Ross, Tony 1938-

PERSONAL:

Born August 10, 1938, in London, England; son of Eric Turle Lee (a businessman and magician) and Effie Ross; married Carole Jean D'Arcy (divorced); married; second wife's name Joan (divorced); married 1979; third wife's name Zoe; children: (first marriage) Philippa (adopted); (second marriage) George (stepson), Alexandra; (third marriage) Katherine. Education: Liverpool College of Art, diplomas, 1960, 1961. Religion: Methodist. Hobbies and other interests: Sailing small boats, cats, the monarchy, collecting toy soldiers, lamb cutlets.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Macclesfield, Cheshire, England.

CAREER:

Smith Kline & French Laboratories, graphic designer, 1962-64; Brunnings Advertising, art director, 1964-65; Manchester Polytechnic, Manchester, England, lecturer, 1965-72, senior lecturer in illustration, 1972-85; full-time writer and illustrator, 1985—. Consultant in graphic design.

MEMBER:

Society of Industrial Artists and Designers.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Children's Choice selection, International Reading Association/Children's Book Center, and Best Children's Picture Book of the Year designation, Redbook, both 1985, both for I'm Coming to Get You!; Kate Greenaway Medal commended designation, 1986, for I Want My Potty, and shortlist, for Dr Xargle's Book of Earth Tiggers; Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis (West Germany), 1986; National Art Library Illustration Award shortlis, 1998, for Sloth's Shoes, 1999, for Why?, 2000, for The Boy Who Lost; Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Silver Award, 2003, for Tadpole's Promise; two Silver Pencil awards and two Silver Paintbrush awards (Netherlands); Schonste Bucher aus Aller Welt award (East Germany).

WRITINGS:

SELF-ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Tales from Mr. Toffy's Circus, six volumes, W.J. Thurman (London, England), 1973.

(Reteller) Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Andersen Press (London, England), 1976, Overlook Press (Woodstock, NY), 1992.

Hugo and the Wicked Winter, Sidgwick & Jackson (London, England), 1977.

Hugo and the Man Who Stole Colors, Follett (New York, NY), 1977.

(Reteller) The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Andersen Press (London, England), 1977.

Norman and Flop Meet the Toy Bandit, W.J. Thurman (London, England), 1977.

(Reteller) Little Red Riding Hood, Andersen Press (London, England), 1978.

Hugo and Oddsock, Andersen Press (London, England), 1978.

(Reteller) The True Story of Mother Goose and Her Son Jack, Andersen Press (London, England), 1979, Rourke (Windermere, FL), 1982.

The Greedy Little Cobbler, Andersen Press (London, England), 1979, Barrons (Woodbury, NY), 1980.

Hugo and the Ministry of Holidays, Andersen Press (London, England), 1980, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1987.

Jack and the Beanstalk, Andersen Press (London, England), 1980, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1981.

Puss in Boots: The Story of a Sneaky Cat, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1981.

Naughty Nigel, Andersen Press (London, England), 1982, published as Naughty Nicky, Holt (New York, NY), 1983.

(Reteller) The Enchanted Pig: An Old Rumanian Tale, Andersen Press (London, England), 1982.

The Three Pigs, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1983.

(Reteller) Jack the Giantkiller, Andersen Press (London, England), 1983, Dial (New York, NY), 1987.

I'm Coming to Get You! ("Towser" series), Dial (New York, NY), 1984.

Towser and Sadie's Birthday, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1984.

Towser and the Terrible Thing, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1984.

Towser and the Water Rats, Pantheon (New York, NY), 1984.

Towser and the Haunted House, Andersen Press (London, England), 1985, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1987.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Dial (New York, NY), 1985.

Lazy Jack, Andersen Press (London, England), 1985, Dial (New York, NY), 1986.

(Reteller) Foxy Fables, Dial (New York, NY), 1986.

I Want My Potty ("Little Princess" series), Kane/Miller (Brooklyn, NY), 1986, new edition, Andersen Press (London, England), 2005.

Towser and the Funny Face, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1987.

Towser and the Magic Apple, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1987.

(Reteller) Stone Soup, Dial (New York, NY), 1987.

Oscar Got the Blame, Andersen Press (London, England), 1987, Dial (New York, NY), 1988.

Super Dooper Jezebel, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1988.

Hansel and Gretel, Andersen (London, England), 1989, Overlook Press (New York, NY), 1994.

I Want a Cat, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1989.

Treasure of Cozy Cove, Andersen Press (London, England), 1989, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1990.

