GORDON, Mike 1948-

PERSONAL: Born March 16, 1948, in Manchester, England; son of Frederick (an aircraft fitter) and Gladys (present surname, Jones) Gordon; divorced; former wife's name Maria (a writer); children: Carl, Lucy, Kimberley, Jay. Education: Attended Rochdale College of Art, Lancashire, England.

ADDRESSES: Office—P.O. Box 91818, Santa Barbara, CA 93190-1818. E-mail—mike@gordonillustration.com.

CAREER: Illustrator and cartoonist, 1983—; greeting card designer; creator of promotional cartoons, including designs for Post-It Notes, 1989. Work represented in exhibitions, including Showcase of the Federation of European Cartoonists Organisations.

MEMBER: Cartoonists Club of Great Britain, British Cartoonists Association, American National Cartoonists Society.

AWARDS, HONORS: Named Berol Cartoonist of the Year, 1988; runner-up, International Cartoonist Public Prize, Italy's "Trento Fra Realto e Follia," 1989; German Silver Quill Award nomination, 1991; Best Illustrator Award nomination, American National Cartoonists Society, 1995.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN; AND ILLUSTRATOR

(With Maria Gordon) Haunted House, MacDonald (London, England), 1989, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1990.

(With Maria Gordon) Kids Corner Literacy Stories, Sundance, 2000.

ILLUSTRATOR; "ANIMAL TALES" SERIES

Rod Hunt, Hippo Learns His Name, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1986.

Rod Hunt, Mole Wins a Prize, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1986.

Rod Hunt, Piglet Goes to the Rescue, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1986.

Rod Hunt, Worm Plans a Great Escape, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1986.

ILLUSTRATOR; "PLAY WITH ME" SERIES

Gerald Hawksley, Hello, I'm Mouse: Play with Me, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1987.

Gerald Hawksley, Hello, I'm Bear: Play with Me, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1987.

Gerald Hawksley, Hello, I'm Rabbit: Play with Me, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1987.

Gerald Hawksley, Hello, I'm Frog: Play with Me, Century Hutchinson (London, England), 1987.

ILLUSTRATOR; "SHARP EYE STARTER" SERIES

Martin Waddell, All about Me, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1989.

Martin Waddell, Super School, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1989.

Martin Waddell, Super Me, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1989.

Martin Waddell, Your Monster's Feelings, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1989.

(With Sheila Ratcliffe) Chris Buckton, Zoo Do, Ginn (Aylesbury, England), 1989.

ILLUSTRATOR; "MINI BOO PRESCHOOL PUZZLERS" SERIES

Richard Powell, Farm Friends, Victoria House (Portland, OR), 1990.

Richard Powell, Forest Friends, Victoria House (Portland, OR), 1990.

Richard Powell, Zoo Friends, Victoria House (Portland, OR), 1990.

Illustrator of one other title in the series.

ILLUSTRATOR; "I'M ALIVE" SERIES

Mandy Suhr, How I Breathe, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1992.

Mandy Suhr, I Can Move, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1992.

I Am Growing, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1992.

When I Eat, Wayland (Hove, England), 1991, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1992.

ILLUSTRATOR; "FAVOURITE FOODS" SERIES

Brian Moses, Milkshake, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Brian Moses, Chocolate, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Brian Moses, Ice Cream, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Brian Moses, Chips, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Brian Moses, Pizza, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Brian Moses, Cake, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993.

ILLUSTRATOR; "MY PET" SERIES

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Pony and Horse, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Guinea Pig, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Fish, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, My Pocket Pets, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Dog, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Cat, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Rabbit, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Hamster, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Nigel Taylor and John Yates, Mini Pets, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

ILLUSTRATOR; "YOUR EMOTIONS" SERIES

Brian Moses, I Feel Angry, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993.

Brian Moses, I Feel Frightened, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993.

Brian Moses, I Feel Jealous, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993.

Brian Moses, I Feel Sad, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993.

ILLUSTRATOR; "YOUR SENSES" SERIES

Mandy Suhr, I Can Taste, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993.

