Writers

Add to researchEmma Chichester Clark

Emma Chichester Clark

Andersen Press

Born
London
Genre
Graphic novels / Illustration, Children
 
 
Biography
Emma Chichester Clark was born in 1955 and studied at Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London, where she was taught by Quentin Blake.

She lived in Ireland until 1975. She has worked as a freelance illustrator for various magazines including Cosmopolitan and The Sunday Times and has illustrated numerous book jackets.

In 1988 she won the Mother Goose Award as the most exciting newcomer to children's book illustration for her illustration of Listen to This (1987), a collection of short stories edited by Laura Cecil. Since then she has written and illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including the Melrose and Croc series, and a series of Blue Kangaroo stories, the first of which, I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! (1998) was shortlisted for the 1998 Kate Greenaway medal. A new series of books, Humber and Plum. about a toddler bear, began in 2009.

Quentin Blake describes her books as 'funny, elegant and delicious'.

Critical Perspective

Emma Chichester Clark has illustrated a vast number of children's books, and she has also written and illustrated many of her own stories, mainly for very young children.

Her illustrated stories, which feature both child and animal characters and often combine realistic and fantasy worlds, have been highly acclaimed: Chichester Clark has been described as 'one of England's most distinguished picture-book creators', and her work is often likened to that of Edward Ardizzone, Tony Ross and Quentin Blake, who was her teacher (Gale Biographies of Children's Authors: Something About the Author, 2006).

Chichester Clark has a remarkable ability to empathise with the child's point-of-view, supplementing her delightful prose with bold, colourful and exciting illustrations that both support the story and encourage the child's imagination to explore further. Consequently, her work is extremely popular with both children and their parents - a quick browse through Amazon's customer reviews, for example, reveals that almost every review awards Chichester Clark's stories five stars, often commenting that children love to read the stories again and again: 'The language is rich with a wonderful range of adjectives ... Gorgeous colours. A very tender tale'; ' ... an elegantly written story, as well as truly excellent illustration ... '; 'Engaging, bittersweet, heart-rending ... manages to captivate the imagination of children and adults alike'. In critical reviews, Chichester Clark's work is particularly noted for its ability to combine imagination and adventure with a recognisable and acutely observed domestic world: Nicolette Jones comments on the 'clarity and domestic observation of the illustrations - with their autumnal palette, and capacity to tell a story beyond the words' (Sunday Times, 30 April 2008), while Judith Graham acclaims Chichester Clark's 'adventurously coloured ink and crayon illustrations' that 'decorate, clarify and dramatise all at the same time' (Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English, 2001).

Chichester Clark has written several series that have been particularly acclaimed, most notably Blue Kangaroo and Melrose and Croc. The stories in these series celebrate friendship and explore the wide range of emotions that are experienced by young children: the Melrose and Croc series features a friendship between two anthropomorphised animals, a dog and a crocodile, while the Blue Kangaroo stories feature a little girl, Lily, and her beloved toy, Blue Kangaroo, through whom the child is able to explore and enact her own feelings and experiences. Blue Kangaroo is brought to life and given his own 'voice' through Lily's imagination. In these two series, as in all Chichester Clark's books, the characters are endearing (to both child and adult readers), engaging and emotionally authentic, and the stories combine poignancy with humour. In the Blue Kangaroo stories, Lily's experiences reflect the everyday ups and downs of life for a small child, such as losing a favourite toy (Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo? 1999); accepting responsibility for one's behaviour (It Was You, Blue Kangaroo! 2001); and learning about the joy of giving (Just For You, Blue Kangaroo! 2004). The Melrose and Croc stories show the two characters on various adventures - visiting the city; a trip to the countryside; a day out at the beach - but the underlying theme is always the heart-warming way in which these two friends love and care for each other.

Blue Kangaroo's Lily, like most of Chichester Clark's protagonists, is a realistic mixture of good and bad - she is no saint, but she works through her negative emotions and learns to cope with her daily experiences, and thus provides a useful role model for child readers to identify with and learn from. For example, in I'll Show You, Blue Kangaroo! (2003), Lily has to face the consequences of showing off, while in It Was You, Blue Kangaroo!, her tendency to blame her misdemeanors on her favourite toy leads to Blue Kangaroo being taken away from her until she develops genuine regret.  A recent book, Minty and Tink (2008), introduces two new characters, but bears similarities to the Blue Kangaroo series. Minty and her mother choose - or, rather, are chosen by - Tink the teddy bear as a birthday gift for Minty's brother. Minty falls in love with the toy and wants to keep him for herself, but also understands that her brother needs a present and that she must consider his needs as well as her own. In both this book and the Blue Kangaroo stories, child readers therefore 'journey'  with Minty and Lily as they acknowledge their wants and desires and their less desirable behaviour, while simultaneously learning to face the consequences of their own actions and to consider the needs and wishes of others.

