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THE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION KATE GREENAWAY MEDAL WINNER
BACKGROUND ON LAUREN CHILD AND I WILL NOT EVER NEVER EAT A TOMATO

Beginnings and Influences

Lauren grew up in Wiltshire, the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers - her father teaching art. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching 1960s American children's TV shows. From an early age she was fascinated by illustrators such as Quentin Blake, Ronald Searle, Edward Gorey and Schultz. "From when I was very little I was drawn to anyone who could give atmosphere to a story, the kind of artist who can create one picture that says it all." Lauren studied Illustration at Manchester Polytechnic and then moved to London where she trained in Mixed Media, gaining City & Guilds diploma.

Early Career

After graduation Lauren went travelling for six months and returned in 1990 "just in time for the recession!" An eclectic few years followed. She worked as an art technician on courses run by her father, painted and sold china and did window displays for Harvey Nichols. Subsequently she co-founded and ran a lighting company, "Chandeliers For The People" designing and making lampshades for the likes of Ewan MacGregor and Keith Allen as well as working for the design company 'Big Fish'. For three years she worked in Damien Hirst's Bermondsey studio mixing colours and painting spots on to Hirst's canvases. "I thought it would be intimidating but it's all about patience, discipline and a steady hand. Filling in endless circles was very therapeutic." Eventually she began researching topics for children's books and discovered how popular animal themes could be. The result was a commission from Francis Lincoln for her first book I Want A Pet.

The Birth of Clarice Bean

It was during her time working for Hirst that the character of Clarice Bean began to take shape. In 1995 she began writing - creating a page about each character. Publishers were interested, but they were wary of publishing in the format she envisaged. Lauren's trademark use of mixed media and swirling text were perceived to be too sophisticated for the intended age range. It was five years before the project was taken on by Orchard Books. This gave Lauren access to an editorial and design team that shared her vision and her belief in the sophisticated visual literacy of today's children. As Lauren herself puts it, "the combination of paint, photos, textiles, computer artwork and different typefaces give a kind of scrap-book look and chaotic feel - it looks like something Clarice might make herself." Clarice Bean, That's Me! was published in 1999.

I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato

After the success of Clarice Bean, including the books being optioned by a major American entertainment company, Lauren says, "I wanted to write a story about mealtimes, which I remember being a real problem as a child." So the world's pickiest eater, four year old Lola, was born, along with her older brother Charlie who persuades her to try food she thinks she hates. In Charlie and Lola's world mashed potato becomes 'cloud fluff from Mount Fuji' and tomatoes turn into 'moon-squirters' making food magical instead of something to refuse automatically. "No adults appear in these books because I wanted them to be just about the brother and sister interacting," says Child. The second Charlie and Lola book, I Am Not Sleepy And Will Not Go To Bed shares the theme common to all Lauren's books of children having to work things out for themselves.

The Future

Lauren is working on her first Clarice Bean novel, so that Clarice fans can continue reading in the company of a character they already know. She is also planning to continue the Charlie and Lola series and considering turning her design skills to the merchandising of the characters.

Awards

Lauren was Highly Commended at last year's Greenaway Awards for Clarice Bean and received the Bronze award in the Smarties Book Prize 1999 but she has never won an award. "I was amazed at being on the shortlist, so you can imagine my surprise at winning against such strong competition," she says.

Home Life

Lauren lives with partner Soren, a TV cameraman, whom she met while she was working for Damien Hirst.

What's Important?

Lauren has a strong belief in children's abilities to solve their own problems. She believes illustrators and writers can create a climate in which children's understanding and sophistication is not under-estimated. She writes and illustrates stories that suit the sensibilities of today's varied family groupings and her books have a funky appeal that is rooted in the kind of images, styles and textures that inform a modern child's world. She also believes that a book can be a total experience and eschews conventional title pages by starting the story on the first page, immediately drawing the reader into her characters' world.

Other than illustration, Lauren cares deeply about books and libraries. It was the library that allowed her to indulge her fascination with American culture from an early age as well as opening her eyes to a wide variety of stories and illustrators. "I couldn't be happier to receive an award from the library service and the people that brought so much to my own early development."

July 2001

Further information

Louisa Myatt /The Library Association Marketing Department
Tel: 020 7255 0650 Textphone: 020 7255 0505 Fax: 020 7255 0501
E-mail: louisa.myatt@la-hq.org.uk