Kids at Random House - Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and has been drawing ever since he can remember. His first drawing was published in Punch when he was only 16. He studied English at Downing College, Cambridge, and after that he did a postgraduate teaching diploma at the University of London. This was followed by a part-time course at Chelsea Art School.

Quentin has received many awards for his books including the Kate Greenaway Medal, the Children's Book Award, the Emil/Kurt Maschler Award, the Bologna Regazzi Prize and the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, which is the highest international recognition given to creators of children's books.

He is also famous for illustrating books for other authors, including Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen and Russell Hoban. But he is most famous for the illustrations he did for Roald Dahl's books.

Quentin Blake was awarded the O.B.E. in 1988, and in 1999 he was appointed the first Children's Laureate. This position, which he held for two years, saw him undertaking lots of ambitious projects in his quest to spread the word about the exciting world of children's books.



Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road When Uncle Cosmo buys himself a motorbike and gives Mrs Armitage his boring old car, it soon becomes obvious that her driving skills leave a lot to be desired. Mrs Armitage and Breakspear cause havoc bumping into bollards, bedsteads, lorries, a crane and bedoinging over some extremely uneven roads. As the bumper, the doors, the mudguard and even the roof disappear along the way, the car is transformed into a mean machine and Mrs Armitage becomes Queen of the Road!		Quentin Blake's ABC A is for Apples, some green and some red B is for Breakfast we're having in bed. With a simple rhyming text and characteristically brilliant illustrations from Quentin Blake, this wonderful ABC is an absolute must for young children just getting to grips with their alphabet.	A Sailing Boat in the Sky Finding a ruined old sailing boat on the beach is the beginning of a great adventure for Isobel and Nicholas. As they soar through the air in the repaired boat, they see a world that has lost its way, where pollution clouds the skies, and animals and humans alike are under threat. This very special book is the collaboration between Quentin Blake and 1,800 children.
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	Angel Pavement Corky and Loopy are two perfectly normal girls. They like chocolate biscuits, fizzy drinks, screaming at each other and drawing. But they are also a little bit special . . . because they are angels. Visit the great new Quentin Blake website. Read Quentin Blake: Notes for Teachers

DID YOU KNOW . . ?

If Quentin hadn't been a writer, he thinks he'd be a retired English teacher now.
Quentin's favourite food is lobster, crab, grilled oysters and mussels . . . Sounds a bit fishy!
The book Quentin most wishes he'd written is Great Expectations . . . 'Suppose I had written and illustrated it!'
As a child Quentin wanted to grow up to be a cartoonist.
Quentin loves to spend time across the Channel. He describes his ideal day as either visiting museums, or sitting by the Atlantic in France.
Quentin first saw his name in print in 1949, in Punch.
Quentin describes his favourite place as being in the middle of a marsh in sight of a few herons and some reeds.