Professional Connections

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Marcus, Leonard S. Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration. Candlewick, 2019 [288p] illus. with photographs
ISBN 978-0-7636-9258-2 $40.00
Reviewed from galleys

Children’s literature scholar Leonard Marcus tracks the personal and professional life of famed illustrator Helen Oxenbury, from her childhood in Ipswich, England, where drawing served as a distraction as she lay bedridden with severe asthma, to the publication of her first picture book, Number of Things, to her latest works. Readers get a glimpse of Oxenbury’s artistic process as she creates her signature board books for babies (“The placement of the dots for eyes was absolutely crucial. . . . You had to be so accurate to get it right”) and see how her experiences as a mother to two young children influenced her style. Oxenbury’s illustrations are on full display with reprints from her books stretching across full spreads and serving as spot art, all elegantly laid out to support the text. A concluding section features reflections from five authors Oxenbury worked with over the years, an illustrated timeline follows the dates of her publications, and significant awards she’s won are listed; there is no index, but there is a table of contents.