Nicola Bayley facts for kids

Nicola Mary Bayley, born on August 18, 1949, is a talented British author and illustrator of children's books. She was born in Singapore. Nicola Bayley is especially famous for her beautiful drawings of cats. You can see her cat illustrations in popular books like The Tyger Voyage by Richard Adams and The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber. She also illustrated Katje, The Windmill Cat by Gretchen Woelfle.

Nicola Bayley's Life and Career

Nicola Bayley was born in Singapore on August 18, 1949. She spent her childhood in China and Hampshire, England. She also attended an English boarding school. At first, she wanted to become a fashion designer.

However, she decided to study graphic design instead. She went to St. Martin's School of Art in London. There, she focused on illustration. Later, she continued her studies at the Royal College of Art in London.

A publisher named Tom Maschlerer saw her amazing artwork. He asked her to illustrate a book. This led to her first book, Nicola Bayley's Book of Nursery Rhymes. It was published in 1975.

In 1976, her second book came out. It was called The Tyger Voyage. The author Richard Adams wrote this book. He was inspired by Bayley's drawing for a nursery rhyme. The rhyme was "Three Thick Thumping Tigers Taking Toast for Tea."

In 1977, her book One Old Oxford Ox was published. This book was a collection of fun tongue twisters. Later, in 1984, she created the Copycat series. This series included books like Parrot Cat and Elephant Cat.

The Mousehole Cat was published in 1990. Antonia Barber wrote this book, and Bayley illustrated it. This book won the British Book Award for illustrated children's books. In 1998, Nicola Bayley wrote and illustrated her own book, The Necessary Cat.

Nicola Bayley's Art Style

Nicola Bayley uses a special painting method called stippling. This means she creates her pictures using thousands of tiny dots. She makes these dots with brushes.

Her favorite medium is watercolors. She often used her own pet cats as models for her illustrations. Experts say her art has "minute detail, glowing colors, and fine texture." Her work also has a very "soft feel."

Selected Books by Nicola Bayley

Here are some of the books Nicola Bayley wrote and illustrated:

• Nicola Bayley's Book of Nursery Rhymes (1975)
• One Old Oxford Ox (1977), a counting book
• Copycats (1984), a series of books
• The Necessary Cat (1998)

Books Illustrated by Nicola Bayley

Here are some books that Nicola Bayley illustrated for other authors:

• The Tyger Voyage (1976) by Richard Adams
• Puss in Boots (1976 and 1977), a pop-up book
• La Corona and the Tin Frog (1978) by Russell Hoban
• The Patchwork Cat (1981) by William Mayne
• The Mouldy (1983) by William Mayne
• The Moushole Cat (1990 or 1991) by Antonia Barber
• All for the Newborn Baby (2000) by Phyllis Root
• Katje, The Windmill Cat (2001 or 2002) by Gretchen Woelfle

Awards and Honors

Nicola Bayley has received several awards for her wonderful illustrations:

• 1991 British Book Award for Illustrated Children's Book for The Mousehole Cat, written by Antonia Barber.
• 2001 Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist for Katje, the Windmill Cat, written by Gretchen Woelfle.