“With the eye of a Renaissance painter and the ear of Dr. Seuss, Aussie Graeme Base is not your basic children’s book author.” —People

 

This unique book, lavishly illustrated with original art and offering never before seen photographs and art, is an evocative look at the life and work of beloved and bestselling author and artist Graeme Base, the creator of the children’s classics Animalia and The Eleventh Hour, as well as recent bestsellers The Water Hole, Jungle Drums, and Uno’s Garden. This book goes beyond his children’s book legacy to offer a candid peek into the mind of a creative genius.

 

Beginning with Base’s own storybook childhood in England, we see how his imagination was fed by his family’s love of music, literature, and nature; and how his talent was enriched by travel, teachers, friends, and his wife and their three children.

 

From Base’s earliest drawings, pop-up cards, and homemade board games, through his years as a teenager and rock musician, and through a quarter-century of published books, we learn about the artists, musicians, writers, and humorists who inspired him, and witness the working of one artist’s extraordinary mind.

Julie Watts worked for eighteen years as a publisher of books for children and young adults at Penguin Books Australia, collaborating with many celebrated authors and illustrators, including Graeme Base.