Oliver Jeffers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oliver Jeffers
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Oliver Jeffers in 2014
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Oliver Brendan Jeffers
October 5, 1977 Port Hedland, Western Australia
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | University of Ulster |
Oliver Jeffers is a talented artist, illustrator, and writer known for his wonderful children's books. He was born in Australia on October 5, 1977, but grew up in Northern Ireland. He studied at the University of Ulster and later lived and worked in Brooklyn before moving back to Northern Ireland in the early 2020s. He has created many popular stories and beautiful artwork that people all over the world enjoy.
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Oliver Jeffers' Creative Journey
Oliver Jeffers is famous for his amazing picture books for children. His books are published by big companies like HarperCollins UK and Penguin US. His artwork has been shown in many cities around the world, including New York, London, and Sydney.
Popular Children's Books
Some of his most loved books include How to Catch a Star (2004) and Lost and Found (2005). Lost and Found won several awards, like the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal and the Blue Peter Book Award in 2006. Another popular book, The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2007), won the Irish Book Awards Children's Book of the Year.
Many of his books, such as Stuck and This Moose Belongs to Me, became New York Times Best Sellers. His book The Day the Crayons Quit also reached the number one spot on that list. Oliver Jeffers' stories have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, and French.
His Unique Art Style
Oliver Jeffers uses a mix of different art materials in his illustrations. His style is known for its clever stories and how he uses empty space in his pictures. Besides his books, he has also worked as a freelance illustrator for well-known brands like Starbucks and United Airlines.
He also creates paintings on canvas and other objects. His art often explores ideas like curiosity, different viewpoints, the power of storytelling, and humor.
Beyond Books: Animation and Music
In 2007, Oliver Jeffers was chosen as the official illustrator for World Book Day. His book Lost and Found was turned into an animated film in 2008. This animation won over 40 international awards, including a BAFTA for Best Animation in 2009.
Oliver Jeffers has also worked with the famous band U2. In 2013, he illustrated the cover for their song "Ordinary Love" and even helped direct its music video. He also created video content for U2's Innocence + Experience Tour.
Inspiring the World
In 2017, he wrote and illustrated Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth. This book quickly became a New York Times Bestseller and won Time Magazine's Best Book of the Year award for young readers.
In 2020, Oliver Jeffers gave a TED Talk called 'Ode to Living on Earth'. His book Here We Are was also made into a short film by Apple TV+. For his contributions to the arts, he received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2022.
List of Works
As writer and illustrator
- How to Catch a Star (Philomel, Jun 2004)
- Lost and Found (Philomel, Dec 2005)
- The Incredible Book Eating Boy (Philomel, 2006)
- The Way Back Home (Philomel, 2007)
- The Great Paper Caper (Philomel, 2008)
- The Heart and the Bottle (Philomel, Mar 2010)
- Up and Down (Philomel, Dec 2010)
- Stuck (Philomel, Nov 2011)
- This Moose Belongs to Me (Philomel, Nov 2012)
- The Hueys series (Philomel)
- The New Jumper / The New Sweater (May 2012)
- It Wasn't Me (Jan 2014)
- None the Number (Jul 2014)
- What's the Opposite? (Jan 2016)
- Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters (Philomel, Oct 2014)
- A Child of Books, with Sam Winston (Walker Books, 2016)
- Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (Philomel, Nov 2017)
- The Fate of Fausto (Philomel, 2019)
- What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future (Philomel, 2020)
- There's a Ghost in This House (Philomel, 2021)
- Meanwhile Back on Earth (Philomel, 2022)
- Begin Again (Philomel, 2023)
- The Dictionary Story, with Sam Winston (Walker Books, 2024)
- Where to Hide a Star (Philomel, 2024)
- I'm Very Busy (Philomel, Oct 2025)
As illustrator only
- Noah Barleywater Runs Away, by John Boyne (2010)
- The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas, by David Almond (2012)
- The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, by John Boyne (Knopf, Jan 2013)
- The Day The Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt (Philomel, Jun 2013)
- Stay Where You Are And Then Leave, by John Boyne (2014)
- The Day the Crayons Came Home, by Drew Daywalt (Philomel, Aug 2015)
- Imaginary Fred, by Eoin Colfer (HarperCollins, Sep 2015)
- The Crayons' Book of Colors, by Drew Daywalt (2013)
- The Crayon's Christmas, by Drew Daywalt (HarperCollins 2019)
- The Day the Crayons Made Friends, by Drew Daywalt (Philomel, Jun 2025)
As cover artist only
- The Weight of Water, by Sarah Crossan (2011)
- Five Go to Smugglers Top, by Enid Blyton, 70th Anniversary limited edition (2013)
- What You Need To Be Warm, by Neil Gaiman (2023)
Other
- Neither Here Nor There – a monograph of paintings by Oliver Jeffers, published by Gestalten (2012)
Awards and Recognitions
Oliver Jeffers has received many awards for his books and artwork. Here are some of them:
- 2005: Gold Award from the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for Lost and Found.
- 2006: Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award for Lost and Found.
- 2007: Winner of the Irish Book Awards for Children's Book of the Year for The Incredible Book Eating Boy.
- 2009: Won a BAFTA for Best Illustrated Film for the animation of Lost and Found.
- 2012: Received an Honour Award for Illustration from the CBI Book of the Year Awards for Stuck.
- 2012: Won the Junior Children's Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards for This Moose Belongs to Me.
- 2012: Recognized by The New York Times Book Review for The Hueys in The New Sweater as one of the year's Best Illustrated Children's Books.
- 2014: The Day The Crayons Quit (which he illustrated) won the ALA Notable Book award and the Children's Choice Award from the Children's Book Council.
- 2015: Once Upon An Alphabet won the Book of the Year Award at the CBI Book of the Year Awards.
- 2017: A Child of Books won at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.
- 2022: Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to the arts.
See also
In Spanish: Oliver Jeffers para niños