Mrs Goat and Her Seven Little Kids, Atheneum Press (London, England), 1990.

Hansel and Gretel, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1990.

This Old Man: A Musical Counting Book, Aladdin (New York, NY), 1990, published as This Old Man: A Musical Counting Book, Collins (London, England), 1990.

Going Green: A Kid's Handbook to Saving the Planet, Puffin Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Happy Blanket, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1990.

(Reteller) Five Favorite Tales, Andersen Press (London, England), 1990.

A Fairy Tale, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1991.

Don't Do That!, Crown (New York, NY), 1991.

Big, Bad Barney Bear, Andersen Press (London, England), 1992.

(Abridger) Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Andersen Press (London, England), 1992.

I Want to Be, Kane/Miller (Brooklyn, NY), 1993.

Eventful Years: A Tribute to the Royal Air Force, 1918-1993, Wingham Aviation Books (Elmstone, Kent, England), 1993.

(Abridger) Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, Maxwell Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

Weather, Harcourt Brace (New York, NY), 1994.

Pets, Harcourt Brace (New York, NY), 1994.

Bedtime, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1995.

I Want My Dinner ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 1995.

Shapes, Red Wagon Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Furry Tales: A Bumper Book of Ten Favourite Animal Tales, Andersen Press (London, England), 1999.

I Want a Sister ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 1999.

I Don't Want to Go to Hospital ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2000.

Wash Your Hands! ("Little Princess" series), Kane/Miller (New York, NY), 2001, published as I Don't Want to Wash My Hands, Collins (London, England), 2003.

I Want My Dummy ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2001.

I Want My Tooth ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2002, Kane/Miller (La Jolla, CA), 2005.

Centipede's 100 Shoes, Andersen Press (London, England), 2002.

Centipede's One Hundred Shoes, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2003.

I Don't Want to Go to Bed!, Andersen Press (London, England), 2003, Kane/Miller (La Jolla, CA), 2004.

I Want My Pacifier ("Little Princess" series), Kane/Miller (La Jolla, CA), 2004.

I Want My Mum! ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2004.

I Want a Friend ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2005.

I Want My Present ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2005.

Is It Because?, Andersen Press (London, England), 2004, Barrons Educational Series (Hauppauge, NY), 2005.

Say Please! ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2005.

I Want to Go Home! ("Little Princess" series), Andersen Press (London, England), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR:

Iris Grender, Did I Ever Tell You …?, Hutchinson (London, England), 1977.

Iris Grender, The Second Did I Ever Tell You …? Book, Hutchinson (London, England), 1978.

Patricia Gray and David Mackay, Two Monkey Tales, Longman (London, England), 1979.

Bernard Stone, The Charge of the Mouse Brigade, Andersen Press (London, England), 1979.

Jean Russell, editor, The Magnet Book of Strange Tales, Methuen (London, England), 1980.

Philip Curtis, Mr Browser Meets the Burrowers, Andersen Press (London, England), 1980.

Bernard Stone, The Tale of Admiral Mouse, Andersen Press (London, England), 1981.

Philip Curtis, Invasion from below the Earth, Knopf (New York, NY), 1981.

Iris Grender, Did I Ever Tell You about My Irish Great Grandmother?, Hutchinson (London, England), 1981.

Naomi Lewis, Hare and Badger Go to Town, Andersen Press (London, England), 1981.

Iris Grender, But That's Another Story, Knight, 1982.

Eric Morecambe, The Reluctant Vampire, Methuen (London, England), 1982.

Philip Curtis, The Revenge of the Brain Sharpeners, Andersen (London, England), 1982.

J.K. Hooper, Kaspar and the Iron Poodle, Andersen Press (London, England), 1982.

Jean Russell, editor, The Methuen Book of Sinister Stories, Methuen (London, England), 1982.

Philip Curtis, Mr Browser and the Mini-Meteorites, Andersen Press (London, England), 1983.

Philip Curtis, Invasion of the Comet People, Knopf (New York, NY), 1983.

Philip Curtis, Mr Browser and the Brain Sharpeners, Andersen Press (London, England), 1983.

Hazel Townson, The Shrieking Face, Andersen Press (London, England), 1984.

Alan Sillitoe, Marmalade Jim and the Fox, Robson (London, England), 1984.

Roger Collinson, Paper Flags and Penny Ices, Andersen Press (London, England), 1984.

Michael Palin, Limericks, Red Fox (London, England), 1985.

W.J. Corbett, The End of the Tale, Methuen (London, England), 1985.

Philip Curtis, Mr Browser in the Space Museum, Andersen Press (London, England), 1985.

