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Lauren Child

CBE
Child at Waterstones, Piccadilly, London, 2018
Child at Waterstones, Piccadilly, London, 2018
Born Helen Child
(1965-11-29) 29 November 1965 (age 59)
Berkshire, England
Occupation Illustrator, writer
Education Manchester Polytechnic
London Art School (briefly)
Period 1999–present
Genre Children's picture books 10+ Fiction
Notable works Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean, Ruby Redfort
Notable awards Kate Greenaway Medal
2000

Lauren Margot Peachy Child, also known as Helen Child, is a famous English author and artist who creates books for children. She was born on November 29, 1965. She is most famous for her "Charlie and Lola" picture books. She gets ideas from other great artists like E. H. Shepard and Quentin Blake.

In 2000, Lauren Child introduced her "Charlie and Lola" characters. This happened in the book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato. This book was so good that it won the important Kate Greenaway Medal. This award is given for the best illustrations in a children's book each year. For the Medal's 50th birthday, her book was chosen as one of the top ten winners. It even came in third place in a public vote for the nation's favorite.

About Lauren Child's Life

Lauren Child was born in Berkshire, England, in 1965. She grew up in Marlborough, Wiltshire. Her dad was in charge of the art department at Marlborough College. Her mom taught at a primary school. Lauren was the middle child of three sisters. She changed her first name from Helen to Lauren when she was young.

She went to St John's School and later to Marlborough College. She studied art for a short time at Manchester Polytechnic. She also studied at City and Guilds of London Art School. Before becoming an author, she started her own company. It was called Chandeliers for the People, and she made lampshades.

Lauren Child published her first two picture books in 1999. These were I Want a Pet! and Clarice Bean, That's Me. Clarice Bean, That's Me was the first book in the popular Clarice Bean series. It was almost a winner for the Greenaway Medal. It also made the shortlist for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.

The next year, she won the Greenaway Medal for the first "Charlie and Lola" book. This book was I Will Not Ever, NEVER Eat a Tomato. She also won a £5,000 cash prize that year. In 2002, she won another Smarties Prize for That Pesky Rat. This book was also praised for the Greenaway Medal.

In the same year, she wrote her first children's novel. It was called Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. This book was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Her second novel in the series, Clarice Bean Spells Trouble, was shortlisted for an award in 2005. The third novel, Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now, came out in 2007.

Lauren Child's drawings are special because they use many different things. She uses magazine cut-outs, collage, fabric, and photos. She also uses traditional watercolors. She was announced as the new Children's Laureate for the UK in June 2017. This is a special role for a children's author.

Discovering Charlie and Lola

Main article: Charlie and Lola

Charlie and Lola is a series of picture books created by Lauren Child. These books were later turned into a popular TV show. Each TV episode is about half an hour long. It has two different stories. Every episode starts with Charlie saying, "I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny."

Charlie's character was based on Lauren Child's boyfriend, Soren. He used to wear shirts like Charlie's. Lola was inspired by a small, pixie-like girl Lauren saw on a train. This girl was with her parents and asked them many questions. Lola's imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson, was based on Lauren's boyfriend's sister's imaginary brother.

The "Charlie and Lola" TV show was made by Tiger Aspect for CBeebies. Lauren Child was an Associate Producer for the show. Three series with 26 episodes each were made. There were also two special episodes. "Charlie and Lola" has been sold all over the world. It won BAFTA awards in 2007 for Best Children's Television Show and Best Script.

Exploring Clarice Bean

Main article: Clarice Bean series

Clarice Bean is a series of picture books and novels by Lauren Child. These books are for children and young teenagers. The main character's full name is Clarice Bean Tuesday. Her best friend is Betty P Moody. Karl Wrenbury is another one of her friends. She doesn't get along with Grace Grapello or her teacher, Mrs Wilberton.

Clarice is not very good at spelling. She also daydreams a lot. Her family includes her mom, dad, and younger brother Minal Cricket. She also has an older sister named Marcie and an even older brother named Kurt. Her grandad lives with them, and her granny lives in America. Her granny calls them often.

Clarice Bean loves a book series called Ruby Redfort. At first, these "Ruby Redfort" books were only pretend. But later, Lauren Child wrote them for real. The first Ruby Redfort book came out in 2011.

Here are the books in the Clarice Bean series:

  • Clarice Bean, That's Me – This is a picture book about Clarice's big family.
  • My Uncle is a Hunkle, Says Clarice Bean – This picture book is about Clarice being looked after by her uncle when her parents are away.
  • What Planet Are You From Clarice Bean? – In this picture book, Clarice and her brother Kurt try to save Earth.
  • Utterly Me, Clarice Bean – This is a novel where Clarice has to do a boring book project. But there's a prize she really wants to win.
  • Clarice Bean Spells Trouble – This novel is about Clarice getting into big trouble because of spelling.
  • Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now! – In this novel, Clarice has a list of worries. She tries to figure out what her biggest worry is.

