This is one of the most delightful conversations we’ve ever had on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast!
I’m talking today with Helen Oxenbury, author and illustrator, about creating picture books – from where she gets her ideas, to the supplies she uses to draw animals (and the cutest darn babies around) and more.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- which books Helen read to her own 3 children
- what it’s been like working with her husband, author and illustrator John Burningham (the creator of the Mr. Gumpy series)
- how Helen chooses different media to create atmosphere in her beautiful books
Grab the kids for this one – Helen is sharing tips for young illustrators in this absolutely charming discussion.
Click the play button below:
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Books from this episode:
(All links are Amazon affiliate links.)
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Beloved for more than 30 years, this award-winning classic from Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury celebrates the joys of an afternoon outdoors with family.
More info →The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 1 (Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus)
**Description from Amazon: Classic graphic novels that stand up. Kids will enjoy following TinTin and Snowy on adventures. (Set in the 1940s).
More info →Mr. Gumpy’s Outing
Description from publisher: All the barnyard animals want to join Mr. Gumpy on his boat ride. He only has one request -- that they all get along … Splash!
More info →Farmer Duck
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Martin Waddell's uplifting modern fable and Helen Oxenbury's humor and pathos make this a very special collaboration.Farmer Duck isn't your average duck. This duck cooks and cleans, tends the fields, and cares for the other animals on the farm—all because the owner of the farm is too lazy to do t...
More info →Green Eggs and Ham (Beginner Books(R))
**Description from Amazon: “Do you like green eggs and ham?” asks Sam-I-am in this Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss. In a house or with a mouse? In a boat or with a goat? On a train or in a tree? Sam keeps asking persistently. With unmistakable characters and signature rhymes, Dr. Seuss’s beloved favorite has cemented its pla...
More info →Tom and Pippo See the Moon (Oxenbury, Helen. Pippo.)
**Description from Amazon: A young boy asks his father questions about the moon and imagines flying there with his toy monkey.
More info →Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Walker Illustrated Classics)
**Description from Amazon: Walker Illustrated Classics is a new series which brings together some of the best-loved stories ever told, illustrated by some of today's finest artists. These exquisitely designed books, with their magnificent words and glorious pictures, are a pleasure to read - and re-read. The classics have nev...
More info →The Giant Jumperee
Poor rabbit! There's a frightening creature hiding inside his burrow! Rabbit's friends come to his aid. Who is the Giant Jumparee? And what if it doesn't leave Rabbit's home?
More info →There’s Going to Be a Baby
**Description from Amazon: In a first-time creative pairing, two of the world’s most treasured picture book creators offer a truly delightful book for new-siblings-to-be.When is the new baby coming? What will we call it? What will he do? We don’t really need a baby, do we? With sensitivity and wit, John Burningham follows...
More info →The Rupert Bear Annual
**Description from Amazon: Rupert Bear is one of the most famous and long-standing characters in children's books, with a rich history spanning eight decades. Rupert stories are created from a combination of pictures, rhyming text and story paragraph that has proven successful with generations of young readers. While retainin...
More info →The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant
**Description from Amazon: The classic story of literature’s most beloved elephant. After his mother is killed by a hunter, Babar avoids capture by escaping to the city, where he is befriended by the kindly Old Lady. Later, with cousins Celeste and Arthur, he returns to the great forest to be crowned King of the Elephants...
More info →So Much!
**Description from Amazon: Mom and baby are home alone when—DING DONG!—Auntie and then Uncle and Nannie and Gran-Gran and the cousins come to visit. And they all want to hug and kiss and squeeze and eat the baby right up—because everybody loves the baby SO MUCH! With Helen Oxenbury lending her characteristic warmth an...
More info →Baby Love: A Board Book Gift Set/All Fall Down; Clap Hands; Say Goodnight; Tickle, Tickle
**Description from Amazon: Helen Oxenbury’s most loved board books are now available in an adorable mini-board book boxed set! This collection includes full mini-editions of Clap Hands, Say Goodnight, All Fall Down and Tickle, Tickle with newly refreshed covers. With a total of almost half a million copies sold in the past ...
More info →Eating Out
**Description from Amazon: The reissue of a classic first storybook to celebrate Helen Oxenbury's work.Mum is too tired to cook so Dad offers to take the family out for supper. But the youngest person present can't sit still and has to go to the toilet at the wrong time. Then someone falls over him when he decides to hide und...
More info →Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Kate Greenaway Medal winner--now in paperback! Welcome back to a Wonderland that is as astonishingly new as it is joyously familiar. Helen Oxenbury, one of the world’s most acclaimed illustrators, brings her special brand of magic to the Lewis Carroll classic in a handsome volume boasting more...
More info →Links from today’s show:
- RAR Premium Membership – Get on the waiting list now
- Helen talks about this kind of paint in the podcast: Gouache
- Want a peek into Helen’s studio? Watch this 4-minute Youtube Video.
RAR Premium Membership opens soon!
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