Hazel Townson, Terrible Tuesday, Andersen Press (London, England), 1985, Morrow (New York, NY), 1986.

Philip Curtis, The Quest of the Quidnuncs, Andersen Press (London, England), 1986.

Andrew Davies, Alfonzo Bonzo, Methuen (London, England), 1986.

Hiayam Oram, Jenna and the Troublemaker, Holt (New York, NY), 1986.

Adrian Henri, The Phantom Lollipop Lady, and Other Poems, Methuen (London, England), 1986.

Andrew Matthews, Dixie's Demon, Methuen (London, England), 1987.

Songs from Play School, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1987.

Iris Grender, The Third Did I Ever Tell You …?, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1987.

Grender, Did I Ever Tell You … What the Children Told Me?, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1987.

Pat Thomson, The Treasure Sock, Delacorte (New York, NY), 1987.

Trinka H. Noble, Meanwhile Back at the Ranch, Dial Books for the Young (New York, NY), 1987.

Heather Eyles, Well I Never!, Stoddart (London, England), 1988.

Hywin Oram, Anyone Seen Harry Lately?, Andersen Press (London, England), 1988, David & Charles (North Pomfret, VT), 1989.

Naughty Stories, Arrow, 1989.

Ian Whybrow, Sniff, Bodley Head (London, England), 1989.

Adrian Henri, Rhinestone Rhino, and Other Poems, Methuen (London, England), 1989.

Jeanne Willis, Earthlets, as Explained by Professor Xargle, Dutton (New York, NY), 1989, published as Dr Xargle's Book of Earthlets, Andersen Press (London, England), 1989.

Barbara S. Hazen, The Knight Who Was Afraid of the Dark, Dial Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1989.

The Pop-up Book of Nonsense Verse, Random House (New York, NY), 1989.

Jack Elkington and Julia Heiles, The Young Green Consumer Guide, Victor Gollancz (London, England), 1990.

Andrew Matthews, Dr Monsoon Taggart's Amazing Finishing Academy, Mammoth (London, England), 1990.

Hazel Townson, Victor's Party, Andersen Press (London, England), 1990.

Vernon Scannell, Love Shouts and Whispers, Trafalgar (London, England), 1990.

Adélè Geras, The Fantora Family Files, Collins (London, England), 1990.

Alexander McCall Smith, The Joke Machine, Piccolo (London, England), 1990.

W.J. Corbett, Toby's Iceberg, Methuen (London, England), 1990.

Terrence Blacker, In Control, Ms Wiz?, Piccadilly (London, England), 1990.

Andrew Matthews, Mistress Moonwater, Mammoth (London, England), 1990.

Terrence Blacker, Ms Wiz Banned!, Piccadilly (London, England), 1990.

Philip Curtis, Pen Friend from Another Planet, Andersen Press (London, England), 1990.

Jeanne Willis, Dr Xargle's Book of Earth Tiggers, Andersen Press (London, England), 1990, published as Earth Tigerlets, as Explained by Professor Xargle, Dutton (New York, NY), 1991.

Jeanne Willis, Dr Xargle's Book of Earth Mobiles, Andersen Press (London, England), 1991.

Margaret Mahy, Bubble Trouble, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1991.

Hazel Townson, Snakes Alive!, and Other Stories, Andersen Press (London, England), 1991.

Even Naughtier Stories, Red Fox (London, England), 1991.

Vernon Scannell, Travelling Light: Poems, Bodley Head (London, England), 1991.

Simon Brett, How to Be a Little Sod, Gollancz (London, England), 1992.

Michael Rosen, Reckless Ruby, Andersen Press (London, England), 1992.

Michael Rosen, Burping Bertha, Andersen Press (London, England), 1993.

Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr Fox, Viking (London, England), 1993.

Tim Healey, It Came through the Wall, Hutchinson (London, England), 1993, Mondo-Tronics (San Rafael, CA), 1996.

Terrence Blacker, Ms Wiz Loves Dracula, Macmillan (London, England), 1993.

Roald Dahl, The Magic Finger, Viking (London, England), 1993.

Claude Delafosse, Animals, Moonlight (London, England), 1994, Scholastic, Inc. (New York, NY), 1995.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry, Orion Children's Books (London, England), 1994.

Silly Stories, Orion (London, England), 1994.

Willis Hall, The Vampire's Christmas, Red Fox (London, England), 1994.

Hywin Oram, The Second Princess, Artists & Writers Guild, 1994.

