Robert Whitlock Alley (born December 30, 1955) is an American writer and illustrator of children’s books. He is best known for illustrating the children’s literature series

Paddington Bear Paddington Bear (though his name is just Paddington; the "Bear" simply serves to confirm his species; and also known as Paddington Brown for some sources) is a fictional character in British children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October ...

Early life and education

Alley was born on December 30, 1955 in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

to Helene Whitlock and Dr. Reuben Alley, Jr. He grew up in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

where his father was a civilian professor of electrical engineering at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. Alley studied Art History at

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...

and graduated in 1979.

Career

He spent his early career illustrating greeting cards for multiple companies, including

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...

. He published his first book, The Ghost in Dobbs Diner, in 1981. He met author

Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was an English author. He is best known for a series of children's books featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million books in the series have been sold worldwide, ...

in 1997 and after an audition began illustrating the Paddington Bear book series. He illustrated Bond's final book, Paddington at Saint Paul's, in 2018, and has illustrated more than 20 books in the series as of 2024. He is the longest-serving Paddington Bear illustrator. In 2016, he appeared on the baking competition show

Cake Wars ''Cake Wars'' is an American reality competition series that was first broadcast on June 29, 2015, aired on Food Network. Jonathan Bennett hosted the competition, where four bakers face off to have their cakes featured in a special event, in ...

, in the Season 4 episode, "Paddington".

Personal life

Alley lives in

Barrington, RI Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, approximately southeast of Providence. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 17,153. Barrington was founded by Congregationalist sepa ...

with his wife, Zoe. They have two children.

Work

Series, by

(1997-Present) * Breezy Valley Series (2023-Present) ** Firefighters to the Rescue! (2023) ** Hospital Heroes Save the Day! (2024) * Four Siblings' Seasons Series (2016) ** Clark in the Deep Sea ** Gretchen Over the Beach ** Mitchell on the Moon ** Annabelle at the South Pole * Fairy Tale Graphic Novel Series, by Zoe B. Alley ** There's a Wolf at the Door (2008,

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

Kids Book of the Year) ** There's a Princess in the Palace (2010)

Other notable work

* The Ghost in Dobbs Diner (1981) * We’re Off to Find the Witch’s House by Mr. Krieb (2007,

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Bestseller) * Pearl and Wagner series by

Kate McMullan Kate McMullan (; born January 16, 1947) is an American author of children's books. She has published over 100 books. Notable works include the Myth-o-Mania and Dragon Slayers' Academy book series. Biography McMullan was born on January 16, 194 ...

** Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day (2009,

Geisel Award The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (commonly abbreviated as the Geisel Award) is a literary award by the American Library Association (ALA) that annually recognizes the "author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished book for beginning reade ...

Honor Book) ** Pearl and Wagner: Two Good Friends (2003) ** Pearl and Wagner: Three Secrets (2004) ** Pearl and Wagner: Four Eyes (2009) ** Pearl and Wagner: Five Days til Summer (2012) * Enzo Races in the Rain, by

Garth Stein Garth Stein (born December 6, 1964) is an American author and film producer from Seattle, Washington. Widely known as the author of the novel ''The Art of Racing in the Rain,'' Stein is also a documentary film maker, playwright, teacher, and ama ...

, with Zoe B. Alley, based on

The Art of Racing in the Rain ''The Art of Racing in the Rain'' is a 2008 novel by American author Garth Stein. Narrated from the perspective of the protagonist's dog Enzo, the novel explores philosophy and the human condition through the narrative device of car racing. T ...

(2014) * Saxby Smart series, by Simon Cheshire (2007-2008) * Because Your... series, by

Andrew Clements Andrew Elborn Clements (May 29, 1949 – November 28, 2019) was an American author of children's literature. His debut novel '' Frindle'' won an award determined by the vote of U.S. schoolchildren in about 20 different U.S. states. In June 2015 ...

(2005-2015) * Elf-Help Series, by various authors, originally printed by

Saint Meinrad Archabbey Saint Meinrad Archabbey is a Catholic monastery in Spencer County, Indiana, US, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 79 monks. The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology ...

(1987-Present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alley, Robert 1955 births Living people American illustrators American children's book illustrators