Jeannie Baker is an English-born Australian children's picture book author and artist, known for her collage illustrations and her concern for the natural environment. Her books have won many awards.

Biography

Baker was born in London, England on 2 November 1950. She studied graphic design at

Croydon School of Art Croydon College is a large further and higher education college located in Croydon, within the London Borough of Croydon. Its origins can be traced to a School of Art that was established in 1868, which subsequently merged with Croydon Polytechni ...

and

Brighton Polytechnic The University of Brighton is a public university based in Brighton on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieved university status in 1992. Th ...

, earning honours in art and design, before making her home in Australia in 1975. In the early 1980s, she lived in New York on an Australia Council Visual Arts Board residency. Her book, ''Home in the Sky'' (1984), was developed there. Baker developed the illustrations for her first book, ''Grandfather,'' during her final year at Brighton College of Art. Baker uses a variety of textures in her works. "When I can, I like to use textures from the actual materials portrayed, such as bark, feathers, cracked paint, earth, knitted wool and rusty tin… so that their natural textures become an integral part of the work". Baker’s collages illustrate her picture books, but also stand individually as works of art. They are part of many public art collections and have been exhibited in galleries in London, New York and throughout Australia. Baker is the author-artist of a number of award-winning picture books. Among them is ''Where The Forest Meets the Sea'' (about the

Daintree Rainforest The Daintree Rainforest, also known as the Daintree, is a region on the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about , by road, north of the city of Cairns. Whilst the terms "Daintree Rainforest" and "the Daintree" are not officially def ...

), a Boston Globe-Horn Honour Book, and the recipient of an International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour Award and a

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of grassroots environmental organizations in 73 countries. About half of the member groups call themselves "Friends of the Earth" in their own languages; the others use other ...

Award in Great Britain. ''Window'' was shortlisted for the

Kate Greenaway Medal The Carnegie Medal for Illustration (until 2022 the Kate Greenaway Medal) is a British award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Librar ...

in Great Britain and both ''Window'' and ''Mirror'' won the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award. Baker was the IBBY Australian nominee for the prestigious 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. Her work focuses on a diverse range of issues including: family, society,

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

, the environment, car-free

urban space An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

land degradation Land degradation is a process where land becomes less healthy and productive due to a combination of Human impact on the environment, human activities or natural conditions. The causes for land degradation are numerous and complex. Human activitie ...

, a sense of wonder,

nature deficit disorder Nature-deficit disorder is the idea that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors than they have in the past, and the belief that this change results in a wide range of behavioral problems. This disorder is not recogni ...

, introduced pests,

Australian outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass ...

and wildlife. Baker was nominated for the

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award () is an international children's literary award established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002). The prize is five million SEK, making it ...

in 2021 and again in 2022.

Works

* ''Polar'' (1975) * ''Grandfather'' (1977) * ''Grandmother'' (1978) * ''Millicent'' (1980) * ''One Hungry Spider'' (1982) * ''Home in the Sky'' (1984) * ''Where the Forest Meets the Sea'' (1988) (also released in big book format) * ''Window'' (1991) (also released in big book format) * ''The Story of Rosy Dock'' (1995) * ''The Hidden Forest'' (2000) (also released in big book format) * ''Belonging'' (renamed ''Home'' in the United States) (2004) (also released in big book format) * ''Mirror'' (2010) * ''Circle'' (2016) (also released in big book format) * ''Playing with Collage'' (2019) * ''Desert Jungle'' (2023)

Exhibitions

* Works are held in permanent collections of The

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...

(Sydney),

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

(Canberra),

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galle ...

(Brisbane),

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in th ...

and Art Gallery Western Australia (Perth) * Circle - A travelling exhibition has been organised by

Newcastle Museum Newcastle Museum is in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The museum is connected with Newcastle Libraries. History The Newcastle Museum was founded in 1988, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. It was originally located in the old Cas ...

in collaboration with Baker, which will follow the migratory path of the Godwits, visiting museums and galleries across

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 ...

and the world ::

Australian National Maritime Museum The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) is a Australian government, federally operated maritime museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. After considering the idea of establishing a maritime museum, the federal government announced that a nation ...

(Sydney) - 19 May – 31 July 2016 :: Newcastle Museum - 6 August – 30 October 2016 :: Canberra Museum & Gallery - 26 November – 19 February 2016/17 :: Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria (Melbourne) - 15 March – 14 May 2017 :: Botanic Gardens of South Australia (Adelaide) - 5 June – 25 August 2017 ::

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1846, by the Royal Society of Tasmania, the oldest Royal Society outside England. The TMAG receives 400,000 visitors annually. ...

