Quentin Blake was born in Kent in 1932. He went to school during the war and was evacuated twice. He had his first drawings published (by Punch magazine) when he was sixteen. He read English at Downing College, Cambridge and then trained to be a teacher. After this, though, he decided to work as a freelance illustrator and cartoonist. He attended life drawing classes at Chelsea School of Art. His first children’s book was published in 1960. It was written by John Yeoman. The first book he both wrote and illustrated was Patrick, which was published in 1969. He has now illustrated over 250 books by 80 different writers, including John Yeoman, Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen, and Roald Dahl.

In 1981 he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Children's Book Award for Mister Magnolia. Quentin was a tutor at the Royal College of Art from 1965 to 1988. His students included Colin McNaughton, Angela Barrett and Emma Chichester Clark. He was made an OBE in 1988. In 1999, with the help of children from 24 schools all over Britain, Quentin was selected to be the first Children’s Laureate.

Biography from Bloomsbury. Last updated July 2002