Sara Fanelli facts for kids

Sara Fanelli is a talented British artist and illustrator. She was born on July 20, 1969. She is most famous for creating wonderful picture books for children.

Early Life

Sara Fanelli was born in Florence, Italy. When she was older, she moved to London to study art. She went to two famous art schools: Camberwell College of Art and the Royal College of Art. She finished her studies at the Royal College of Art in 1995.

Her Work as an Artist

Sara Fanelli spends her time working on different art projects. She creates illustrations, writes and illustrates books, and works on her own special art ideas. Her children's books have been published in many languages around the world. They have also won her many international awards.

Awards and Recognition

Sara Fanelli has won several important awards for her amazing illustrations. She won the top prize at the Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Award twice. She also received D&AD Silver Awards for a postage stamp in 2000 and for a poster design in 2003. Her book "Sometimes I think, sometimes I am" also won a D&AD Silver Award in 2008.

In 2006, Sara Fanelli became an HonRDI. This is a special honor given to designers. She was the first woman illustrator to receive this award. She has also been a member of AGI, a group for graphic designers, since 2000.

Art Installations

In 2006, the Tate Modern art museum asked Sara Fanelli to design something special. She created designs for the entrances of their four permanent art galleries. She also made a very long timeline, 40 meters long, showing artists from the 20th century. This art project was featured in an architecture magazine in 2012.

My Map Book

One of Sara Fanelli's most well-known books is My Map Book. It is a picture book that even includes a folded map inside a pocket. This book was first published in 1995. It was later reissued by Walker Books. In 2014, My Map Book won the Phoenix Picture Book Award. This award celebrates great picture books that did not win a major award when they were first published 20 years earlier. The award looks at both the quality of the pictures and how the pictures and words work together.

Books by Sara Fanelli

Sara Fanelli has written and illustrated many books. Here are some of her popular titles:

• Button (1994)
• My Map Book (1995)
• Pinocchio Picture Box (1996)
• Cinderella Picture Box (1996)
• Wolf! (1997)
• A Dog's Life (1998) (also known as The Doggy Book in the US)
• It's Dreamtime (1999)
• Dear Diary (2000)
• First Flight (2002)
• Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece (2002)
• Pinocchio (2003) – her own version of the classic story by Carlo Collodi
• Sometimes I think, Sometimes I am (2007)
• The Onion's Great Escape (2012) – this is a special book with parts that move!

Books with Her Illustrations

Sara Fanelli has also illustrated poems and stories by other writers. Here are some of the collections she worked on:

• Dibby Dubby Dhu and other poems, by George Barker (1997)
• All Sorts: poems, by Christopher Reid (1999)
• Alphabicycle Order, poetry by Christopher Reid (2001)
• The New Faber Book of Children's Verse, edited by Matthew Sweeney (2001)
• Sensational!: poems inspired by the five senses, selected by Roger McGough (2004)