Claude Delafosse, Paintings, Moonlight (London, England), 1994, published as Portraits, Scholastic, Inc. (New York, NY), 1995.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry and the Secret Club, Orion Children's (London, England), 1995.

Sally Pomme Clayton, Tales of Amazing Maidens, Orchard (London, England), 1995, published as The Girl Who Went to the Underworld; The Girl Who Loved Food, 1998.

Karen Wallace, Ace Ghosts: A Spooky Tale from Creakie Hall, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1996.

Karen Wallace, Ghouls Rule: A Spooky Tale from Creakie Hall, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1996.

Lynne Reid Banks, Harry the Poisonous Centipede's Big Adventure: Another Story to Make You Squirm, Collins (London, England), 1996, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy, Orion Children's (London, England), 1996.

Allan Ahlberg, Miss Dirt the Dustman's Daughter, Viking (London, England), 1996.

Lindsay Camp, The Midnight Feast, Andersen Press (London, England), 1996.

Willis Hall, Vampire Park, Bodley Head (London, England), 1996.

Michael Rosen, Norma's Notebook, Sundance Publishing (Littleton, MA), 1997.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Nits, Orion (London, England), 1997, published as Horrid Henry's Head Lice, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2000.

Polly, the Most Poetic Person, Orchard (London, England), 1997.

Adrian Mitchell, Balloon Lagoon and the Magic Islands of Poetry, Orchard (London, England), 1997.

Geraldine McCaughrean, The Wooden Horse; Pandora's Box, Orchard (London, England), 1997.

Geraldine McCaughrean, Theseus and the Minotaur; Orpheus and Eurydice; Apollo and Daphne, Orchard (London, England), 1997.

Jeanne Willis, Sloth's Shoes, Andersen Press (London, England), 1997, Kane/Miller (La Jolla, CA), 1998.

Red Eyes at Night, Hodder (London, England), 1998.

The Wind in the Wallows, Andersen Press (London, England), 1998.

Lindsay Camp, Why?, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf's Haunted Hall for Small Horrors, Collins (London, England), 1998, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2000.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry Strikes It Rich, Orion Children's (London, England), 1998, published as Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2000.

Tony Bradman, selector, The Kingfisher Treasury of Pirate Stories, Kingfisher (Boston, MA), 1999.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf's Book of Badness, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1999.

Tony Robinson, Tony Robinson's Kings and Queens, Red Fox (London, England), 1999.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Haunted House, Orion (London, England), 1999.

Terrence Blacker, Ms Wiz and the Sister of Doom, Macmillan (London, England), 1999.

Jeanne Willis, The Boy Who Lost His Bellybutton, Andersen Press (London, England), 1999, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 2000.

June Crebbin, Tarquin, the Wonder Horse, Walker (London, England), 2000.

Jeanne Willis, Susan Laughs, Andersen Press (London, England), 1999, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2000.

Terrence Blacker, Ms Wiz Goes to Hollywood, Macmillan (London, England), 2000.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf's Diary of Daring Deeds, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2000.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf, Forest Detective, Andersen Press (London, England), 2000, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2001.

Jeanne Willis, What Did I Look Like When I Was a Baby?, G.P. Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

Laurence Anholt, Micky the Muckiest Boy, Orchard (London, England), 2000.

Ian Whybrow, There's a Spell up My Nose, Hodder (London, England), 2000.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf's Big Book of Spooks and Clues, Omnibus (London, England), 2000.

Ian Whybrow, Robin Hood's Best Shot, Hodder (London, England), 2000.

Adélè Geras, The Cats of Cuckoo Square: Two Stories, Delacorte Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Barbara Eupan Todd, Worzel Gummidge, new edition, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Revenge, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2001.

Anna Perera, Skew Whiff, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Jan Page, It's Not Funny, Corgi Pups (London, England), 2001.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Goes Aboard, new edition, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Astrid Lindgren, Pippi in the South Seas, new edition, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Viking (New York, NY), 2001.

Martin Jarvis, adaptor, Richmal Crompton, William and the Bomb, and Other Stories, Macmillan (London, England), 2001.

Martin Jarvis, adaptor, Richmal Crompton, William the Great Actor, and Other Stories, Macmillan (London, England), 2001.

Jon Blake, One Girl School, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Martyn Beardsley, Sir Gadabout Does His Best, Dolphin (London, England), 2001.

Terence Blacker, The Great Denture Adventure, Macmillan (London, England), 2001.

Terence Blacker, Ms Wiz, Millionaire, Macmillan (London, England), 2001.