Mandy Suhr, I Can Hear, Wayland (Hove, England), 1993, published as Hearing, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Mandy Suhr, Sight, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Mandy Suhr, Smell, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Mandy Suhr, Touch, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Mandy Suhr, Taste, Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

ILLUSTRATOR; "SIMPLE SCIENCE" SERIES; BY MARIA GORDON, EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED

Sound, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994.

Heat, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, published as Fun with Heat, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1995.

Light, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, published as Fun with Light, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1995.

Color, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, published as Fun with Color, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1995.

Float and Sink, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1995.

Air, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994.

Caroline Rush, Wheels and Cogs, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1997.

Day and Night, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1995.

Push and Pull, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1995.

Electricity and Magnetism, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1996.

Rocks and Soil, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1996.

Skeletons and Movement, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1996.

Caroline Rush, Levers, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1996.

Materials, Wayland (Hove, England), 1994, published as Fun with Materials, Thomson Learning (New York, NY), 1996.

Caroline Rush, Pulleys, Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1997.

Caroline Rush, Slopes, Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 1997.

ILLUSTRATOR; "YOUR FEELINGS" SERIES

Brian Moses, I Feel Bored, Wayland (Hove, England), 1996, published as I'm Bored, 1997.

Brian Moses, I'm Lonely, Wayland (Hove, England), 1997.

Brian Moses, It's Not Fair, Wayland (Hove, England), 1997.

Brian Moses, I'm Worried, Wayland (Hove, England), 1997.

ILLUSTRATOR; "VALUES" SERIES

Brian Moses, Manners, Wayland (Hove, England), 1996.

Brian Moses, "It Wasn't Me": Learning about Honesty, Wayland (Hove, England), 1996.

Brian Moses, "Excuse Me": Learning about Politeness, Wayland (Hove, England), 1997.

Brian Moses, "I'll Do It": Learning about Responsibility, Wayland (Hove, England), 1997.

Brian Moses, "I Don't Care!": Learning about Respect, Wayland (Hove, England), 1997.

"LEARNING TOGETHER" SERIES

Let's Write, Letts Educational, 1997.

Let's Read, Letts Educational, 1997.

Let's Count, Letts Educational, 1997.

ILLUSTRATOR; FOR CHILDREN

Andrew Pennycock, The Indoor Games Book, Faber (London, England), 1973, revised edition published as The Puffin Book of Indoor Games, Puffin (London, England), 1985.

Adrian Rumble, editor, Sit on the Roof and Holler (poems), Bell & Hyman (London, England), 1984.

Shari Lewis, Abracadabra, Puffin (London, England), 1984.

Lift and Look Books, four volumes, Colourmasters, 1984.

Marlow and Davies, Cooking, Purnell, 1985.

Cooking Pack, Purnell, 1985.

Robotman and the Stolen Ring, Ravette, 1986.

A. J. Wood, Sunny Stories, four volumes, Templar, 1987.

Thick and Thin, Ginn (London, England), 1987.

William Shepherd, Buttons, Ginn (London, England), 1987.

William Shepherd, Colours, Ginn (London, England), 1987.

Boy Scouts Cook Book, Peter Campbell, 1987.

Jumble of Jungly Jokes, Arrow (Canton, MA), 1987.

Wendy Body and Pat Edwards, Animal Antics, Longman (London, England), 1988.

The Adventures of Henry Hound, Macdonald (London, England), 1988.

Vera Southgate, The Magic Porridge Pot: Based on a Traditional Folk Tale, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1989.

Charlie Fann, The Supermarket, Ginn (London, England), 1989.

Colin Gumbrell, Puzzlers A to Z, Puffin (London, England), 1989.

Eddie McGee, The Outdoors Handbook, Beaver Books, 1989.

Ian Souter, Twenty Pounds and All That Nonsense, Ginn (London, England), 1989.

David Smith and Sue Cassin, Fascinating Facts about Animals: A Flap Book Full of Surprises, Collins (London, England), 1989.

David Smith and Sue Cassin, Fascinating Facts about Your Body: A Flap Book Full of Surprises, Collins (London, England), 1989.

David Smith and Sue Cassin, Fascinating Facts about Dinosaurs: A Flap Book Full of Surprises, Collins (London, England), 1989.

David Hawcock and Maria Gordon, Griffin, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1990.

