Ted Dewan is an American-born British writer 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 ...

who resides in England. He is best known as the creator of the award-winning book series, ''

Bing Bing most often refers to: * Bing Crosby (1903–1977), American singer * Microsoft Bing, a web search engine Bing may also refer to: Food and drink * Bing (bread), a Chinese flatbread * Bing (soft drink), a UK brand * Bing cherry, a varie ...

,'' now adapted into an animated television series.

Life

Dewan was born in Boston and raised in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by ...

, the first son of physicist Dr Edmond M Dewan and scholar/attorney Karen Dean-Smith. He grew up with his brother, musician and artist

Brian Dewan Brian Dewan (born 14 June 1963) is an American multi-media artist, who produces music, audio-visual performances, decorative painting, furniture, poetry, filmstrips, illustrations, and musical instruments. He has released three albums of songs ...

"Cyclemas Artist: Ted Dewan"
WormWorks. and both brothers had musical and artistic aspirations from a young age. He studied

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

and

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

where he studied with his mentor, author/illustrator David Macaulay, before working for five years as a

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

teacher at

Milton Academy Milton Academy (informally referred to as Milton) is a coeducational, co-educational, Independent school, independent, and College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in g ...

. As well as his science-teaching duties at Milton Academy, Dewan directed various musical shows including a touring satirical student pop band. He relocated to London where he began to make a living as a full-time illustrator and cartoonist, drawing for British newspapers including ''

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 ...

'' (and ''

Times Educational Supplement ''TES'', formerly known as the ''Times Educational Supplement'', is a British weekly trade magazine aimed at education professionals. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in ''The Times'' newspaper. Such was its popularity th ...

''), ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

''. In his spare time, he performed a solo

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

act on London's comedy circuit, to mixed and "misunderstood" reviews at such venues as

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

and the Hackney Empire. Within a few years of moving to London, he met Helen Cooper, another children's illustrator and writer. They have one daughter. Dewan and Cooper moved from London to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, where Dewan worked closely with David Fickling Books, the original publisher of the

books. His move to Oxford also saw the beginning of an eight-year pilot project to transform his residential street in the UK's only DIY redesign project designed and built entirely by its residents with guidance and funding from Bristol-based

Sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...

. He was given stewardship of the writer's shed from Oxford-based author

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

in 2002, with a covenant agreed that only creative work shall take place in it, and that the shed was to be passed on freely to another maker when the time came. The shed has now been passed on and its story continues. Divorced in 2018, Dewan now lives in Brixton, London, where he works primarily in children's television animation.

Books

Dewan began his career with science-writer Steve Parker on a number of children's non-fiction books. Dewan's

pen and ink PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

and

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

artwork complemented "Parker's examination of the morphology of the world's largest mammals" (and also ''Inside dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures''). For ''Inside the Whale and Other Animals'' he won the 1992 Mother Goose Award from Books for Children as "the most exciting newcomer to British children's book illustration". Concurrently he illustrated a couple of adult non-fiction books by Dr. Robert Ornstein. Dewan next turned his hand to writing as well as illustrating, producing in 1994 a baseball version of '' The Three Billy Goats Gruff''. A number of other solo writing/illustrating projects have followed since, in particular the ''Bing Bunny'' series, which has been adapted into a

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

. The first of three Crispin

picture book 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 ...

s won the Blue Peter Award, and was a runner-up for the 2000

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 ...

from the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of th ...

, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

. Cooper had won the 1996 and 1998 Medals. More recently, his illustration work has featured in books related to the

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 ...

comedy

panel game A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participate. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...

television quiz show '' QI''. In particular, he contributed "400 diagrams and cartoons" to '' The Book of Animal Ignorance'', and various illustrations to ''The QI ''"E"'' Annual'' (or ''The QI Annual 2007''), both 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 ...

in 2007. His latest picture book with Orchard Books is about a courageous teddy bear charged with warming the heart of a troublesome boy. ''One True Bear'' (2009) was noted for its daring inclusion of actual young boys' drawings, including the "violent" ones not normally reproduced, especially in young children's literature.

Television

In 2014 a television series called ''

'' based on his books began broadcast 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 ...

, produced by Acamar Films and animated by Brown Bag Films. He co-developed the series, co-wrote the pilot, and wrote or contributed to most of the scripts, while working with the animators on set and character design. The series has since become one of the most viewed programmes for children across the whole BBC, winning a BAFTA nomination and an International Emmy Award. The series features the voice talent of Oscar-winning actor,

Mark Rylance Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (; born 18 January 1960) is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen, having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Oliv ...

. Dewan is currently developing another television animation project for children and has acted as consultant on other television projects.

3D artwork and machines

Dewan began his commissioned three-dimensional artwork, including 2004's ''Cyclemas Tree'', a 20-foot 1.5 tonne illuminated Christmas Tree made of derelict bicycles and scaffolding. In 2007, he was appointed lead artist for Oxford's Millennial celebration's extravaganza, ''Luminox'', which featured his 70-foot bamboo spire pendulum sculpture with a flaming pendulum bob. The sculpture formed the centrepiece of a large-scale fire installation by the renowned French group Carabosse. He is the creator of the Storyloom at Oxford's Story Museum, which remains from the 2012 steampunk exhibition, The Fabulous Account of Rochester's Extraordinary Storyloom. His most recent commission was a sculpture and photography/design featured on the cover of Philip Selway's (Radiohead) second solo album, The Weatherhouse.