Andrew Matthews, reteller, The Orchard Book of Shakespeare Stories, Orchard (London, England), 2001, published eight volumes, 2002-03.

Jeanne Willis, Don't Let Go!, Andersen Press (London, England), 2002, G.P. Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Jeanne Willis, Mark Two, Andersen Press (London, England), 2002.

Ian Whybrow, Dear Little Wolf, First Avenue Editions (Minneapolis, MN), 2002.

Hazel Townson, The Invisible Boy, Andersen Press (London, England), 2002.

Paul Stewart, The Were-Pig, Corgi Pups (London, England), 2002.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry and the Bogey Babysitter, Dolphin (London, England), 2002.

Anne Fine, How to Cross the Road and Not Turn into a Pizza, Walker (London, England), 2002.

Charles Causley, Jack the Treacle-Eater, and Other Poems, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Charles Causley, Figgie Hobbin, and Other Poems, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Tony Bradman, The Two Jacks, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2002.

Terence Blacker, The Secret Life of Ms Wiz, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Martyn Beardsley, Sir Gadabout and the Little Horror, Dolphin (London, England), 2002.

Jeanne Willis, I Want to Be a Cowgirl, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2002.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf's Handy Book of Poems, First Avenue Editions (Minneapolis, MN), 2002.

Ian Whybrow, Young Robin's Hood, Mondo (New York, NY), 2002.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf, Pack Leader, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2002.

Barbara Mitchelhill, The Case of the Popstar's Wedding, Andersen Press (London, England), 2002.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb, Dolphin (London, England), 2002.

Jeanne Willis, Mankey Monkey, Andersen Press (London, England), 2002.

Francesca Simon, A Triple Treat of Horrid Henry, Dolphin (London, England), 2003.

Berlie Doherty, Tilly Mint Tales, new edition, Young Corgi (London, England), 2003.

Berlie Doherty, Tricky Nelly's Birthday Treat, Walker (London, England), 2003.

Margaret Mahy, The Gargling Gorilla, and Other Stories, Collins (London, England), 2003.

Jeanne Willis, Tadpole's Promise, Andersen Press (London, England), 2003.

Charles Causley, The Young Man of Cury, and Other Poems, new edition, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

Helen Cresswell, Lizzie Dripping, new edition, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2003.

Charles Causley, All Day Saturday, and Other Poems, new edition, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

Terence Blacker, Ms Wiz Magic, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

Terence Blacker, Time Flies for Ms Wiz; Power-Crazy Ms Wiz; Ms Wiz Loves Dracula, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.

Adélè Geras, The Cats of Cuckoo Square: Callie's Kitten, Dell Yearling Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Adélè Geras, The Fabulous Fantora Photographs, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2003.

Adélè Geras, The Fabulous Fantora Files, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2003.

Astrid Lindgren, The Best of Pippi Longstocking, new edition, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2003.

Tony Bradman, Ali Baba and the Stolen Treasure, Orchard (London, England), 2003.

Adélè Geras, The Cats of Cuckoo Square: Geejay the Hero, Dell Yearling Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Francesca Simon, Helping Hercules, Dolphin (London, England), 2003.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry and the Mummy's Curse, Dolphin (London, England), 2003.

Jeanne Willis, I Hate School, Andersen Press (London, England), 2003, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2004.

Martyn Beardsley, Sir Gadabout Goes Overboard, Dolphin (London, England), 2004.

Terence Blacker, Ms Wiz Superstar, Macmillan (London, England), 2004.

Terence Blacker, The Crazy World of Ms Wiz, Macmillan (London, England), 2004.

Carol Diggory Shields, English Fresh Squeezed!: Forty Thirst-for-Knowledge-Quenching Poems, Handprint Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Joke Book, Orion Children's (London, England), 2004.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry Meets the Queen (includes audiotape), Dolphin (London, England), 2004.

Adrian Mitchell, Daft as a Doughnut, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Barbara Mitchelhill, How to Be a Detective, Andersen Press (London, England), 2004.

John Foster, compiler, The Flying Trapeze, and Other Puzzle Poems, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2004.

Eoin Colfer, The Legend of Spud Murphy, Puffin (London, England), 2004.

D.J. Lucas (pen name of Sally Grindley), Dear Max, Orchard (London, England), 2004, Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Tony Bradman, Robin Hood and the Silver Arrow, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Tony Bradman, William Tell and the Apple for Freedom, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Tony Bradman, Aladdin and the Fabulous Genie, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Ian Whybrow, Little Wolf, Terror of the Shivery Sea, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

Tony Bradman, Arthur and the King's Sword, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Tony Bradman, Jason and the Voyage to the Edge of the World, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Big Bad Book, Dolphin (London, England), 2004.

