Jane Ray facts for kids

Jane Ray (born 11 June 1960) is an English illustrator who has brought more than 70 children's books to life with her beautiful artwork. Her very first illustrated book, A Balloon for Grandad, is so special that it's listed in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. Jane also writes some of the books she illustrates, like Can You Catch a Mermaid? and The Elephants Garden. She won the 1992 Nestlé Children's Book Prize for Story of the Creation and has been nominated for the famous Kate Greenaway Medal many times.

Jane Ray's Early Life

Jane Ray was born in Chingford, London. Her parents were both teachers and musicians, which might be why she loved stories and art from a young age. One of the first books she ever read was Alice in Wonderland.

When Jane was just five years old, she started making her own books during a summer holiday! Her very first book, which she still has, is called Mr Teddy and Mrs Teddy go for a picnic. She made about thirty books that summer.

Who Inspired Jane Ray?

One of Jane's biggest inspirations is the famous author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. Jane loved how detailed Beatrix Potter's work was. She found it amazing how Potter combined careful observations of nature with pure fantasy, like "dormice in bonnets." Jane used to imagine herself walking into those illustrations, like exploring the lane in The Tale of Tom Kitten or sitting among the flowers in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.

Other artists who inspired Jane when she was young include Lucy Boston, Brian Wildsmith, Arthur Rackham, and Jan Pienkowski.

Jane's art teacher at school also helped her decide to go to art school. She later studied Ceramics and 3D Design at Middlesex University. She even thought about teaching deaf children at one point!

Jane Ray's Career as an Illustrator

Before becoming a well-known author and illustrator, Jane Ray had many different jobs. She worked as a life model, a special needs teacher, and even cleaned telephones! She also painted murals.

Jane started her art career by designing greeting cards and wrapping paper. Her first full-color picture book, A Balloon for Grandad, was published in 1989. Since then, she has illustrated books for many famous writers, including Carol Ann Duffy, Jeanette Winterson, and Michael Rosen.

How Does Jane Ray Create Her Art?

Jane prefers to create her artwork by hand, without using digital technology. She often uses watercolours and pencils. She also adds collage and shiny metallic inks to create her unique and decorative patterns.

Jane often finds inspiration for her work by visiting the British Museum. She loves to explore different cultures and bring those ideas into her illustrations. She believes it's important for children to see themselves and their own identities in the stories they read.

Why Multiculturalism is Important to Jane Ray

Jane feels it's very important to show different cultures in her books. She says that the children she meets come from all sorts of backgrounds. She wants her books to represent all of them. Because of this, she has always included characters from different ethnic groups in her work. She especially enjoys adding these differences to classic European fairy tales by authors like Grimm, Perrault, and Andersen.

Art for Hospitals: The Nightingale Project

In 2016, Jane Ray contributed to the Nightingale Project. This project uses art to make hospitals brighter and more welcoming. She created artworks for a women's psychiatric unit at St Charles' Hospital in West London. Her work helped connect the inside of the hospital wards with the outside world. She mostly drew natural scenes like trees. She also included birds, which she says represent freedom.

Jane found working on this project "liberating" because it allowed her to work on a much larger scale than usual. This helped her artistic skills grow even more. Her work for the project was also displayed at the South Kensington and Chelsea Mental Health Centre.

Jane works from a studio in her garden in London. She often uses postcards and cuttings to inspire her new ideas. In 2018, she was nominated for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, which is a huge honor for children's book creators.

Jane Ray's Personal Life

Jane Ray lives and works in London. She is married to a conductor named David Anthony Temple. They have three children.

Prizes and Awards for Jane Ray

• 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, published by Orchard Books ().
• 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: IBBY UK Illustrator nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards.