Polly Dunbar
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Polly Dunbar (born 1977) is an English author-illustrator. She is best known for her self-illustrated books ''
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
'', the ''Tilly and Friends'' series (which became a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
children's television series) and ''Hello, Mum'' – an illustrated memoir of motherhood and her first book for adults. She has also illustrated other authors' books: ''Bubble Trouble'' by
Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy (21 March 1936 – 23 July 2012) was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growi ...
, '' My Dad's a Birdman'' by
David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children's literature, children and young adult fiction, young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and ...
, ''Can Bears Ski?'' by poet
Raymond Antrobus Raymond Antrobus is a British poet, educator and writer who has been performing poetry since 2007. In March 2019, he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in poetry.Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo ('' né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as '' War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelli ...
, and ''While We Can't Hug'' by Eoin Mclaughlin.In Conversation: Raymond Antrobus and Polly Dunbar
from ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
''
''Hello, Mum'' is Polly's first book for grown-ups, a visual diary about early motherhood. She is the daughter of children's book writer Joyce Dunbar, whose picture book ''Shoe Baby'' she illustrated.


Biography

Dunbar was born in the
Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...
and moved to
Stratford upon Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-west o ...
at eight months old. She went to school there until she was eleven and moved to Norwich with her family. There she attended
City of Norwich School The City of Norwich School, more commonly known as CNS, is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Norwich, England. History In 1910, the Education Committee decided to merge the King Edward VI Middle School in ...
and
Norwich School of Art and Design The Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) is a public university in Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom that specialises in art, design, media, architecture and performance. It was founded as Norwich School of Design in 1845 and has a long history ...
, now known as Norwich University College of the Arts. She started writing and illustrating at age 16, when she published two books – which she describes as "cartoon books inspired by teenage antics".Illustrator's Gallery: Polly Dunbar
from ''Book Trust Children's Books''
She went to
Brighton University 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 ...
and graduated in 1999 with a degree in illustration. She lives in Waveny Valley,
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
with her partner and their two sons.


Career

Polly Dunbar's ''Dog Blue'' and ''Flyaway Katie'', both as author-illustrator, were published in 2004.Take 3: Illustrators
from ''Books For Keeps''
The following year she illustrated ''Shoe Baby'', written by her mother, author Joyce Dunbar. Her 2007 book ''
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
'' is her most critically acclaimed book to date, winning the Booktrust Early Years Awards in the pre-school category and the silver award in the Nestle Children's Book Prize for children under five years old. She is also the illustrator for ''Here's A Little Poem'' which was on the IBBY honour's book list for 2008, and ''Bubble Trouble'' by Margaret Mahy, which won a
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The ''Boston Globe''–''Horn'' Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by ''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonficti ...
in 2009. Dunbar was named "Most Promising New Illustrator" in ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
s Cuffie Awards in 2004. In 2008, she was featured in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''s list of "The best new picture book illustrators". In 2008 Booktrust named her one of the Ten Best Illustrators, and in 2011 she became their fourth writer in residence. In 2020, Dunbar illustrated ''Can Bears Ski?'' by award-winning poet
Raymond Antrobus Raymond Antrobus is a British poet, educator and writer who has been performing poetry since 2007. In March 2019, he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in poetry.Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo ('' né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as '' War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelli ...
, and ''While We Can't Hug'' by Eoin Mclaughlin. In 2021 her first adult book, ''Hello, Mum'', was published by
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
.


Adaptations

Her ''Tilly and Friends'' books became a
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
animated television series, which aired on
CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...
in 2012. She co-founded ''Long Nose Puppets'' in 2006. Since then, the company has performed puppet adaptations of her books ''
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
'', ''Flyaway Katie'', ''Shoe Baby'', ''Arthur's Dream Boat'', and soon ''While We Can't Hug''. Their production of ''Shoe Baby'' won Best Children’s Show at Brighton Fringe Festival.


