Anthony Browne Alifeinillustration

Anthony Browne •  Anthony Browne was born in

Yorkshire, England 1946.

•  He lived with his family in the Yorkshire village of Hipperholme.

•  He was inspired by his father , who was a professional boxer.

•  Tragedy struck the family when, after watching a rugby match in which Anthony was competing, his father had a heart attack and passed away.

Anthony

Anthony Browne said of his father, “He was an unusual man – outwardly strong and confident, but also shy and sensitive – a bit like the gorillas I love to illustrate now. As well as drawing, he encouraged me to play a lot of sports, such as rugby and soccer and cricket. I was small for my age and I used to go to a fairly tough school – if I hadn’t been good at sports, I would probably have been

bullied.”

He loved art and would spend hours drawing with his beloved father.

After school When Anthony left school he did a course in graphic design at Leeds College of Art. After graduating he took a job as a medical artist based at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Greeting Card Designer Anthony worked for 15 years as a greeting and card designer. One of the first Gorilla’s Anthony remembers drawing was for a birthday card, which showed a huge fierce looking male holding a teddy bear.

Why Gorillas? Anthony says he find them absolutely absorbing to look at; almost human, but not quite. He loves the detail and expression their faces.

Writing Anthony has been writing and illustrating his own children’s books since 1975. He was won the prestigious CLIP Kate Greenway medal for illustration twice. He has an international following and has exhibited his works in countries such as Japan and Venezuela. He received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration in 2000, the first time it had been awarded to a British person since 1965.

Things you didn't know about Anthony Browne

1.When he was a boy he wanted to be a journalist, a cartoonist, or a boxer. 2.He was once asked to present a programme on children’s books, in a cage with some gorillas - but one gorilla bit him badly on the leg. It didn’t put him off them, but, he says, “You wouldn’t catch me going into a cage with one again!” 3.He grew up in a pub and when he was little, would go into the bar, stand on a table and tell stories about a character he’d made up called Big Dum Tackle. 4.He wore short trousers until he was fifteen.

5.He thinks the character, Willy, is based on his own childhood.

6.When he was a boy, he wanted a real trumpet for his birthday, but he got a toy plastic one instead. He says his book, Gorilla, was partly based on that experience.

7.He loves rugby and played as a scrum-half for eighteen years.

8.His book The Tunnel was inspired by a very frightening tunnel he and his brother used to go down when they were boys. 9.He says he has never found the perfect pair of swimming shorts!

More things you didn’t know about Anthony Browne