Margaret Gordon (illustrator) facts for kids

Margaret Anna Gordon (born Margaret Anna Eastoe) was a talented artist who drew pictures for children's books. She was born on May 19, 1939, and passed away on December 31, 1989. Many people know her best for her drawings of The Wombles in Elisabeth Beresford's popular books. She also wrote and drew her own stories about a playful bear named Wilberforce.

Margaret Gordon's Art Career

Margaret Anna Eastoe was born in London on May 19, 1939. Her parents were both musicians. After 1964, she became known professionally as Margaret Gordon, using her husband's last name.

Early Art Studies and First Works

Margaret studied art at several schools in London. These included St Martin's School of Art, Camberwell College of Arts, and the Central School of Arts and Crafts. She wanted to be a serious artist. Later, she worked part-time as a teacher in Bexhill. However, she kept painting and showed her first artwork in 1965.

She drew pictures for many books published by Macmillan. One of these was Noah's Journey by George MacBeth. In 1966, she created her own picture book called The Green Children. She worked on this book with Kevin Crossley-Holland. This book was very successful. It won the best children's book prize from the Arts Council in 1968.

Margaret and Kevin Crossley-Holland worked together on other books too. These included The Callow Pit Coffer (1968) and The Peddler of Swaffham (1971). She also published Walter and the Balloon with her husband. Margaret also made black and white drawings for Alison Jezard's "Albert" series. These books were about a teddy bear.

Illustrating The Wombles Books

Margaret Gordon is most famous for her drawings in Elisabeth Beresford's Wombles books. The first Wombles book came out in 1968. Later, these stories became a very popular television show.

Because the Wombles were so popular, Elisabeth Beresford wrote more stories. Margaret worked very hard to draw pictures for twenty Wombles books. She often worked long hours, seven days a week. After the Wombles, she decided to only illustrate books if she received a royalty payment. This meant she would get a small part of the money from each book sold. Other artists also drew for the Wombles books. But Margaret Gordon's drawings are seen as the true look of the Wombles.

Writing and Illustrating Her Own Stories

In the mid-1980s, Margaret started to write her own books. She also drew all the pictures for them. Her most successful series was about a playful bear named Wilberforce.

Margaret did not like the busy, gossipy world of book publishing. She was very happy when Walker Books started publishing her work. She greatly admired the books they produced. Margaret was a very flexible artist. She was good at both black and white drawings and colored artwork. Her black and white drawings often had detailed backgrounds. But the main characters looked simpler, almost like cartoons.

Margaret Gordon's Personal Life

Margaret was born and grew up in Battersea, London. Her parents were professional musicians. She had a younger brother, John Eastoe, and a sister, Jane Eastoe. Margaret believed growing up with musicians gave her an artistic spirit. However, she chose not to become a musician herself.

She met her husband, Giles Gordon, at a publishing house. She was showing her drawings to different publishers at the time. They were married from 1964 to 1987. After their marriage ended, she moved to Oundle, Northamptonshire. This allowed her to be closer to her sister. She felt she should have moved earlier. Margaret found great happiness in Oundle during her last months. She passed away at age 50 on December 31, 1989, after an illness. She is survived by her children, Callum and Hattie Gordon. Her son Gareth Gordon passed away in 1994.

Selected Works by Margaret Gordon

• Noah's Journey with George Macbeth (1964)
• The Green Children with Kevin Crossley-Holland (1966)
• Emily's Voyage with Emma Smith (1966)
• The Callow Pit Coffer with Kevin Crossley-Holland (1968)
• The Wombles with Elisabeth Beresford (1968)
• Jonah and the Lord with George Macbeth (1969)
• A House for Jones with Helen Cresswell (1969)
• The Wandering Wombles with Elisabeth Beresford (1970)
• Albert with Alison Jezard (1970)
• Albert and Henry with Alison Jezard (1970)
• Albert's Christmas with Alison Jezard (1970)
• The Pedlar of Swaffham with Kevin Crossley-Holland (1971)
• Lillapig by Peter John Stephens (1972)
• Albert Goes to Sea with Alison Jezard (1973)
• All Sorts of Everything with Malcolm Carrick (1973)
• Albert and Tum Tum with Alison Jezard (1973)
• Walter and the Balloon with Giles Gordon (1974)
• Albert up the River with Alison Jezard (1974)
• The Wombles to the Rescue with Elisabeth Beresford (1974)
• A Paper of Pins (1975)
• Albert and Digger with Alison Jezard (1975)
• Tomsk and the Tired Tree with Elisabeth Beresford (1975)
• Wellington and the Blue Balloon with Elisabeth Beresford (1975)
• The Wombles Go Round the World with Elisabeth Beresford (1976)
• Tobermory's Big Surprise with Elisabeth Beresford (1976)
• The MacWomble's Pipe Band with Elisabeth Beresford (1976)
• Madam Cholet's Picnic Party with Elisabeth Beresford (1976)
• Bungo Knows Best with Elisabeth Beresford (1976)
• Albert in Scotland with Alison Jezard (1976)
• Albert Goes Trekking with Alison Jezard (1976)
• Albert's Circus with Alison Jezard (1977)
• Albert Goes Treasure Hunting with Alison Jezard (1978)
• Albert on the Farm with Alison Jezard (1979)
• My Aunt Polly with Helen Cresswell (1979)
• My Aunt Polly by the Sea with Helen Cresswell (1980)
• Tales from the Wind in the Willows with Kenneth Grahame (1985)
• Recipes & Rhymes: A Children's Cookery Book with Elaine Bastable (2013)

Books Written and Illustrated by Margaret Gordon

• Wilberforce Goes on a Picnic (1982)
• The Supermarket Mice (1984)
• Wilberforce Goes shopping (1985)
• Wilberforce Goes to a Party (1986)
• Wilberforce Goes to Playgroup (1987)
• Frog's Holiday (1988)
• Mousetale (1988)
• Getting to Know Cousin Rodney (1990)
• Help! (1990)
• Willie Whiskers (1991)

Images for kids

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  Gordon's original cover illustration for "The Wombles to the Rescue" (ink and gouache)

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  Original Mousetale Illustration (ink and gouache)