With more than 400 images, most in full colour and many never seen before, this book showcases the incredible talents of this much-loved children's writer and illustrator. Beginning with his own storybook childhood in England, we see how his imagination and artistic talents were fed by his family's love of music, literature and nature; how his life was further inspired and enriched by travel, by his teachers, by his older brother, who shared his love of inventing, by his friends and mentors in the publishing, music and film industries, and by his artist wife and their three children. From the earliest drawings, pop-up cards and home-made board games, through his surrealist years as a teenager and rock musician, and through a quarter century of published books, we learn of the artists, musicians, writers and humorists who have inspired him, and witness the development of his own particular brand of genius.

Reviews

Like a child reading Animalia for the first time I devoured this illustrated biography of a talented and fortunate man in one extended reading and then went back to examine choice pages. It is a beautiful book inside and out with a dust-jacket illustration (the Gondolopes from Unos Garden) that will draw book store customers and library visitors like a magnet. The title is almost superfluous with line, colour, composition and creativity saying 'Base as clearly as the lettering. Julie Watts, formerly Penguin Books Australias publisher of childrens and young adult books, writes in the introduction that talking with Base left her uplifted'. Two chapters about Base growing up in England and Melbourne, his marriage to Robyn, and a life-changing meeting with publisher Bob Sessions, are followed by a further 12 chapters for each of the major books, arranged chronologically, concluding with the soon to be released Enigma. Alongside the creation of the books, Watts writes of Base s musical interests, travel and his family. Watts has worked from her own inside knowledge as a friend and editor as well as numerous interviews with Base, his wife, other family members and friends. She builds a portrait of an energetic and creative person, a stickler for hard work, who also sticks to people he trusts and loves, the same publisher, the same architect, the same builder, the same accountant...' A highlight is the 200 or so photographs and illustrations captioned with comments from Base. Among them is a Father s Day card drawn in 1968, a spectacular dragon which he sold in 1974 to his teacher and working papers including jottings of possible titles for the alphabet book that became Animalia (one of which is Animanuelle'!). Line drawings or roughs provide insights on composition while variant illustrations show the hard work of getting things right. Best of all is how the illustrations sit in proper proximity to relevant text. To read, for example, how Pooh and all other Disney characters had to be removed from the 'P' illustration in Animalia, and on turning the page find the illustration to examine anew, adds much to the pleasure of reading. No doubt there is more to learn about Graeme Base, and more for him to create, but for now a wide readership, from students of illustration to young readers and older fans, will be eager for this excellent book. Kerry White is a major contributor to The Source

Gr 7 Up-From childhood, Base showed a gift for drawing, writing, and music, and, in the course of his 25-year career, he has made bountiful use of all three talents. Using a chronological approach, Watts traces the inspiration and creation of each of Base's books, supplying publishing anecdotes as well as information about accompanying musical and cinematic works, such as a television series based on Animalia. Throughout, integrated quotes by the illustrator deepen the text, as do his often-witty captions for the visuals. As always with Base, research prefaces work on a book. For Sign of the Seahorse he traveled to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where his developing concern for the environment led him to give an ecological twist to the story-accomplished subtly and with great imagination. Watts closes with comments about Base's most recent book, Enigma, suggesting that with his ideas, energy, and artistry, the man's remarkable publishing journey is far from over. With more than 200 beautifully rendered illustrations, this book will fascinate browsers, leading them into a highly entertaining and informative text. Base's fans of any age will be intrigued.-Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.