Chichester Clark has also written stories about traumatic experiences that are common to many children's lives, such as the birth of a new sibling (Humber and Plum: My Baby Sister, 2009) and bereavement (Up in Heaven, 2003). As always, Chichester Clark is highly skilled at acknowledging negative emotions and showing them to be 'normal', while encouraging children to move towards a more positive point-of-view and to come to terms with what has happened. All this is conveyed through gentle and humorous stories which impart their ideas and sentiments subtly and do not 'preach' at readers. In My Baby Sister, Humber the bear, who first featured in Mummy and Me (2009), is not entirely overjoyed when his mother presents him with a new sibling. His mixed feelings, which are presented with affectionate humour, echo those of most toddlers facing this situation: he no longer receives his mother's undivided attention and wishes to 'send baby back where she came from', but gradually warms to his new sister. One of Chichester Clark's most poignant and heartfelt stories is Up in Heaven, which features the death of a beloved pet dog. The story shows Daisy the dog in heaven, looking down on the grieving child, Arthur, and sending him dreams to reassure him that she is happy, which gradually enables him to move on and get a new puppy. Chichester Clark's skill is in presenting a serious issue with a light and gentle touch, which makes it suitable even for very young children - the pain of grief is fully acknowledged, but is followed by hope that pain slowly heals and new experiences lie ahead.

Other stories celebrate everyday life: Eliza and the Moonchild (2007) is a delightful and inventive story in which a moonchild becomes bored with the whiteness of his moon home and decides to visit Earth, where he meets Eliza who shows him the beautiful colours of the planet. Though it is a fantasy story, it is rooted in the child's everyday reality - the excitement of the moonchild exploring Earth for the first time encourages readers to observe and appreciate the world we live in, and does in fact echo the excitement of a toddler's day-to-day explorations and discoveries.


