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Helen’s wonderland of kids’ drawings

Illustrator Helen Oxenbury fears that reading for pleasure will disappear within a generation writes Peter Gruner
HER works have been a godsend to parents and her pictures first excite and amuse children and then, most importantly, help inspire them to read.
But Hampstead illustrator Helen Oxenbury has lost count how many books she has produced since she began illustrating nearly 25 years ago. She believes it could be about 80 books.
Her task is to entertain but also educate. The very first book aimed at teaching pre-school children to count, and was numbered one to 50.
That was followed by an ABC alphabet book and the colourful Great Big Enormous Turnip. Later, with the arrival of daughter Emily, there were baby books full of fabulous characters about a child’s first dancing class and first time at the doctors.
“The best thing about children’s books,” she says, “is the time parents spend reading to them. It’s all part of that all important togetherness.
“Children today are so visually literate and illustrations help to make words less daunting. Picture books are a child’s entrée into the world of books in general.”
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