Книга: Oliver Jeffers «It Wasn't Me»

Oliver Jeffers is an artist, illustrator and writer from Belfast Northern Ireland and now lives and works in Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Ulster in 2001.

Life and work

From figurative painting and installation, to illustration and picture-book making, his work has been exhibited in New York, Dublin, London, Sydney, Washington DC, and Belfast.

He is widely known for his picture books for children, published by HarperCollins UK and Penguin US. How to Catch a Star debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim, and Lost and Found (2005), won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal 2006, the Blue Peter Book Award 2006 and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal the same year. The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2007) won the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year, and his fourth Book The Way Back Home was released in September 2007 and The Great Paper Caper was released in September 2008.

Jeffers’ style of illustration uses mixed medium and is recognised for its subtle narrative and use of space in composition. As a freelance illustrator he has worked for clients such as Orange UK, Lavazza, Sony PSP, RCA Records, Starbucks, United Airlines, Newsweek, Wired, Irish Times, The Guardian, Creative Review and The Telegraph.

Jeffers artwork consists of figurative painting executed on either canvas or three dimensional objects, both found and made. His most recent solo show (Additional Information, Belfast December 2006) studied the balance between form and content by drawing parallels between the arts and sciences, in which figurative oil paintings were over laid with mathematical equations.

As a co-founder of the art collective OAR, along with Rory Jeffers, Mac Premo and Duke Riley, their exhibitions include 9 Days in Belfast, book and the award winning BUILDING.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official World Book Day Illustrator.

Lost and Found became Jeffers first book to be made into animation by London based Studio AKA, premiering on Christmas Eve 2008 on Channel 4. In Australia it aired on Christmas Eve 2009 on ABC1 and Christmas Day 2009 on ABC3. Lost and Found the animation has won more than 40 international awards, including a BAFTA for Best animation in 2009.

In 2008, Jeffers featured in The Times's list of "The Best New Picture Book Illustrators".

List of works

Author & Illustrator

• How to Catch a Star (2004)
• Lost and Found (2005)
• The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2006)
• The Way Back Home (2007)
• The Great Paper Caper (2008)
• The Heart and the Bottle (2010)
• Up and Down (2010)
• Stuck (2011)

Illustrator

• Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne (2010)

Awards

• 2004 Booktrust Early Years Award (Best New Illustrator) (shortlist) How To Catch A Star
• 2005 CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards (merit) How To Catch A Star
• 2005 Kate Greenaway Medal (shortlist) Lost and Found
• 2005 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award) (5 years and under category) Lost and Found
• 2006 Blue Peter Book Award Lost and Found
• 2006 Booktrust Early Years Award (Pre-School Award) (shortlist)
• 2006 Channel 4 Richard & Judy Award The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2006 CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards (Merit) Lost and Found
• 2007 Big Picture Best New Illustrator (Booktrust) (longlist)
• 2007 Redhouse Award (shortlist) The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2007 Irish Book Awards (winner) The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2007 Norfolk Libraries Children’s Book award (Bronze Award) The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2007 Independent Bookseller’s Book of the Year (shortlist) The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2007 British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (shortlist) The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2007 CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards (Merit) The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• 2008 CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards (Merit) The Way Back Home
• 2008 Irish Book Awards (Shortlist) The Way Back Home
• 2009 Kate Greenaway Medal (shortlist) The Way Back Home
• 2009 Roald Dahl Funny Prize (6 years and under category - shortlist) The Great Paper Caper
• 2009 Somerset Fiction Award (shortlist) The Way Back Home
• 2009 CBI Bisto Book of the Year Awards (Merit) The Great Paper Caper
• 2009 Irish Book Awards (shortlist) The Great Paper Caper
• 2010 Kate Greenaway Medal (shortlist) The Great Paper Caper
• 2010 New York Emmy Awards Best Commercial, Artwalk 09
• 2010 New York Emmy Awards Best Graphics, Artwalk 09
• 2010 British Book Design and Production Awards The Heart and the Bottle
• 2011 CBI (Children’s Books Ireland) (shortlist) The Heart and the Bottle
• 2011 CBI (Children’s Books Ireland) (shortlist) Up & Down
• 2011 V&A 2011 Book Illustration Award The Heart and the Bottle
• 2011 Kate Greenaway Medal (shortlist) The Heart and the Bottle

External links

• Oliver Jeffers web site
• Oliver Jeffers author page at Harpercollins