It was an honour to celebrate the work of John Birmingham and Helen Oxenbury at the Imagine Festival, they are double winners of Book Trust's life time achievement awards.
Here's what I said..
John Burningham’s paintings glow like happy, hazy childhood days… They make me want to run barefoot, outside, after dark.
Helen Oxenbury’s people are so alive and so fresh, I want to hold their hands and dance with them cheek to rosy cheek.
There’s a rare "otherness" to both Helen and John’s work, it’s the best kind of magic…. Hooray for the King and Queen of picture books!
In picture above-Chris Riddell, David Melling, David Roberts, Sophie Henn and me.
Here's what I said..
John Burningham’s paintings glow like happy, hazy childhood days… They make me want to run barefoot, outside, after dark.
Helen Oxenbury’s people are so alive and so fresh, I want to hold their hands and dance with them cheek to rosy cheek.
There’s a rare "otherness" to both Helen and John’s work, it’s the best kind of magic…. Hooray for the King and Queen of picture books!
In picture above-Chris Riddell, David Melling, David Roberts, Sophie Henn and me.
