Inga Moore (born 1945) is an Anglo-Australian author and illustrator of books for children.

Life

Born in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, England, at the age of eight Moore emigrated with her family to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where she went to school in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. She has said that at the age of fourteen her favourite book was

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...

’s ''

The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides ''The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D.'' is a travel journal by Scotsman James Boswell first published in 1785. In 1773, Boswell enticed his English friend Samuel Johnson to accompany him on a tour through the hig ...

''.Joanna Carey
“Inga Moore, illustrator of The Wind in the Willows”
in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' dated 5 February 2010 After leaving school, Moore took a variety of jobs.

Raymond Briggs Raymond Redvers Briggs (18 January 1934 – 9 August 2022) was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story ...

’s book ''

Father Christmas Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and typically considered to be synonymous with Santa Claus, he was originally part of a much older and unrela ...

'' (1973) inspired her to want to illustrate books, and she began to look for work as an illustrator. An early work, ''Aktil’s Big Swim'' (1980), tells the story of a Dover mouse who decides to swim the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, not understanding how wide it is. In the early 1980s, Moore returned to live in England, settling in Hampstead, while still working on picture books. Her '' Six-Dinner Sid'' (1990), an illustrated book for children about a cat, took six months to complete and won the

Nestlé Smarties Book Prize The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and r ...

in the under-five category, but during the recession of the early 1990s her flat was repossessed. This had a happy outcome, as Moore then found an apartment in a large but decaying

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

house in a

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

village, with good light in a room she planned to use as a studio. Not far from the

River Windrush The River Windrush is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Snowshill in Gloucestershire and flows south east for via Burford and Witney to meet the Thames at Newbridge, River Thames, Newbridge in Oxfordshire. The ri ...

, the countryside around the house inspired the illustrations for Moore’s edition of

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

’s ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'', which went on to sell more than a million copies. Her editions of other children’s classics include

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (1886), ''A Little Princess'' (1905), a ...

’s ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

'' and

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

’s ''

The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts as "The Canterville Ghost – A Hylo-Idealistic Romance: The Redemptive Heroine" in '' The Court and S ...

''. As of 2010, Moore was still living and working in Gloucestershire. Following her version of ''The Wind in the Willows'', she is reported to be working on a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

Books by Inga Moore

*''Aktil's Big Swim'' (Oxford University Press, 1980) *''Aktil's Rescue'' (Oxford University Press, 1982) *''The Vegetable Thieves'' (Andersen Press Ltd, 1983; Viking Press, 1984, ) *''A Big Day for Little Jack'' (1984) *''The Truffle Hunter'' (Andersen Press Ltd, 1985) *''Fifty Red Night-caps'' (Walker, 1988, ) *''Rose and the Nightingale'' (London: Andersen Press, 1988) *''The Sorcerer’s Apprentice'' (Prentice Hall, 1989) *'' Six-Dinner Sid'' (Simon & Schuster, 1990, ) *''Oh, Little Jack'' (1992) *''The Little Apple Tree'' (1994) *''Six Dinner Sid: A Highland Adventure'' (2010) *''A House in the Woods'' (Candlewick Press, 2011) *'' Captain Cat'' (Walker Books, 2012, ) *''Moose's Book Bus'' (Candlewick Press, 2021)

Illustrations for works by other authors

*''Prayers for Children'', by Caroline Royds (Doubleday, 1989) *''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', by LM Montgomery (Henry Holth & Co, 1994) *''

'', by Kenneth Grahame (Walker Books, 1999, )Carolyn Hares-Stryker, ''The Illustrators of The Wind in the Willows, 1908–2008'' (McFarland & Company, 2009), p. 141 *'' The Reluctant Dragon'', by Kenneth Grahame (2004) *''Dragons and Other Beasts'', by Kenneth Grahame and E. Nesbit (2006) *''

'', by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Walker Books, 2008, ) *''

'', by Oscar Wilde

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Inga 1945 births Australian children's book illustrators English children's book illustrators Australian women children's book illustrators British women children's book illustrators Living people People from Sussex Artists from Gloucestershire Writers from Gloucestershire