Awards and honors

;Winner 1992, Mother Goose Award, best new illustrator, for ''Inside the Whale and Other Animals'', written by Steve Parker 2002, Blue Peter Book Award Best Book to Read Aloud, the picture book ''Crispin, the Pig Who Had It All'' 2015,

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nomination, "Bing" 2016,

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...

, "Bing" 2016,

Writers' Guild of Great Britain The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG). History The u ...

, team scriptwriter "Bing" ;Runners-up, shortlists 1992, shortlisted for the TES information book award for his illustration of ''Inside the Whale & Other Animals'', written by Steve Parker. 1997, shortlisted for

Kurt Maschler Award The Kurt Maschler Award (1982 to 1999) was a British literary award that annually recognised one "work of imagination for children, in which text and illustration are integrated so that each enhances and balances the other." Winning authors and i ...

, integrated writing and illustration, ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'', and named one of the ''Young Book Trust 100 Best Books''''The Sorcerer's Apprentice''
WormWorks. Retrieved 7 February 2008. 2002, commended runner-up for the

, ''Crispin the Pig Who Had It All'' 2004, named one of the ''Publishers Weekly'' Books of the Year, the ''Bing Bunny'' series of books for

toddlers A toddler is a child approximately 1 to 3 years old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, as children at thi ...

Works

As writer and illustrator

* '' 3 Billy Goats Gruff'' (André Deutsch, 1994) * ''Top Secret'' (André Deutsch/Scholastic 1996) * ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Corgi/Transworld 1997) : ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Music of Magic and Electricity'' (Corgi Audio Tape, 1997) * ''The Weatherbirds'' (Puffin Books/Penguin, 1999) * ''Crispin, the Pig Who Had It All'' (Transworld, 2000) * ''Baby Gets the Zapper'' (Transworld, 2001) * ''Crispin and the 3 Little Piglets'' (Transworld, 2002) * ''Crispin and the Best Birthday Surprise Ever'' (Transworld, 2007) * ''One True Bear'' (London:Orchard and New York:Walker/Bloomsbury, 2009)

Bing Bunny

* ''Bing Bunny: Bing Get Dressed'' (David Fickling Books, 2003) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Paint Day'' (Fickling, 2003) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Bed Time'' (Fickling, 2003) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Something for Daddy'' (Fickling, 2003) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Go Picnic'' (Fickling, 2004) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Make Music'' (Fickling, 2004) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Swing'' (Fickling, 2004) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Milkshake'' (Fickling, 2004) * ''Bing Bunny: Bing Yuk'' (Fickling, 2004)

As illustrator

Children's non-fiction

* ''Inside the Whale and Other Animals'' (Dorling Kindersley/Doubleday, 1992), written by Dewan and Steve Parker * ''Inside Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals'' (Kindersley, 1993), Dewan and Parker

Children's fiction

* ''Rumpelstiltskin'' (Scholastic, 1998), written by Kit Wright * ''Sandmare'' (Corgi/Transworld, 2001), Helen Cooper * '' The Divide'' (Chicken House, 2005), Elizabeth Kay * ''The Ice Cream Swipe'' (Oxford University Press, 2003), Elizabeth Laird * '' Back to the Divide'' (Scholastic, 2007), Elizabeth Kay * '' Jinx on the Divide'' (Scholastic, 2007), Elizabeth Kay * The Thomas Trew Series (Hodder & Stoughton, 2006–2008),

Sophie Masson Sophie Masson is a French-Australian fantasy and children's author. Early life and education Sophie Masson was born in Indonesia of French parents who are of mixed ancestry (French, Basque, Spanish and Portuguese). Masson, the third in a f ...

**Book 1: ''Thomas Trew and the Hidden People'' HB (2006); PB (2007) **Book 2: ''Thomas Trew and the Horns of Pan'' PB (2007) **Book 3: ''Thomas Trew and the Klint-King's Gold'' PB (2007) **Book 4: ''Thomas Trew and the Selkie's Curse'' PB (2007) **Book 5: ''Thomas Trew and the Flying Huntsman'' PB (2007) **Book 6: ''Thomas Trew and the Island of Ghosts'' PB (2008) * ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Hodder & Stoughton, 2006), the 1590s Shakespeare classic retold by Beverly Birch

Adult non-fiction

* ''The Evolution of Consciousness'' (Prentice-Hall, US 1991), written by Dr. Robert Ornstein, * ''The Roots of the Self'' (HarperCollins, US 1993), by Ornstein * ''The Axemaker's Gift'' ( G. P. Putnam's Sons, US 1995), James Burke and Ornstein * ''Wild Minds'' (Henry Holt, New York 1999), Marc Hauser * '' The Book of Animal Ignorance'' (Faber and Faber, UK Oct 2007) (), John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, designed and illus. by Dewan * ''The QI ''"E"'' Annual'' (alternate title, ''The QI Annual 2007'') (Faber and Faber, UK Nov 2007), by the QI Elves
/sup> with some illustrations by Dewan * ''The QI ''"F"'' Annual'' (alt. title, ''The QI Annual 2008'') (Faber and Faber, UK Nov 2008), by the QI Elves, some illus. by Dewan * ''Mindreal'' (Malor Books, US 2008), Ornstein

Notes

References

External links

www.teddewan.com
*
Ted Dewan
at Children's Book Illustration * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewan, Ted English cartoonists English illustrators Writers from Boston Writers from Lexington, Massachusetts Living people Date of birth missing (living people) American emigrants to England Year of birth missing (living people)