Jeanne Willis, Shhh!, Hyperion Books for Children (New York, NY), 2004.

Ian Whybrow, Badness for Beginners: A Little Wolf and Smellybreff Adventure, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry's Wicked Ways, Dolphin (London, England), 2005.

Francesca Simon, Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine, Dolphin (London, England), 2005.

Jeanne Willis, Tadpole's Promise, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2005.

Francesca Simon, Don't Cook Cinderella, Dolphin (London, England), 2005.

Eric Brown, Space Ace, Barington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2005.

John Foster, The Universal Vacuum Cleaner, and Other Riddle Poems, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2005.

Sally Grindley), Bravo Max, Orchard (London, England), 2005.

Jan Mark, Robin Hood All at Sea, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2005.

Jeanne Willis, Misery Moo, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2005.

Martyn Beardsley, Sir Gadabout Goes Barking Mad, Dolphin (London, England), 2005.

Lynne Reid Banks, Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea, Collins (London, England), 2006.

Andrew Matthews, reteller, Much Ado about Nothing: A Shakespeare Story, Orchard (London, England), 2006.

Sammy and the Starman, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2006.

Franscesca Simon, Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend, Orion (London, England), 2006.

Ian Whybrow, Through the Cat-flap, Hodder (London, England), 2006.

Ian Whybrow, Alex, the Walking Accident, Hodder (London, England), 2006.

Anne Fine, Notso Hotso, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 2006.

Paul Steward, Dogbird, and Other Mixed-up Tales, Corgi Pups (London, England), 2006.

Jeanne Willis, Gorilla! Gorilla!, Atheneum (New York, NY), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR; "AMBER BROWN" SERIES

Paula Danziger, Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Paula Danziger, Forever Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Paula Danziger, You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Paula Danziger, Amber Brown Sees Red, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Paula Danziger, Amber Brown Goes Fourth, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Paula Danziger, Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

Paula Danziger, Amber Brown Is Feeling Blue, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

Paula Danziger, I, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 1999.

Paula Danziger, It's Justin Time, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Paula Danziger, What a Trip, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Paula Danziger, Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Paula Danziger, It's a Fair Day, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Paula Danziger, Amber Brown Is Green with Envy, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Paula Danziger, Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Paula Danziger, Orange You Glad It's Halloween, Amber Brown?, Putnam (New York, NY), 2005.

OTHER

Author of animated television films, including What's in a Name?, King of All The Birds, Oscar Buys the Biscuits, Muddy Milly, and Spacemare. Contributor of cartoons to magazines, including Punch and Town.

ADAPTATIONS:

I'm Coming to Get You! was adapted as a filmstrip. Several of Ross's books have been adapted for television. Ross's "Little Princess" books were adapted as an animated television series, broadcast on England's Channel 5 beginning 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

British author and illustrator Tony Ross is well known to both young children and their parents. Featured in dozens upon dozens of books, Ross's whimsical watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork appeals to bookworms from infancy to pre-teen, and his original self-illustrated "Little Princess" stories have even inspired an animated television series broadcast in his native England. "My training as an etcher, and my liking of graphic, rather than fine, artists, gave me a love of black line on white paper," Ross once commented. "To me, a children's illustrator is a creator of worlds for kids, and so I prefer to write my own texts. I like telling stories, I like to see children laugh, I like to draw."

In titles such such as I'm Coming to Get You!, Super Dooper Jezebel, and Centipede's 100 Shoes, Ross pairs his humorous text with his unique drawing style to both original and traditional stories. This unique approach quickly boosted Ross's reputation as an author and illustrator; in 1986, a year after he earned his first major awards for I'm Coming to Get You, he earned a prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal commendation. "Ross's literary tale-telling favours a deadpan humour and aims to establish intimacy with the reader," observed Jane Doonan in Twentieth-Century Children's Writers. "His visual style varies considerably, but whatever he does, he always displays a strong sense of page design, and a masterly control of his media. Deceptively sketchy at times, his pen romps along, in the tradition of English narrative illustration. However whiskery fine, feathery light, frothy, bold, or meticulously incised, the line has unquenchable vitality."