David Hawcock and Maria Gordon, Dragon, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1990.

The Ladybird Christmas Book, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1990.

Lesley Newson, Down the Drain, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1990.

Lesley Newson, A Load of Rubbish, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1990.

John Grant, Storytime for Seven-Year-Olds, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1990.

John Drinkwater, Exploring Maths, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1990.

John Drinkwater, Fun with Maths, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1990.

Brough Girling, The Green and Scaly Book, Puffin (London, England), 1991.

Anita Ganeri, The Green Activity Book, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1991, published as The Ladybird Green Book, 1992.

Neil Morris and Ting Morris, Funtime for Seven-Year-Olds, Ladybird (Loughborough, England), 1991.

Lesley Newson, Stopping the Rot, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

David Hawcock and Maria Gordon, Space Tank, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

David Hawcock and Maria Gordon, Robot, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

Moira Harvey, Spooky Dice Games, Teeney Books, 1992.

Moira Harvey, Dinosaur Dice Games, Teeney Books, 1992.

Jana Novotny Hunter, Hector the Spectre, Puffin (London, England), 1992.

Gymnastics, Wayland (Hove, England), 1992.

Maria Gordon, The Fancy Dress Party Book, Hamlyn (London, England), 1993.

Jana Novotny Hunter, Hector's Hoax, Puffin (London, England), 1994.

Pancake Day, Ginn (London, England), 1994.

Animal Adventures, Joshua Morris, 1994.

Star Science, Ginn (London, England), 1995.

Fascinating Facts, two volumes, Teeney Books, 1995.

Music Machine, Joshua Morris, 1995.

Funny Animal Songs, Joshua Morris, 1995.

Gillian Cross, Posh Watson, Walker (London, England), 1995.

Pat Thompson, Superpooch, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Pat Thompson, Superpooch and the Missing Sausages, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

The Gross Joke Book, Daniel Weiss (New York, NY), 1996.

Free the Whales, Walker Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Debbie Dadey, Bobby and the Great Green Booger, Willowisp (St. Petersburg, FL), 1997.

Debbie Dadey, Bobby and the Big, Blue Bulldog, Willowisp (St. Petersburg, FL), 1998.

Susan Hood, Let's Jump In!, Reader's Digest Children's Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Brian Moses and others, Kids Corner Kid-to-Kid Books, Sundance, 1998-2000.

Harriet S. Mosatche and Karen Unger, Too Old for This, Too Young for That!: Your Survival Guide for the Middle-School Years, Free Spirit, 2000.

Amy Imbody, Snug As a Bug?, Zonderkidz (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

Jen Green, Where's My Present?, Wayland (Hove, England), 2001.

Cynthia Copeland, What Are You Waiting For?, Millbrook (Brookfield, CT), 2002.

Carmela LaVigna Coyle, Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?, Rising Moon (Flagstaff, AZ), 2003.

Margaret McNamara, The Counting Race, Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2003.

Margaret McNamara, One Hundred Days (Plus One), Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2003.

Margaret McNamara, The Pumpkin Patch, Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2003.

Margaret McNamara, Too Many Valentines, Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2003.

Thera S. Callahan, All Wrapped Up, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Margaret McNamara, The Playground Problem, Aladdin Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2004.

Diane Namm, My Best Friend, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2004.

Illustrator of "Lift and Learn Series," published by Silver Burdett (Morristown, NJ), including the titles Colors, Counting, Opposites, and Shapes. Illustrator of numerous textbooks.

FOR ADULTS

(Illustrator) Kim Durdant-Hollamby and Martyn Forrester, Breaking Wind, Arrow Books (Canton, MA), 1984.

(Illustrator) Cas Clarke, Grub on a Grant, Columbus (London, England), 1985.

The Duffer's Guide to Coarse Fishing, Columbus (London, England), 1985.

The Duffer's Guide to Snooker, Columbus (London, England) 1986.

The Duffer's Guide to D.I.Y., Columbus (London, England) 1986.

The Duffer's Guide to Horse Racing, Columbus (London, England) 1986.

(Illustrator) Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, Jokes for Telling, 1986.

(Illustrator) Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, The Right Joke for the Right Occasion, 1986.