Elizabeth O'Reilly, 2011

Bibliography

2011
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, author/illustrator, Walker
2010
Humber and Plum: Plum and Rabbit and Me, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2010
Alice in Wonderland, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2009
Melrose and Croc: Find a Smile, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2009
Little Miss Muffet Counts to Ten, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2009
Humber and Plum: My Baby Sister, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2009
Humber and Plum: Mummy and Me, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2008
Minty and Tink, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2008
Melrose and Croc: An Adventure to Remember, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2008
Melrose and Croc: A Hero's Birthday, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2007
Melrose and Croc: Go To Town, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2007
Melrose and Croc: Beside the Sea, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2007
Eliza and the Moonchild, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2006
We Are Not Fond of Rat, author/illustrator, Collins Educational
2006
Melrose and Croc: Friends for Life, author/illustrator, Walker
2006
Melrose and Croc: A Christmas to Remember, author/illustrator, HarperCollins
2006
McElderry Book of Grimm's Fairy Tales, illustrator, Simon and Schuster
2006
Happy Birthday to You, Blue Kangaroo!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2006
Amazing Mr. Zooty!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2005
Shakespeare's Verse, illustrator, Houghton Mifflin
2005
No More Teasing, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2004
Wicked Wolf Tales, adaptor/illustrator, Pavilion Children's Books
2004
Orchard Book of Aesop's Fables, illustrator, Orchard
2004
My First Ballet Stories, author/illustrator; with Adele Geras, Gullane Children's Books
2004
Merry Christmas to You, Blue Kangaroo!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2004
Little Red Riding Hood, adaptor/illustrator with Sam McBratney, Hodder & Stoughton
2004
Just for You, Blue Kangaroo!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2004
Cunning Cat Tales, illustrator, Pavilion Children's Books
2003
Up in Heaven, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2003
Oxford First Illustrated Dictionary, illustrator, Oxford University Press
2003
I'll Show You, Blue Kangaroo!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2002
Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo?, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2002
What Shall We Do, Blue Kangaroo?, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2002
Toys, illustrator, Scholastic
2002
The Sleeping Princess and Other Fairy Tales from Grimm, illustrator, Orchard
2002
Mimi's Book of Opposites, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2002
Mimi's Book of Counting, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2001
Wicked Wolf Tales, illustrator, Pavilion
2001
No More Kissing!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2001
It Was You, Blue Kangaroo!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
2001
Cunning Cat Tales, illustrator, Pavilion
2001
A Kingfisher Treasury of Shakespeare's Verse, illustrator, Kingfisher
2000
The Nutcracker, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
2000
The Kingfisher Book of Toy Stories, illustrator, Kingfisher
2000
Swan Lake, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
2000
Sleeping Beauty, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
2000
Giselle, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
2000
Enchantment: Fairy Tales, Ghost Stories and Tales of Wonder, illustrator, Orion Children's Books
1999
Where Are You, Blue Kangaroo?, author/illustrator, Andersen
1999
The Orchard Book of Roman Myths, illustrator, Orchard
1999
The Nursery Collection, author/illustrator, Mammoth
1999
Polo and the Rabbits, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
1999
Polo and the Bone, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
1999
Polo Meets a Frog, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
1999
Polo Has a Friend, illustrator, David & Charles Children's Books
1999
Follow My Leader!, author/illustrator, Collins
1999
Elf Hill: Tales from Hans Christian Andersen, illustrator, Frances Lincoln
1998
The Adventures of Robin Hood and Marion, illustrator, Orchard
1998
More!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
1998
I Love You, Blue Kangaroo!, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
1998
Alfie, Where Are You?, illustrator, Levinson
1997
The Orchard Book of Greek Gods and Goddesses, illustrator, Orchard
1997
The Little Book of Shakespeare, illustrator, Kingfisher
1997
The Glove Puppet Man, illustrator, Collins
1997
Noah and the Space Ark, illustrator, Hamish Hamilton
1997
Little Miss Muffet Counts to Ten, author/illustrator, Andersen Press
1996
Thumbelina, illustrator, Pavilion
1996
Mrs Vole the Vet, illustrator, Puffin
1996
Miss Wire and the Three Kind MIce, illustrator, Kingfisher
1996
Little Red Riding Hood, illustrator, Macdonald Young Books
1996
Dimanche Diller at Sea, illustrator, Collins
1995
Something Rich and Strange: A Treasury of Shakespeare's Verse, illustrator, Kingfisher
1995
Piper, illustrator, Cape
1994
The Frog Princess, illustrator, Cape
1994
Ruth and the Blue Horse, illustrator, Walker
1994
Preposterous Pets, illustrator, Hamish Hamilton
1994
Good Night Stella, illustrator, Walker
1994
Cat Among the Pigeons: A Catholic Miscellany, illustrator, Flamingo
1993
Too Tired, illustrator, Hamish Hamilton
1993
Time and the Clockmice, etcetera, illustrator, Doubleday
1993
The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup, illustrator, Walker
1993
Miss Bilberry's New House, author/illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1992
The Way of the Cat, illustrator, Sinclair-Stevenson
1992
The Orchard Book of Greek Myths, illustrator, Orchard
1992
Tertius and Pliny, illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1992
A Thousand Yards of the Sea, illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1991
The Queen's Goat, illustrator, Hamish Hamilton
1991
The Haunting of Pip Parker, illustrator, Walker
1991
Tea with Aunt Augusta, author/illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1991
Delilah and the Dogspell, illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1991
Beware of the Aunts!, illustrator, Macmillan Children's Books
1990
The Bouncing Dinosaur, author/illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1990
Rock-a-bye baby, illustrator, Collins
1990
Ragged Robin: Poems from A-Z by James Reeves, illustrator, Walker
1990
James and the Giant Peach, illustrator, Unwin Hyman
1990
I Never Saw a Purple Cow And Other Nonsense Rhymes, author/illustrator, Walker
1990
Fat Witch Rides Again, illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1990
Castle in the Air, illustrator, Mammoth
1990
Boo!: Stories to Make You Jump, illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1989
Wild Robert, illustrator, Methuen Children's Books
1989
Stuff and Nonsense, illustrator, Bodley Head
1989
Myrtle, Tertle and Gertle, author/illustrator, Bodley Head
1989
Cissy Lavender, illustrator, Walker
1988
The Story of Horrible Hilda and Henry, author/illustrator, Bodley Head
1988
Catch that Hat!, author/illustrator, Bodley Head
1987
Listen to This, illustrator, Bodley Head
1987
British Folk Tales, illustrator - reissued as The Magic Lands: Orchard Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland;1987
1986
The Despot & the Slave: An Autobiography in Fact & Fiction from the Writings of Benjamin Constant, illustrator, Folio Society
1986
Shadow in Hawthorn Bay, illustrator, Walker

Awards

2011
Kate Greenaway Medal, Alice in Wonderland, author/illustrator
2007
Blue Peter Book Award: The Most Fun Story with Pictures, Melrose and Croc: Together at Christmas, shortlist
1998
Kate Greenaway Medal, I Love You, Blue Kangaroo!, shortlist
1988
Mother Goose Award, Listen To This