Ross was born in London but grew up near Liverpool. He more or less drifted into art school at age eighteen, later admitting to an interviewer that "My parents didn't really have any ambitions for me and I had none for myself and it was really a case of the only thing I could do." While in college, he sold drawings to magazines such as New Statesman and Punch, but rather than pursuing art after graduation he found more lucrative work in advertising and publicity firms. As Ross once explained how he made entree into the world of illustration, while teaching advertising part time at Manchester Polytechnic, the school "decided that there was nobody to look after the illustration group, there were illustration students and no member of staff. So they said, ‘Well, you've drawn cartoons, you do it.’ I said, ‘I can't. I'm a designer, not an illustrator.’ They said, ‘You're the only one who's drawn things, so you'd better look after them.’ So I took over the illustration group and thought, ‘Well, if I'm doing illustration I'd better do some. I'd better find out what all this nonsense is about.’" In fact, Ross's first self-illustrated picture book, the six-volume Tales from Mr. Toffy's Circus, came about "simply because I felt I'd better become an illustrator."

After publishing his first books during the early 1970s, Ross soon found his work in great demand, and within a decade he was able to support himself and his family by writing and drawing. As he was quoted as saying in Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, "the motivation, of course, is the enjoyment a pen and a sheet of blank paper brings—certainly to me, every time, hopefully to others."

Since beginning his career, Ross has developed a distinctive drawing style which involves the black lines and transparent blocks of vivid color characteristic of graphic art. In I'm Coming to Get You!, for instance, "the illustrations are in colors as loud as a yell, rendered in a scratchy fashion that intensifies the speedy effects," a Publishers Weekly reviewer commented. "There is a dynamic quality to Tony Ross's illustrations," a Wilson Library Bulletin critic similarly observed of Hugo and Oddsock, "a quality created with raw hues of blue, green, and red and with strong contrasts between light and dark areas. But more important are the slashing, diagonal shapes and lines." The net effect of his animated line and "strong contrasts of light and dark and big and little," is, according to Donnarae MacCann and Olga Richard in the Wilson Library Bulletin, a "sly, ebullient humor."

Ross shares his unique sense of humor with readers through both original stories and retellings or adaptations of traditional tales. Super Dooper Jezebel, for instance, "is typical Ross from the zany cartoon-style watercolors to the ironic biting humor," as Heide Pilcher declared in School Library Journal. In Lazy Jack, the illustrator's "spacious watercolors add narrative twists of their own to this traditional tale," as a critic noted in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Lazy Jack "is tongue-in-cheek, the art absurd, [and] the overall effect a super-silly read aloud," the critic added, while Ross's "Little Princess" books—which find a impatient but lovable young girl dealing with common childhood experiences in books such as I Want My Mum!, I Want My Dinner, and Say Please!—earned plaudits from Linda Staskus, who wrote in her School Library Journal review of I Want My Tooth that Ross's "lighthearted text" and softly colored pen-and-ink drawings present youngsters with "a good-humored and different take on a common childhood experience."

Ross's willingness to sometimes break with tradition gives his work a uniquely funny viewpoint. However, it is the combination of pictures and words that makes his books so enjoyable, according to a Horn Book reviewer. The artist's illustrations "add much to the humor, interacting with the text in a lively interchange that enriches and extends both." Ross's work is distinguished by his "comic imagination and a superb sense of theater," MacCann and Richard stated. As a result, they concluded, "it is hard to think of many cartoonists in recent years who have developed as rapidly as Ross with both a comic touch and a serious design interest."

His particular strengths as an illustrator have allowed Ross to develop winning collaborations with a number of popular children's-book writers, among them Paula Danziger, Lynne Reid Banks, Francesca Simon, Jeanne Willis, and Ian Whybrow. Perhaps most well known to American readers is his work for Danziger's popular "Amber Brown" series. Amber Brown is a typical third grader whose joys and troubles reflect the issues pertinent to contemporary youngsters. Ross's illustrations reveal a freckled, gangly, and sometimes scruffy Amber, as well as her pals and her surroundings. Horn Book correspondent Maeve Visser Knoth observed that both the text and drawings in Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon are "well suited to the audience," while in Booklist review of the same title Hazel Rochman concluded: "Ross's cartoon-style illustrations capture Amber's vital classroom—the fun and the fights, as well as the empty place when a friend moves away." As Amber makes the move to fourth grade in Amber Brown Is Green with Envy, Michele Shaw wrote in School Library Journal that Ross intrigues readers with the girl's attempts to deal with changes in her life. His "black-and-white drawings show Amber's humorous facial expressions" as she grapples with her mother's upcoming remarriage, the possibility of moving to a new house, and the frustration of being left behind when her mom and aunt take a trip to Disneyland.

