Michael Foreman (illustrator) facts for kids

Michael Foreman OBE (born March 21, 1938) is a British author and illustrator. He is one of the most well-known creators of children's books. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. This award is for the best British children's book illustration. He won it in 1982 and again in 1989. He was also a runner-up five other times.

Michael Foreman was nominated for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is the highest honor for people who create children's books. He was nominated in 1988 and again in 2010.

Life

Michael Foreman grew up in Pakefield, a village near Lowestoft, in Suffolk, England. His mother ran the village shop. His father passed away before he was born. When Michael was three, his family's home was hit by a German bomb. Luckily, he, his mother, and his two older brothers survived.

He went to the Lowestoft School of Art. Later, he studied in London at the Royal College of Art. There, he earned 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 for his great work in literature.

How He Illustrates

Michael Foreman learned to draw quickly for stories when he was an art student. He drew for newspapers and even for the police. He drew female suspects when special drawing kits only had male features. This helped him get a lot of drawing practice.

He also traveled all over the world. He drew landscapes, buildings, and animals. Many of his books feature bright watercolor paintings. But he believes that the drawing itself is the most important part. He said that creating another believable world is key. He felt lucky to start art school young. They taught him a lot, including anatomy and perspective. This 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.

Selected Works

Michael Foreman has written and illustrated many books. Here are some of his notable works:

• 1967 The Perfect Present (author/illustrator)
• 1967 The Two Giants (author/illustrator)
• 1970 Horatio (author/illustrator)
• 1971 Moose (author/illustrator)
• 1972 Dinosaurs and all that rubbish (author/illustrator)
• 1974 War and Peas (writer and illustrator)
• 1977 Panda's Puzzle (author/illustrator)
• 1977 Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman (illustrator)
• 1978 Popular Folk Tales (illustrator)
• 1981 Panda and the Old Lion (author/illustrator)
• 1981 Trick a Tracker (author/illustrator)
• 1982 Land of Dreams (author/illustrator)
• 1982 Long Neck and Thunder Foot (illustrator) —joint winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal
• 1982 Sleeping Beauty and other favourite fairy tales (illustrator) —joint winner of the Greenaway Medal
• 1983 The Saga of Erik the Viking (illustrator)
• 1984 Cat and Canary (author/illustrator)
• 1985 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (illustrator, revised edition)
• 1986 Ben's Box: A Pop-up Fantasy (author/illustrator)
• 1986 Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (illustrator)
• 1987 Ben's Baby (author/illustrator)
• 1988 The Angel and the Wild Animal (author/illustrator)
• 1988 Worms Wiggle (author/illustrator)
• 1989 War Boy: a country childhood (author/illustrator) —winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal
• 1990 One World (author/illustrator)
• 1991 The Boy Who Sailed with Columbus (author/illustrator)
• 1992 Jack's Fantastic Voyage (author/illustrator)
• 1993 Grandfather's Pencil (author/illustrator)
• 1993 War Game (author/illustrator)
• 1994 Dad! I Can't Sleep (author/illustrator)
• 1995 After the War was Over (author/illustrator)
• 1995 Surprise! Surprise! (author/illustrator)
• 1996 Seal Surfer (author/illustrator)
• 1996 The Little Reindeer (author/illustrator)
• 1997 Look! Look! (author/illustrator)
• 1999 Kensuke's Kingdom (illustrator)
• 1999 Michael Foreman's Christmas Treasury (author/illustrator)
• 1999 The Little Red Hen (author/illustrator)
• 2000 Cat in the Manger (author/illustrator)
• 2000 Memories of Childhood (author/illustrator)
• 2000 Rock-a-doodle-doo! (author/illustrator)
• 2001 Saving Sinbad (author/illustrator)
• 2002 Dinosaur Time (author/illustrator)
• 2002 Evie and the Man who Helped God (author/illustrator)
• 2002 Wonder Goal (author/illustrator)
• 2003 Cat on the Hill (author/illustrator)
• 2003 Hello World (author/illustrator)
• 2004 One world (author/illustrator)
• 2005 Can't Catch Me! (author/illustrator)
• 2006 Fox Tale (author/illustrator)
• 2006 Mia's Story (author/illustrator)
• 2006 Norman's Ark (author/illustrator)
• 2008 The Little Dinosaur (author/illustrator)
• 2009 A Child's Garden: A Story of Hope (author/illustrator)
• 2009 The Littlest Dinosaur's Big Adventure (author/illustrator)
• 2010 Why the Animals Came to Town (author/illustrator)
• 2015 The Tortoise and the Soldier (author/illustrator)
• 2021 Noa and the Little Elephant (author/illustrator)

Awards

Michael Foreman has received many awards for his 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

See also

• List of children's literature authors
• List of children's literature illustrators