His Life
Anthony Browne grew up in the village of Hipperholme, in Yorkshire. He was encouraged to draw by his father, who also encouraged him to play lots of sports, including rugby, football and cricket. As he was small for his age Anthony thinks he would have been bullied at school if he hadn’t been good at sports.
When he left school, Anthony studied graphic design and then went on to draw the insides of people's bodies for medical textbooks. He then got a job designing greetings cards. This led him to illustrating children's books - his book Gorilla began life as a picture on a birthday card.
Gorillas feature in many of Anthony's books. He says, "I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent - their huge strength and gentleness. They're thought of as being very fierce creatures and they're not." Anthony's illustrations also reveal his love of the Surrealist painters, whose pictures often depict strange, dreamlike scenes (look out for all the disguised bananas hidden in Anthony's books!).
Things you didn't know about Anthony Browne
- When he was a boy he wanted to be a journalist, a cartoonist, or a boxer.
- He was once asked to present a programme on children's books, in a cage with some gorillas. But a 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!"
- 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.
- He wore short trousers until he was fifteen.
- He thinks the character, Willy, is based on his own childhood.
- 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.
- He loves rugby and played as a scrum-half for eighteen years.
Below are just a few of the books by Anthony Browne. He has written more than 30 over a career spanning more than 20 years. Many of them can be found in your local library. To see a video interview with Anthony Browne visit his website at http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/home/index.php (external link)
Title:Willy's Pictures
Category:Fiction
Famous works of art are revisited to include Willy and his friends, including Willy as the “Mona Lisa”. The pictures themselves are fun, but the page then folds out to show the original painting. Information is also given about the artist and the secret messages that are conveyed by the pictures. A book that is both fun and informative.
Title:Willy the Dreamer
Category:Fiction
Willy sleeps in his chair in his living room, but he is dreaming of leading other lives. Each full page picture in the book shows one of Willy’s dreams. He is a singer or actor, dancer or painter. There is so much to be seen in the pictures, children enjoy the bizarre humour, whilst adults can spot the allusions to famous paintings, both can look for the multitude of bananas hidden in all the pictures.
Title:Piggybook
Category:Fiction
While her two sons go to their very important school and Mr. Piggot goes to his very important job, Mrs. Piggot stays at home. On their return Mr. Piggot and the boys demand their dinner, and don’t help with any of the washing up or housework. Mrs. Piggot is sick of it, and walks out leaving a note ominously saying “You are pigs!”
As they are left to their own devices the male Piggots undergo an amazing transformation. This change is brilliantly depicted by the illustrations, as much as by the text. Having read the book once it is good to go back to the beginning again and look for all the clues, given in the pictures, about what is going to happen.
Title:Gorilla
Category:Fiction
Hannah loves gorillas but has never seen one. Her father's too busy to take her to the zoo - or for anything else come to that. For her birthday, Hannah asks her father for a gorilla - but is disappointed when she discovers that the gorilla she's got is just a toy one. But then something extraordinary happens - the toy turns into a real gorilla, who puts on her father's hat and coat and takes her off for a magical visit to the zoo.
Although it starts as quite a sad story it has a real feel good factor at the end. Anthony Browne is said to have based the gorilla of the title on the character of his own father. The book is a good way to discuss issues such as loneliness, with quite young children.
Title:Silly Billy
Category:Fiction
Billy worries about everything, about hats and shoes, about clouds and rain and giant birds. Most of all he worries about staying at other people's houses. His mum and dad try to help, but it his grandma who shows him how to overcome his fears with the aid of his imagination, and some tiny worry dolls.
This book deals nicely with fears and worries that young children have. The illustrations are recognizably Anthony Browne, with Billy being particularly appealing to children. It has been short listed for this year’s Greenaway Prize.