Simon's "Horrid Henry" books, Reid Banks's multivolume "Harry the Poisonous Centipede" saga, and Whybrow's "Little Wolf" stories top many a young child's "favorite series" book list because of the perfect pairing between author and illustrator. Ross's "imaginative drawings" featuring the adventures of the teen-aged centipede that stars in Reid Banks's books "enhance" the author's verbal hijinks, including her ability to tell her tale from a "limited, centipede linguistic perspective," as Kay Weisman noted in Booklist. A child "whose general meanness goes entirely unchecked" in Simon's series installment Horrid Henry's Head Lice is given a suitable verbal comeuppance courtesy of the illustrator's "droll line drawings" of the antihero's discomfort, according to School Library Journal critic Pat Leach. And in such books as Little Wolf's Book of Badness and Little Wolf's Diary of Daring Deeds "Ross's colorful line drawings are hysterically appealing, adding to the humor" of Whybrow's "lively and irreverent" storyline, according to Robyn Walker' School Library Journal appraisal of the former title.

In an interview posted on the HarperCollins Children's Book Web site, Ross discussed the philosophy that guides his illustration work. "I'm aware of the fact that with a picture book, a simple book, once the child has read it, I like them to be able to read it again and find something else that wasn't evident the first time. I think it's important that a book can be read over and over again, and not give up everything on the first reading. So in a child-like attempt to make this happen I put little sub-plots, little bits of detail and little things that are really quite obscure, which may emerge in time. Sometimes they're so obscure they don't emerge at all!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, 4th edition, St. James (Detroit, MI), 1995, pp. 827-829.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1994, Hazel Rochman, review of Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, p. 1533; October 15, 1994, Ilene Cooper, review of The Second Princess, p. 438; March 15, 1995, p. 1330; January 1, 1996, Carolyn Phelan, review of Animals, p. 838; November 15, 1996, p. 587; June 1, 1998, Annie Ayres, review of Sloth's Shoes, p. 1785; May 15, 2001, Roger Leslie, review of The Picture of Dorian Gray, p. 1746; August 1, 2006, Kay Weisman, review of Dear Max, p. 86; October 15, 2006, Kay Weisman, review of Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea, p. 44.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 1986, review of Lazy Jack, p. 217.

Horn Book, September-October, 1986, p. 604; July-August, 1994, Maeve Visser Knoth, review of Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, p. 447; May-June, 1995, p. 348; September-October, 2006, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Gorilla! Gorilla!, p. 573.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2003, review of Centipede's 100 Shoes, p. 397; June 15, 2004, review of I Hate School, p. 583.

New York Times Book Review, November 13, 1983.

Publishers Weekly, October 26, 1984, review of I'm Coming to Get You!, p. 104; February 21, 1994, p. 254; February 23, 1998, p. 76; February 24, 2003, review of Centipede's 100 Shoes, p. 70; August 7, 2006, review of Dear Max, p. 59; November 27, 2006, review of Dogbird, and Other Mixed-up Tales, p. 51.

School Library Journal, April, 1981, p. 117; September, 1986, p. 127; December, 1988, Heide Pieler, review of Super Dooper Jezebel, p. 92; July, 1989; March, 2001, Pat Leach, review of Horrid Henry's Head Lice, p. 220; May, 2001, Carrie Schadle, review of Harry the Poisonous Centipede's Big Adventure, p. 108; July, 2002, Ruth Semrau, review of I Want to Be a Cowgirl, p. 102; May, 2003, Pat Leach, review of Little Wolf, Pack Leader, p. 132; September, 2003, Michele Shaw, review of Amber Brown Is Green with Envy, p. 176; August, 2004, Marian Creamer, review of I Hate School, p. 104; September, 2005, Robyn Walker, review of Badness for Beginners: A Little Wolf and Smellybreff Adventure, p. 188; October, 2005, Linda Staskus, review of I Want My Tooth, p. 127; March, 2006, Catherine Threadgill, review of Notso Hotso, p. 187; July, 2006, Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, review of Gorilla! Gorilla!, p. 90; September, 2006, Alison Grant, review of Harry the Poisonous Centipede Goes to Sea, p. 158.

Wilson Library Bulletin, January, 1979, Donnarae MacCann and Olga Richard, review of Hugo and Oddsock, p. 378; March, 1985, pp. 482-83; November, 1986, pp. 47-48; June, 1989, pp. 96-97.

ONLINE

Contemporary Writers Web site,http://www.contemporarywriter.com/ (January 27, 2007), "Tony Ross."

HarperCollins Web site,http://www.harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/ (January 27, 2007), "Tony Ross."