Michael Foreman (illustrator) facts for kids

Michael Foreman (born 21 March 1938) is a famous British author and illustrator. He is known for creating many wonderful children's books. He has won the important Kate Greenaway Medal twice. This award is given for the best illustrations in British children's books. He won it in 1982 and again in 1989.

Michael Foreman was also nominated for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1988 and 2010. This award is one of the highest honors for people who create children's books.

Michael Foreman's Life Story

Michael Foreman was born on March 21, 1938. He grew up in a small village called Pakefield in Suffolk, England. His mother ran the village shop. Sadly, his father passed away before he was born. When Michael was three years old, his family's home was hit by a German bomb during the war. Luckily, he, his mother, and his two older brothers all survived.

He studied art at Lowestoft School of Art. Later, he went to the Royal College of Art in London. There, he won a special scholarship to study in the United States. In 2022, Michael Foreman was given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was to honor his great work in literature.

How Michael Foreman Creates Illustrations

Michael Foreman learned to draw very quickly while he was an art student. He even drew pictures for newspapers and helped the police by drawing female suspects. This was useful when their special drawing kit only had parts for men.

He traveled all over the world thanks to a scholarship. He drew landscapes, buildings, and animals from many different places. Michael Foreman often uses bright watercolors in his books. But he believes that the drawing itself is the most important part. He says that creating a believable new world is key.

He feels lucky that he started art school when they taught art very strictly. He learned a lot about drawing, painting, anatomy, and perspective. This training helped him truly understand what he was looking at. His goal is to make the worlds in his illustrations feel real. He wants to tell a story by capturing the true feeling of a situation.

A Look at Michael Foreman's Books

Michael Foreman has written and illustrated many books. He has also illustrated books by other famous authors. Here are some of his well-known works:

Books from the 1970s

• 1972 Dinosaurs and all that rubbish (author/illustrator)
• 1974 War and Peas (author/illustrator)
• 1976 Hans Andersen: His Classic Fairy Tales (illustrator)
• 1977 Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman (illustrator)
• 1978 Popular Folk Tales (illustrator), translated from Brothers Grimm

Books from the 1980s

• 1980 City of Gold and Other Stories from the Old Testament (illustrator)
• 1981 Fairy Tales (illustrator), by Terry Jones
• 1982 Long Neck and Thunder Foot (illustrator) — This book helped him win the Kate Greenaway Medal.
• 1982 Sleeping Beauty and other favourite fairy tales (illustrator) — This also helped him win the Greenaway Medal.
• 1983 The Saga of Erik the Viking (illustrator), by Terry Jones
• 1985 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (illustrator, revised edition), by Roald Dahl
• 1986 Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (illustrator), by Roald Dahl
• 1989 War Boy: a country childhood (author/illustrator) — This book, a memoir, won him the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Books from the 1990s

• 1993 War Game (author/illustrator)
• 1996 Seal Surfer (author/illustrator)
• 1997 Farm Boy (illustrator)
• 1999 Kensuke's Kingdom (illustrator)

Books from the 2000s and 2010s

• 2000 Billy the Kid (illustrator)
• 2005 The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (illustrator)
• 2007 The Mozart Question (illustrator)
• 2011 Little Manfred (illustrator)
• 2012 A Medal for Leroy (illustrator)
• 2015 The Tortoise and the Soldier (author/illustrator)
• 2021 Noa and the Little Elephant (author/illustrator)

Awards and Honors

Michael Foreman has received many awards for his amazing work:

• 1997 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Silver Award)
• 1993 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award)
• 1989 Kate Greenaway Medal
• 1982 Kate Greenaway Medal
• 1982 Kurt Maschler Award
• 1980 Bologna Children's Book Fair Graphics Prize
• 1977 Francis Williams Award for Illustration
• 1977 National Art Library Illustration Award
• 1972 Festival International du Livre Aigle d'Argent Award
• 1972 National Art Library Illustration Award
• 1971 Francis Williams Award for Illustration