Posy Simmonds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Posy Simmonds |
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Simmonds at Hatchards, London, November 2018
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| Born | Rosemary Elizabeth Simmonds 9 August 1945 Berkshire, England |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist Illustrator Writer |
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Notable works
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Gemma Bovery Tamara Drewe |
| Awards | MBE, Prix de la critique, British Comic Awards Hall of Fame (2014) |
Rosemary Elizabeth "Posy" Simmonds is a famous British cartoonist, writer, and illustrator. She creates both children's books and graphic novels. She is well-known for her work with The Guardian newspaper. For The Guardian, she drew popular series like Gemma Bovery (2000) and Tamara Drewe (2005–06). These were later turned into books. Her style often makes gentle fun of everyday life and people in a funny way. Both Gemma Bovery and Tamara Drewe feature characters who face challenges. They often have a funny and modern twist on old-fashioned adventure tales.
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Early Life and Education
Posy Simmonds was born in Berkshire, England, on August 9, 1945. Her parents were Reginald A. C. Simmonds and Betty Cahusac. She went to Queen Anne's School in Caversham. Later, she studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. After that, she came back to London. She attended Central School of Art & Design. There, she earned a degree in Art and Design. In 1974, she married Richard Graham Hollis.
Her Amazing Career
Posy Simmonds started her newspaper career in 1969. She drew a daily cartoon called "Bear" for The Sun. From 1968 to 1970, she also drew funny pictures for The Times newspaper. She worked for Cosmopolitan magazine too. In 1972, she joined The Guardian as an illustrator.
Weekly Comic Strips
In May 1977, she began drawing a weekly comic strip for The Guardian. It was first called The Silent Three of St Botolph's. This was a funny tribute to an older comic strip from the 1950s. Her strip started as a silly parody of girls' adventure stories. It made funny comments about daily life. This strip, later just known as "Posy," ran until the late 1980s. Many of these strips were collected into books. Some titles include Mrs Weber's Diary and Pick of Posy.
Children's Books
In 1987, Posy Simmonds started writing and illustrating children's books. One of her famous books is Fred. It tells the story of a cat with a secret life. Fred was later made into a film called Famous Fred. This film was even nominated for an Academy Award! Other children's books she created include Lulu and the Flying Babies and The Chocolate Wedding.
Graphic Novels and Films
In the late 1990s, Simmonds returned to The Guardian. She created Gemma Bovery. This story was a modern version of Madame Bovary, a classic novel. It was a funny tale about English people living in France. Gemma Bovery became a graphic novel in 1999. In 2014, it was made into a film called Gemma Bovery.
Her next big series for The Guardian was Tamara Drewe. This ran from 2005 to 2006. It was inspired by another classic novel, Far from the Madding Crowd. Tamara Drewe was published as a book in 2007. In 2010, it also became a successful feature film.
Simmonds' third graphic novel, Cassandra Darke, came out in 2018. It is loosely based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The main character, Cassandra Darke, is a bit like a female Ebenezer Scrooge. She also goes through a big change in the story.
Awards and Recognition
Posy Simmonds has received many awards for her work. In 1981, she was named Cartoonist of the Year. She was also made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2002. This award was for her great contributions to the newspaper industry. In 2009, she won the Prix de la critique in France for Tamara Drewe. In 2024, she won the prestigious Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême. She was the first British cartoonist to receive this honor.
Television and Film Scripts
- The Frog Prince (1984)
- Tresoddit for Easter (1991)
- Famous Fred (1996)
See also
In Spanish: Posy Simmonds para niños