Bibliography

*''Henry VIII, Hole Story'', Scholastic 2002 *''Cleopatra, Hole Story'', Scholastic 2002 *''Scrooge, Hole Story'', Scholastic 2002 *''Flyaway Katie'',
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2004 *''Dog Blue'',
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2004 *''
Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
'',
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2007 *''Arthur's Dream Boat'',
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2012 *''Something Fishy'', Two Hoots 2018 *''A Lion is a Lion'',
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2018 *''Red Red Red'',
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2019 *''Hello, Mum'',
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
2021


Help series

*''Help I've forgotten my Brain'', Kingfisher 1996 *''Help I'm out with the in-crowd'', Kingfisher 1996


Tilly series

:all published via
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
:adapted into
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
series 2012 cartoon Tilly and Friends on
TVO Kids TVOKids (stylized as tvokids) is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by TVO (formerly TVOntario) in Canada. It was launched on April 1, 1994, and runs from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. The brand also operates two 24-hour onl ...
. *"Hello Tilly" 2008, MIDI edition 6 September 2012 about a human girl *"Happy Hector" 2008, MIDI edition 6 September 2012 about a pig boy *"Pretty Pru" 2008, MIDI edition 6 September 2012 about a bird girl *"Where's Tumpty?" 2008, MIDI edition 6 September 2012 about an elephant boy *"Doodle Bites" 2008, MIDI edition 6 September 2012 about a girl crocodile *"Goodnight, Tiptoe" 2008, MIDI edition 6 September 2012 about a boy bunny *"Let's Get Wheeling!" 1 August 2013 *"Listen to Me!" 1 August 2013 *"Star Party" 1 August 2013 *"The Best Day Ever" 1 August 2013 *"What's Everyone Doing?" 3 April 2014 *"Who's Hiding?" 3 April 2014 *"Doctor Tilly" 3 July 2014 *"Tumpty's Plane" 3 July 2014 Sticker Activity Books: *"Dressing Up" 3 October 2013 *"Play All Day" 3 October 2013


As illustrator

*''A Saucepan on his Head, Collected Nonsense Poems'' written by M Baars and S Ellis,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2001 *''The Dragon Test'' written by June Crebbin,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2003 *''Hal the Highway Man'' written by June Crebbin,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2003 *''Lucy and the Fire Stone'' written by June Crebbin,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2004 *''Hal the Pirate'' written by June Crebbin,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2004 *''Looking after Louis'' written by Lesley Ely,
Frances Lincoln Children's Books The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
2004 *''Shoe Baby'' written by Joyce Dunbar,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2005 *''Down the Back of the Chair'' written by
Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy (21 March 1936 – 23 July 2012) was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growi ...
,
Frances Lincoln Children's Books The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
2006 *'' My Dad's a Birdman'' written by
David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children's literature, children and young adult fiction, young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and ...
,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2007 *''Measuring Angels'' written by Lesley Ely,
Frances Lincoln Children's Books The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
2007 *''Here's a Little Poem'' edited by
Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 400 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...
and Andrew Fusek Peters
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2007 *'' Bubble Trouble'' written by
Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy (21 March 1936 – 23 July 2012) was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growi ...
,
Frances Lincoln Children's Books The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
2008 *''The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon'' written by
David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children's literature, children and young adult fiction, young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and ...
,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2010 *''A Cat Called Penguin'',
Holly Webb Holly Webb (born 1976 in London) is a British children's writer. She studied Classics at Newnham College at Cambridge University, Byzantine and Medieval Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, and then worked as an editor until 2005. She l ...
(author), 2011 *''Pat-a-Cake Baby'' written by Joyce Dunbar,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2015 *''I Will Not Wear Pink'' written by Joyce Dunbar, Otter-Barry Books 2016 *''Buster and the Baby'' written by Amy Hest,
Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...
2017 *''The Hug'' written by Eoin Mclaughlin,
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
2019 *''While We Can't Hug'' written by Eoin Mclaughlin,
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
2020 *''Owl or Pussycat?'' written by
Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo ('' né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as '' War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelli ...
,
David Fickling Books David Fickling Books Ltd (DFB) was founded in 1999 and became an independent publishing house in July 2013 following 12 years (2001-2013) with Scholastic and later Random House. They have published several prize-winning and bestselling books in ...
2020 *''Can Bears Ski?'' written by
Raymond Antrobus Raymond Antrobus is a British poet, educator and writer who has been performing poetry since 2007. In March 2019, he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in poetry.Candlewick Press Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. History Sebastian Walker launched Walker Boo ...
2020 *''The Longer the Wait, the Bigger the Hug'' written by Eoin Mclaughlin,
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
2021 *''The Kiss'' written by Eoin Mclaughlin,
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...
2022The Kiss
Bookshop.org


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Polly Living people English children's writers English children's book illustrators English women children's writers English women children's book illustrators Writers who illustrated their own writing Alumni of the University of Brighton Alumni of Norwich University of the Arts 1977 births