Cirrus

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BiographyHistory

British award winning children's book illustrator. Growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theatre design. Sets and scenery, not books, remained Oxenbury's preoccupation for her early adult life as she embarked on careers in theatre, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, she turned to illustrating children's books. Today, Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Kate Greenaway Medal-winning "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning "Farmer Duck" by Martin Waddell; "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen; as well as her classic board books for babies.