Shirley Hughes
Encyclopedia
Shirley Hughes is an English
author and illustrator. She has written more than fifty books which have sold more than 11.5 million copies, and illustrated over two hundred. She currently lives in London
.
on the Wirral
. She has stated that during childhood she was inspired by artists like Arthur Rackham
and W. Heath Robinson
, and later the cinema
and the Walker Art Gallery
. She was educated at West Kirby Grammar School
, and studied drawing
and costume design
at the Liverpool School of Art, then the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford
. Whilst at Oxford, she was encouraged to work in the picture book format and to make lithographic illustrations. Soon she was commissioned by Collins
. After art school Hughes moved to Notting Hill
, London
and married John Vulliamy, an architect
and etcher, and they had three children together, including the journalist Ed Vulliamy
and a daughter who is also a children's book illustrator, Clara Vulliamy.
and The Bell Family by Noel Streatfeild
. In 1960 she wrote and illustrated her first book, Lucy & Tom's Day, which was made into a series of stories. She went on to write over fifty more stories, including a series about a young boy named Alfie, and his sister Annie-Rose, as well as the Olly & Me series.
An exhibition of her work was put on at the Walker Art Gallery in 2003, which then moved to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
, was the first to be published widely abroad. This story also won her the Kate Greenaway Medal
the same year. In 1984 Hughes won the Eleanor Farjeon
award for distinguished services to children's literature. In 1999, she was awarded an OBE, and in 2000 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2003 she won the Kate Greenaway Medal again for Ella's Big Chance and was also granted an Honorary Fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University
and an Honorary Degree by the University of Liverpool
in 2004.
In 2007 to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Kate Greenaway and Carnegie Medals, Dogger
was voted the favourite Kate Greenaway Medal winner of all time.
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. She has written more than fifty books which have sold more than 11.5 million copies, and illustrated over two hundred. She currently lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early life
The daughter of Liverpool store owner Thomas Hughes, Shirley grew up in West KirbyWest Kirby
West Kirby is a town on the north-west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England, at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north-east of the town lies Hoylake, with the suburbs of Grange and Newton to the east, and the village of Caldy to the...
on the Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
. She has stated that during childhood she was inspired by artists like Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham was an English book illustrator.-Biography:Rackham was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.In 1892 he left his job and started working for The...
and W. Heath Robinson
W. Heath Robinson
William Heath Robinson was an English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of eccentric machines....
, and later the cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and the Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
. She was educated at West Kirby Grammar School
West Kirby Grammar School
West Kirby Grammar School is a girls grammar school and sixth form college located in the town of West Kirby on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The school currently has 1182 students on roll of whom most are girls ....
, and studied drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
at the Liverpool School of Art, then the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Whilst at Oxford, she was encouraged to work in the picture book format and to make lithographic illustrations. Soon she was commissioned by Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. After art school Hughes moved to Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and married John Vulliamy, an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and etcher, and they had three children together, including the journalist Ed Vulliamy
Ed Vulliamy
Ed Vulliamy is a British journalist and writer. His mother is the children's author and illustrator Shirley Hughes and his grandfather the Liverpool store owner Thomas Hughes. He was educated at the independent University College School and at Hertford College, Oxford before becoming a journalist...
and a daughter who is also a children's book illustrator, Clara Vulliamy.
Work
Hughes began her work during the 1950s and 1960s by illustrating other authors' books, such as My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy EdwardsDorothy Edwards
Dorothy Edwards was a British children's writer.Born as Dorothy Violet Ellen Brown into a working-class family, her father taught her to read at an early age, enabling her to write her first story at four years of age...
and The Bell Family by Noel Streatfeild
Noel Streatfeild
Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE , known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author, most famous for her children's books including Ballet Shoes . Several of her novels have been adapted for film or television.-Biography:...
. In 1960 she wrote and illustrated her first book, Lucy & Tom's Day, which was made into a series of stories. She went on to write over fifty more stories, including a series about a young boy named Alfie, and his sister Annie-Rose, as well as the Olly & Me series.
An exhibition of her work was put on at the Walker Art Gallery in 2003, which then moved to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Awards
Her 1977 story, DoggerDogger (book)
Dogger is a children's book written by Shirley Hughes, about a boy and his stuffed dog. In the story, the dog, named Dogger, is lost, then bought at a fairground stall, before the boy's sister has to earn Dogger back.-References:...
, was the first to be published widely abroad. This story also won her the 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...
the same year. In 1984 Hughes won the Eleanor Farjeon
Eleanor Farjeon
Eleanor Farjeon was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Many of her works had charming illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also been published...
award for distinguished services to children's literature. In 1999, she was awarded an OBE, and in 2000 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2003 she won the Kate Greenaway Medal again for Ella's Big Chance and was also granted an Honorary Fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
and an Honorary Degree by the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
in 2004.
In 2007 to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Kate Greenaway and Carnegie Medals, Dogger
Dogger (book)
Dogger is a children's book written by Shirley Hughes, about a boy and his stuffed dog. In the story, the dog, named Dogger, is lost, then bought at a fairground stall, before the boy's sister has to earn Dogger back.-References:...
was voted the favourite Kate Greenaway Medal winner of all time.