Russell Ayto is an English author and illustrator of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

including many

picture books A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

Biography

Russell was born in

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

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, ...

in 1960 and grew up in

Kidlington Kidlington is a village and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England. It is in-between the River Cherwell and Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and south-west of Bicester. It had a population of 13,600 at the 2021 Census. ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. After school he worked as a postman, then in the

Histopathology Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: 'tissue', 'suffering', and '' -logia'' 'study of') is the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Specifically, in clinical medicine, histopatholog ...

Department of the

John Radcliffe Hospital John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR or the John Radcliffe) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe (physician) ...

before studying at

Oxford Polytechnic A polytechnic is an educational institution that primarily focuses on vocational education, applied sciences, and career pathways. They are sometimes referred to as ''institutes of technology'', ''vocational institutes'', or ''universities of app ...

and

Exeter College of Art and Design Exeter College of Art and Design was an art college based in Exeter, Devon. Founded in 1854, it amalgamated with what would become Plymouth University in 1989. The main building was located at Earl Richards Road North Exeter from the 1970s w ...

where he gained a degree in Graphic Design. He gained work with '' Observer Magazine'' and ''Time Out'' and began illustrating adult fiction before his work was spotted by

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 ...

and he moved to illustrating children's fiction. Russell has illustrated over 80 books, including ''The Cow That Laid an Egg'' by Andy Cutbill, ''Quacky Quack-Quack!'' and ''Whiff'' both by Ian Whybrow, and ''The Witch’s Children'' series by

Ursula Jones Ursula Jones is a British actor and author of children's fiction. Her picture book ''The Witch's Children and the Queen'' won a gold Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, and the sequel ''The Witch's Children Go to School'' won the inaugural Roald Dahl ...

. His illustration of ''The Witch’s Children go to School by'' Ursula Jones won the 2008 inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Russell’s illustrations for ''The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas'' (2012) written by Andy Cutbill were adapted into an animated short film for the BBC, featuring the voices of

Johnny Vegas Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English actor, comedian, director and writer. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humour. Ve ...

and Miriam Margoles. In 2015, SLR Productions launched a series of 52 x 11 minute animated episodes based on the picture books Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs written by Giles Andre and illustrated by Russell Ayto. The third book in the Captain Flinn series, ''Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: The Magic Cutlass'' was later adapted into a stage performance by Les Petits Theatre Company in 2015. Russell continues to work full time as an author. His self-illustrated books include ''The Match'' (2018), ''Henry and the Yeti'' (2017), and ''Mouse in the House'' (2020). Russell currently lives with his family near

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

Recognition

* 2001 shortlist,

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 ...

(for illustration); ''The Witch's Children'' by

* 2003

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 ...

, ages 0–5; ''

The Witch's Children and the Queen ''The Witch's Children and the Queen'' is a children's picture book written by Ursula Jones, illustrated by Russell Ayto, and published by Orchard Children's Books in 2003. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize The Nestlé Children's Book P ...

'' by

* 2004 shortlist, Greenaway Medal; ''One More Sheep'' by Mij Kelly * 2008 shortlist, Booktrust Early Years Award, Pre-school; ''The Cow That Laid an Egg'' by Andy Cutbill * 2008 Roald Dahl Funny Prize, ages 0–6; ''The Witch's Children go to School'' by Ursula Jones * 2014 Honor, Irma Black Award

Works

Adult cover art

*''Oxford Coffee Houses, 1651–1800'' by Norma Albertin-Potter and Alyx Bennett (Hampden, 1987) *'' Why Are We in Vietnam?'' by

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...

, later edition (Oxford University Press, 1988) *'' Fludd'' by

Hilary Mantel Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, ''Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was releas ...

, first edition (Viking Press, 1989)

Children's books as writer

* ''The Other Day I Met a Bear'', self-illustrated,

, 2001 * ''My Friend Joe,'' self-illustrated,

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

, 2013 * ''Henry and the Yeti,'' self-illustrated,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

, 2017 * ''Cats and Robbers,'' self-illustrated, Bloomsbury, 2019 * ''An Earth-Bots Solution to Plastic Pollution,'' self-illustrated, Kids Can Press, 2021 * ''Will You Be My Friend?'' self-illustrated,

Andersen Press Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen "because it is easier to pronounce and spell than Flugge". Random House has a holding in the company and a ...

, 2021 * ''Mouse in the House,'' self-illustrated, Andersen Press, 2022

Children's books as illustrator

1990s

2000s

2010s

* ''The Love Bugs'' by Simon Puttock, HarperCollins, 2010 * ''Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs – Smugglers Bay!'' by Giles Andreas, Puffin, 2010 * ''First Week at Cow School'' by Andy Cutbill, HarperCollins, 2011 * ''Are the Dinosaurs Dead, Dad?'' by Julie Middleton, Picture Corgi, 2012 * ''Dustbin Dad,'' by Peter Bentley, Simon & Schuster Children’s UK, 2013 * ''The Somethingosaur,'' by Tony Mitton, HarperCollins, 2013 * ''A Very Pirate Christmas,'' by Timothy Knapman, Egmont Books, 2014 * ''Top Top Secret,'' by Claire Freedman, Simon & Schuster, 2014 * ''Whoops!'' by Suzi Moore, Templar Publishing, 2015 * ''Old Misery,'' by James Sage, Kids Can Press, 2018

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayto, Russell 1960 births English children's book illustrators English children's writers Alumni of Oxford Brookes University People from Chichester People from Kidlington People from Penzance Living people