ann Duffy's The Lost Happy Endings and Jeanette Winterson's The King of Capri. She also illustrated Michael Rosen's Romeo and Juliet and Kevin Crossley-Holland's Heartsong.
Jane's Unique Art Style
Jane Ray prefers to create her art by hand, without using computers. She often uses watercolours and pencils. She also adds collage and shiny metallic inks to make her pictures special and decorative.
Jane often finds ideas for her work by visiting the British Museum. She believes it's important for children to see themselves in the stories they read. She loves to include characters from different backgrounds in her books. Jane feels it's important that her "audience" is represented in the books she creates. She enjoys bringing these different characters into classic stories like those by Grimm, Perrault, and Andersen.
Art for Hospitals
In 2016, Jane Ray helped with the Nightingale Project. This project uses art to make hospitals brighter and more welcoming. She created artwork for a women's psychiatric unit at St. Charles Hospital in West London. Her work was also shown at the South Kensington and Chelsea Mental Health Centre.
For this project, Jane mainly drew natural scenes like trees. She wanted to connect the hospital wards with the outside world. She also included birds, which she says represent freedom. Jane found it exciting to work on a much larger scale for this project. She felt it helped her grow as an artist.
Jane Ray works from her studio, which is in her garden in London. She uses postcards and clippings to find inspiration for her art. In 2018, she was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a very important international award for children's authors and illustrators.
Jane Ray's Personal Life
Jane Ray lives and works in London. She is married to David Anthony Temple, who is a conductor. They have three children.
Prizes and Awards for Jane Ray
Jane Ray has received many awards and nominations for her wonderful illustrations:
- 1989: Shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award for A Balloon For Grandad.
- 1991: Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award for Noah's Ark.
- 1992: Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award for The Story of Christmas.
- 1992: Winner of the Smarties Award (6–8 years) for The Story of Creation.
- 1992: Winner of Nestlé Children's Book Prize (6–8 years) for The Story of Creation.
- 1995: Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award for The Happy Prince.
- 1995: Shortlisted for the Kurt Maschler Award for The Song of the Earth.
- 2001: Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award for Fairy Tales.
- 2005: Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award for Jinnie Ghost.
- 2008: Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award for The Lost Happy Endings.
- 2017: Nominated for the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava.
- 2018: Nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards.