The Duffer's Guide to Squash, Columbus (London, England) 1987.

(Illustrator) Cas Clarke, Protein Power, Columbus (London, England) 1987.

(Illustrator) Maryon Stewart, How to Beat PMT through Diet, Ebury Press, 1987.

William Cooke, Howlers, F. Muller (London, England), 1988.

The Duffer's Guide to Cycling, Columbus (London, England) 1988.

(Illustrator) James Oram, Hogan, Columbus (London, England) 1988.

The Duffer's Guide to Boxing, Columbus (London, England) 1989.

(Illustrator) David Smith, Phallic Thimbles: The Illustrated Guide to Sexual Trivia, Firebird (Poole, England), 1989.

(Illustrator) Maureen Miller, Double Income, No Kids . . . Yet, Grapevine, 1989.

(Illustrator) David Smith, Strange but True Facts about Sex: The Illustrated Book of Sexual Trivia, Firebird (Poole, England), 1993.

(Illustrator) Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore, Stone Me!, Ginn (London, England), 1993.

(Illustrator) Food in a Flash, Headline (London, England, 1994.

(Illustrator) Family Feasts, Headline (London, England), 1994.

(Illustrator) Russell Ash, editor, Tall Stories, Aurum (London, England), 1994.

(Illustrator) Vegetarian Grub, Headline (London, England), 1995.

(Illustrator) Soft Toy, Russ Berrie, 1996.

(Illustrator) Nursery Nosh, Headline (London, England), 1997.

ILLUSTRATOR; "LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK" SERIES

Baby's, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Office Life, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Driver's, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Scotsman's, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Gardeners, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Fishermen's, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Cat-a-logue, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Golfers, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Illustrator language teaching books for adults. Also illustrator of "Fat Cat and House Mouse," a cartoon strip, Patches, 1986-87; and "Barry the Beetle," a cartoon strip, Crown, 1989-91. Contributor of illustrations to magazines, including Junior Education, Flying Pages, Buster and Jackpot, Riding, National Geographic, Humpty Dumpty, and Puffin News.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Four books for "Feelings" series, Wayland; four books for "Health" series, Wayland; illustrating "My Dog Can't Read," a four-volume series by Maria Gordon, Wayland; Bobby and the Stinky Brown Shoes, for Pages Publishing.

SIDELIGHTS: Mike Gordon is a prolific illustrator by any standard, turning out pictures for children's and adult books as well as greeting cards and online animation. One key to his success is the help he receives from computer software programs for coloration. Gordon and his son Carl have collaborated on fine-tuning these programs to give Gordon's drawings their vibrant color faster. The father-son collaboration has been done in Gordon's home in California as well as through the Internet when Carl Gordon returns to his own studio in England. Examples of Gordon's illustrations and animation can be seen on his web site.

Gordon once commented: "I was born in 1948 in Manchester, England. In 1963 I attended Rochdale College of Art, but with sound advice from my parents, I soon settled into a 'real' job as an engineer. It wasn't until 1983 that I started my freelance career as an illustrator. In that year I created over a hundred greeting cards. Now, just over a decade later, much to my surprise, I have completed over two hundred children's and adults' books and many hundreds of humorous cards.

"In 1993 I escaped the gray climes of England and moved to California, where I work harder than ever, providing for my four hungry kids and complaining about my poor, pale body which never sees the light of day. I am faced with many deadlines which keep me on my toes, producing works such as Hector the Spectre, Superpooch, Strange but True Facts about Sex, and Funny Animal Songs! Thoroughly confused, doing Christmas cards in July and Valentines in December, I live California life to the full, with help from my therapist."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Christian Parenting Today, May, 2001, Jennifer Mangan, review of Snug As a Bug?, p. 60.

School Library Journal, March, 1993; December, 1994; September, 2000, Leslie Ann Lacika, review of Too Old for This, Too Young for That!: Your Survival Guide for the Middle-School Years, p. 253.

Sunday Telegraph (London, England), April 8, 2001, Dinah Hall, "So Where Is the Bunny?"

ONLINE

Gordon Illustration,http://www.gordonillustration.com/ (January 29, 2003), Mike Gordon's Web site; animation, greeting cards, and biographies of Gordon and his son.*