Uncovering Ruby Redfort

In 2009, Lauren Child signed a deal to write six new books. These books would be for her Ruby Redfort series. Readers of the Clarice Bean books already knew Ruby Redfort. She was Clarice Bean's favorite character in books.

Ruby Redfort is a super smart code-cracker. She is also a brave detective and a special agent with cool gadgets. She is only thirteen years old. Ruby and her clever butler, Hitch, stop crimes. They get into many tricky situations with bad villains. But they always stay calm and cool.

The first book in the series was Ruby Redfort: Look into My Eyes. It came out in September 2011. The secret codes in the books were created by Lauren Child and a mathematician named Marcus du Sautoy. The main codes in all five books are based on the five senses. The first book uses sight, the second uses hearing, and so on.

A second Ruby book, Ruby Redfort, Take Your Last Breath, came out later. Then came a third, Catch Your Death. A fourth Ruby novel, Feel the Fear, was released in November 2014. A fifth book, Pick Your Poison, came out in November 2015. The sixth and final book, Blink and You Die, was released in October 2016. There is also a handbook in the series called Hang in There Bozo: The Ruby Redfort Emergency Survival Guide for Some Tricky Predicaments.

Lauren Child's Works

Books Written and Illustrated by Lauren Child

  • Clarice Bean, That's Me (1999) – First in the Clarice Bean series
  • I Want a Pet! (1999)
  • Beware of the Storybook Wolves (2000)
  • I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato (2000) – First in the Charlie and Lola series
  • My Uncle is a Hunkle Says Clarice Bean (2000) – Clarice Bean
  • I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed (2001) – Charlie and Lola
  • My Dream Bed (2001)
  • What Planet Are You From Clarice Bean? (2001) – Clarice Bean
  • That Pesky Rat (2002)
  • Utterly me, Clarice Bean (2002) – Clarice Bean, the first novel
  • Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? (2002)
  • I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (2003) – Charlie and Lola
  • Clarice Bean Spells Trouble (2004) – Clarice Bean novel
  • Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent (2004)
  • Bat Cat (2005)
  • Beware of Storybook Wolves (2005)
  • The Princess and the Pea (2005) – Adapted from the fairy tale
  • Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now (2006) – Clarice Bean novel
  • Who Wants to be a Poodle, I Don't (2009)
  • Slightly Invisible (2010) – Charlie and Lola
  • The New Small Person (2015)
  • How To Raise Your Grown-Ups – Hubert Horatio, Book 1 (2018)

Books Written by Lauren Child

  • Ruby Redfort, Look into My Eyes (2011)
  • Ruby Redfort, Take Your Last Breath (2012)
  • Maude: The Not-so-noticeable Shrimpton (2012)
  • Ruby Redfort, Hang in There Bozo (2013)
  • Ruby Redfort, Catch Your Death (2013)
  • Ruby Redfort, Feel The Fear (2014)
  • Ruby Redfort, Pick Your Poison (2015)
  • Ruby Redfort, Blink And You Die (2016)

Books Illustrated by Lauren Child

  • Addy the Baddy (1993)
  • Stand Up for Yourself! (1996)
  • The Complete Poetical Works of Phoebe Flood (1997)
  • Dream On, Daisy! (2001)
  • I'd Like a Little Word, Leonie (2001)
  • Just You Wait, Winona (2001)
  • What's the Matter, Maya? (2001)
  • You Must Be Joking, Jimmy! (2001)
  • You're a Disgrace, Daisy (2001)
  • Dan's Angel: A Detective's Guide to the Language of Painting (2002)
  • Pippi Longstocking (2007) – An edition of the classic book
  • Anne of Green Gables series (2008, 2009) – Puffin reissue of the classic books

Awards and Special Recognitions

Lauren Child has received many awards for her work. She was given a special honor called the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2021. This was for her great contributions to children's literature.

Here are some of the awards she has won as a writer:

Here are some of the awards she has won as an illustrator:

  • 1999, Clarice Bean, That's Me, Kate Greenaway Medal Highly Commended
  • 2000, I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato, Kate Greenaway Medal Winner
  • 2000, Beware of the Storybook Wolves, Kate Greenaway Medal shortlisted
  • 2002, That Pesky Rat, Kate Greenaway Medal Commended
  • 2002, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book?, Kate Greenaway Medal shortlisted

Images for kids

  • Lauren Child 20191206

    Lauren Child at Waterstones, Piccadilly, London, 2018

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lauren Child para niños

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