Lauren Child
Encyclopedia
Lauren Child MBE
(born 1965) is an English
author and illustrator
. She is best known for writing the Charlie and Lola
books and Clarice Bean novels
.
Helen Child was born in 1965, the middle of three daughters. She later changed her name to Lauren. She attended St John's School
and from 16, Marlborough College
, where her father was Head of Art. She studied Art briefly at Manchester Polytechnic and later at City and Guilds of London Art School
, after which she worked in a variety of jobs, including as a painting assistant to Damien Hirst
. She also started her own company, 'Chandeliers for the People', making exotic lampshades together with the actor Andrew St Clair; it was not a commercial success, though the lampshades are instantly recognisable as Child's work and highly valued. Between 1998 and 2003 she worked for the design agency 'Big Fish'.
In 1999 she had two picture books published, I Want a Pet! (1999) and Clarice Bean, That's Me (1999), the latter being shortlisted for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
. In 2000 she won a Kate Greenaway Medal
for I Will Not Ever, NEVER Eat a Tomato (2000) and a second Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2002 for That Pesky Rat (2002). In the same year, she wrote her first children's novel, Utterly Me, Clarice Bean (2002). Her second book in this series, Clarice Bean Spells Trouble was shortlisted for the 2005 British Book Awards
Children's Book of the Year. The third novel in the series, Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now was published in 2006.
Child's humorous illustrations contain many different media including magazine cuttings, collage, material and photography as well as traditional watercolours. As well as being author of several highly successful books, she is the illustrator of the Definitely Daisy series by Jenny Oldfield
.
A television series based on her Charlie and Lola books was made by Tiger Aspect for Disney/CBBC, on which Child was an Executive Producer. Three series of 26 episodes were made and two specials. A number of spin off books are available based on the scripts of the TV shows, though these were not written or illustrated by Child. Charlie and Lola has been sold throughout the world, and has won many prizes, including BAFTAs in 2007 for Best children's Television Show and Best Script.
Child was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
Those books are:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1965) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author and illustrator
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
. She is best known for writing the Charlie and Lola
Charlie and Lola
Charlie and Lola are characters created by author Lauren Child. The siblings were originally introduced in a series of books that were later made into a television series. Despite being primarily aimed at children aged 3–7, the books and shows are popular with adults, due to humorous and relatable...
books and Clarice Bean novels
Clarice Bean series
The Clarice Bean series is a set of children's novels written and illustrated by English author Lauren Child. It deals with the eponymous Clarice Bean's difficulties in navigating the complex ethical and social questions children deal with at school and at home...
.
Helen Child was born in 1965, the middle of three daughters. She later changed her name to Lauren. She attended St John's School
St John's School and Community College
St John's School and Community College is an age 11–18 mixed comprehensive school in the town of Marlborough, Wiltshire in England.-Admissions:...
and from 16, Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, where her father was Head of Art. She studied Art briefly at Manchester Polytechnic and later at City and Guilds of London Art School
City and Guilds of London Art School
The City and Guilds of London Art School is an art college in London, England, United Kingdom. It is one of the country's longest established art colleges, and offers courses ranging from Foundation, through B.A. degree, Postgraduate Diploma and M.A...
, after which she worked in a variety of jobs, including as a painting assistant to Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
. She also started her own company, 'Chandeliers for the People', making exotic lampshades together with the actor Andrew St Clair; it was not a commercial success, though the lampshades are instantly recognisable as Child's work and highly valued. Between 1998 and 2003 she worked for the design agency 'Big Fish'.
In 1999 she had two picture books published, I Want a Pet! (1999) and Clarice Bean, That's Me (1999), the latter being shortlisted for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...
. In 2000 she won a Kate Greenaway Medal
Kate Greenaway Medal
The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the United Kingdom in 1955 in honour of the children's illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. It is awarded by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for I Will Not Ever, NEVER Eat a Tomato (2000) and a second Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2002 for That Pesky Rat (2002). In the same year, she wrote her first children's novel, Utterly Me, Clarice Bean (2002). Her second book in this series, Clarice Bean Spells Trouble was shortlisted for the 2005 British Book Awards
British Book Awards
The Galaxy National Book Awards are a series of British literary awards focused on the best UK writers and their works, as selected by an academy of members from the British book publishing industry...
Children's Book of the Year. The third novel in the series, Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now was published in 2006.
Child's humorous illustrations contain many different media including magazine cuttings, collage, material and photography as well as traditional watercolours. As well as being author of several highly successful books, she is the illustrator of the Definitely Daisy series by Jenny Oldfield
Jenny Oldfield
Jenny Oldfield is a million selling English author. Her books include Definitely Daisy, Animal Alert, Home farm twins, the Half Moon Ranch series and many others. Her books are very high in quality and many people have been inspired to start reading because of her exciting stories.The Horses of...
.
A television series based on her Charlie and Lola books was made by Tiger Aspect for Disney/CBBC, on which Child was an Executive Producer. Three series of 26 episodes were made and two specials. A number of spin off books are available based on the scripts of the TV shows, though these were not written or illustrated by Child. Charlie and Lola has been sold throughout the world, and has won many prizes, including BAFTAs in 2007 for Best children's Television Show and Best Script.