(Hobart) - 7 September – 26 November 2017 :: Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens (Brisbane) - 11 December – 25 February 2017/18 :: Bundaberg Art Gallery - 7 March – 6 May 2018 * Desert Jungle - Another travelling exhibition organised by the Penrith Regional Gallery. :: Penrith Performing and Visual Arts Gallery - 6 May – 9 July 2023 :: State Library of South Australia (Adelaide) - 15 December 2023 - 18 February 2024 :: Shoalhaven Regional Art Gallery (Nowra) - 9 March – 4 May 2024 ::Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney) - 18 May – 29 June 2024

Film

* ''Where the Forest Meets the Sea'' (10-minute, 35mm animated film, produced by

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

, directed by Baker) * ''The Story of Rosy Dock'' (10-minute, 35mm animated film, produced by Screen Australia, directed by Baker)

Awards and nominations

* ''Circle'' :: Indie Award Best Children's Book 2017 :: Riverby Award Natural History Writing for Children 2017 :: Young Australians Best Book Award for Picture Books Shortlisted 2017 :: Kids Own Australian Literature Award for Picture Books Shortlisted 2017 :: Wilderness Society Award for Children's Picture Books Shortlisted 2017 :: Australian Book Industry Book of the Year for Younger Children Shortlisted 2017 * ''Mirror'' :: Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award Joint Winner 2011 :: Children’s Book Council of Australia Junior Judges Award - Picture Book of the Year Award Honour Book 2011 :: Indies (Independent Booksellers Association Awards) Children’s Book of the Year Winner 2011 :: NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature Shortlisted 2011 :: International Youth Library White Ravens Award 2011 :: Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Children’s Book Category Shortlist 2011 :: British Book Design and Production Awards, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education Category Winner 2011 :: CJ Picture Book Awards, CJ Culture Foundation, Korea New Publications Category Finalist 2011 :: International School Libraries Network Singapore Red Dot Book Awards Shortlisted 2010-11 * ''Belonging'' :: The Wilderness Society Fiction Award for Children’s Books 2005 :: ALA Notable Book USA 2005 :: Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture book of the Year Honour Book 2005 * ''The Hidden Forest'' :: Australian Wilderness Society Fiction Award for Children’s Books 2001 :: Govern Award for Children’s Science Picture Books, USA Winner 2003 * ''The story of Rosy Dock'' :: Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture book of the Year Honour Book Award 1990 :: The Australian Wilderness Society Fiction Award for Children’s books 1996 :: The American Library Association Notable Book 1996 :: Australian Film Industry Award for Best Australian animated Film Finalist 1995 :: Gold medal for animation Palma international Film Festival 1995 * ''Window'' :: Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award 1992 :: Young Australian’s Best Book Award Picture Books 1992 :: Kate Greenaway medal UK Shortlisted 1992 :: Notable Book in the Field of Social Science USA 1992 * ''Where the Forest Meets the Sea'' :: Australian Children’s Book Council Picture Book of the Year Honour Book 1988 :: Young Australian’s Best Book Award Picture Books 1988 :: Earthworm Book Award

UK 1988 :: Boston Globe Horn Book Magazine Honour Book Award 1990 :: International Board of Books for Young people Honour Book Award 1990 :: Austrian Children’s Book Council Honour Book award 1996 ::

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...

award for Best Australian Animated Film 1988 :: Greater Union Yoram Gross Award for Best Australian Animated Film 1988 * ''Home in the Sky'' :: The

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Notable Book 1984 ::

UK shortlisted 1985 :: Children’s book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award Commended 1985 :: Young Australian’s Best Book Award Shortlisted 1986.

References

External links

Jeannie Baker's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Jeannie 1950 births Living people Alumni of Croydon College Alumni of the University of Brighton English children's writers Australian children's writers British women children's writers 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British women writers Children's non-fiction writers Writers from New South Wales 20th-century English women artists 20th-century Australian women artists 21st-century English women artists 21st-century Australian women artists British collage artists Australian collage artists British women collage artists Australian women collage artists Australian children's book illustrators British children's book illustrators Australian women children's book illustrators British women children's book illustrators Australian conservationists English expatriates in Australia Australian animators Australian women animators