4th January 2013 Sir Quentin Blake

The children I teach will be thrilled to hear that Quentin Blake has 'won an award' even if they do not fully understand what it means to get a knighthood. Blake was knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours for his services to illustration. He is probably the most recognised-by-children children's illustrator because of all the Roald Dahl and David Walliams novels he has illustrated. And these two authors are 'big' with the young audiences I work with.

He has been illustrating for so long, so this award has been a long time coming compared to those given to sportsmen, and he has such a wonderful stock from which to choose. He has the books he has both written and illustrated like  my favourites Mr Magnolia and Mrs Armitage, those he has done with Russell Hoban like my favourites ACE Dragon Ltd  and How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsmen and those with John Yeoman's like Beatrice and Vanessa and The Bear's Winter House. It is fitting that this new anthology of favourite stories he has both written and illustrated has appeared at this time.

You can watch him illustrate here.

PS Perhaps publishers could reconsider republishing ACE Dragon Ltd now that it is illustrated by a Sir!