As author and illustrator
- Clarice Bean, That's Me (1999)
- I Want a Pet! (1999)
- Beware of the Storybook Wolves (2000)
- I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato (2000)
- My Uncle is a Hunkle Says Clarice Bean (2000)
- I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed (2001)
- My Dream Bed (2001)
- What Planet Are You From Clarice Bean? (2001)
- That Pesky RatThat Pesky RatThat Pesky Rat is a children's picture book by Lauren Child, published in 2002. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.- Plot :...
(2002) - Utterly me, Clarice Bean (2002)
- Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? (2002)
- I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (2003)
- Clarice Bean Spells Trouble (2004)
- Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent (2004)
- Bat Cat (2005)
- Beware of Storybook Wolves (2005)
- The Princess and the PeaThe Princess and the Pea"The Princess and the Pea" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity. The tale was first published with three others by Andersen in an inexpensive booklet on 8 May 1835 in Copenhagen by C.A...
(2005) - with photography by Polly Borland - Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now (2006)
- Ruby Redfort, Look Into My Eyes (2011)
As illustrator only
- Addy the Baddy (1993)
- Stand Up for Yourself! (1996)
- The Complete Poetical Works of Phoebe Flood (1997)
- Dream On, Daisy! (2001)
- I'd Like a Little Word, Leonie (2001)
- Just You Wait, Winona (2001)
- What's the Matter, Maya? (2001)
- You Must Be Joking, Jimmy! (2001)
- You're a Disgrace, Daisy (2001)
- Dan's Angel: A Detective's Guide to the Language of Painting (2002)
- Pippi LongstockingPippi LongstockingPippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
(2007) - Anne of Green GablesAnne of Green GablesAnne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
(2009) - Anne of AvonleaAnne of Avonlea-Plot introduction:Following Anne of Green Gables , the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley. This book follows Anne from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea school. It includes many of the characters from Anne of Green Gables, as well as new...
(2009) - Anne of the IslandAnne of the IslandAnne of the Island is a the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery about Anne Shirley.Anne of the Island was published in 1915, seven years after the bestselling Anne of Green Gables...
(2009)
Prizes and awards
- 1999 Clarice Bean, That's Me won the Nestlé Smarties Book PrizeNestlé Smarties Book PrizeThe Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...
Bronze Award - 1999 Clarice Bean, That's Me shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway MedalKate Greenaway MedalThe Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the United Kingdom in 1955 in honour of the children's illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. It is awarded by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
- 2000 I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the Kate Greenaway Medal
- 2000 Beware of the Storybook Wolves won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award
- 2000 Beware of the Storybook Wolves shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal
- 2001 What Planet Are You From, Clarice Bean? won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award
- 2002 That Pesky Rat won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award
- 2002 That Pesky Rat shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal
- 2002 Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal
- 2002 Utterly Me, Clarice Bean longlisted for the Carnegie MedalCarnegie MedalThe Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
- 2003 I Am Too Absolutely Small for School longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal
- 2004 Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal
- 2005 Clarice Bean Spells Trouble shortlisted for the British Children's Book of the YearBritish Children's Book of the YearThe National Book Awards Children's Book of the Year Award is a British literary award, given annually to works of children's literature as part of the Galaxy National Book Awards...
- 2005 Clarice Bean Spells Trouble shortlisted for the Red House Children's Book AwardRed House Children's Book AwardThe Red House Children's Book Award is a series of literary prizes for works of children's literature published during the previous year. The prize was known as the Children's Book Award from its inauguration in 1981...
- 2005 The Princess and the Pea longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal
Child was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
Charlie and Lola
Charlie and Lola is a series of picture books made by Lauren Child and now is a children's TV show. Each half-hour format show contains two segments with different plots, each starting off with Charlie saying, "I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny."Clarice Bean
Clarice Bean is also a picture book and novel series by Lauren Child that is for children/young teenagers. Her full name is Clarice Bean Tuesday. She is best friends with Betty P Moody, and Karl Wrenbury is another friend of hers. Clarice Bean is a fan of a book series called Ruby Redfort (Lauren child is planning to write a series for Ruby Redfort in 2010 ), enemies with Grace Grapello and Mrs Wilberton (her teacher) and is a not a very good speller and she day-dreams a lot. Her family consists of her mum, dad, younger brother Minal Cricket, older sister Marcie, her even older brother Kurt, her grandad and her granny who lives in America and who phones regularly.Those books are:
- Clarice Bean That's Me - picture book - about Clarice's big family.
- My Uncle is a Hunkle, Says Clarice Bean - picture book - Clarice's parents have gone away and she is looked after by her Uncle.
- What Planet Are You From Clarice Bean? - picture book - Clarice and her brother Kurt try to save Planet EarthPlanet EarthPlanet Earth may refer to:* Earth, the third planet from the Sun* Planet Earth , a 2006 BBC documentary series* Planet Earth , a 1974 sci-fi TV movie...
. - Utterly Me, Clarice Bean - novel - Clarice has to do a dreary book project but there's a prize she wants to win.
- Clarice Bean Spells Trouble - novel - Clarice is in big trouble it's all because of spellingSpellingSpelling is the writing of one or more words with letters and diacritics. In addition, the term often, but not always, means an accepted standard spelling or the process of naming the letters...
. - Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now! - novel - Clarice has a worryWorryWorry is thoughts, images and emotions of a negative nature in whichmental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. As an emotion it is experienced as anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, usually personal issues such as health or finances or broader ones such as...
list.