Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration

Praise

Children’s literature historian Marcus (Golden Legacy: The Story of Golden Books) presents an eloquent, sumptuously illustrated account of the life and work of versatile, prolific British illustrator Helen Oxenbury…Further enhancing the book are warm testimonies from Oxenbury collaborators Trish Cooke, Mem Fox, Phyllis Root, Michael Rosen, and Martin Waddell. Deftly capturing Oxenbury’s grace, artistic brilliance, and humor, this handsome volume offers an affectionate and substantive tribute.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A sumptuously illustrated biography of a grande dame of children’s literature. Marcus brings his formidable talents as a children’s-literature historian to this title, which both documents and honors the distinguished career of British illustrator Helen Oxenbury…Postscript tributes from some of her collaborators over the years—Trish Cooke, Mem Fox, Phyllis Root, Rosen, and Martin Waddell—are the cherry on top to Marcus’ thorough scholarship, which culminates with an exhaustive bibliography/timeline of Oxenbury’s 88 published works.
—Kirkus Reviews

Children’s literature scholar Leonard Marcus tracks the personal and professional life of famed illustrator Helen Oxenbury…Oxenbury’s illustrations are on full display with reprints from her books stretching across full spreads and serving as spot art, all elegantly laid out to support the text.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

The book’s production values are nothing less than sumptuous; the generous trim size provides a stunning stage for the pages and pages devoted to reprinting art from Oxenbury’s picture books; and despite the adulatory tone, Marcus’s underlying scholarship provides context for Oxenbury’s career at every step. A valuable keepsake for Oxenbury admirers.
—The Horn Book