June 9, 2009

Picture this: the new children’s laureate Anthony Browne

Take a stroll through the surreal world of children's illustrator Anthony Browne and his award-winning drawings

Anthony Browne: Willy and Hugh illustration by Anthony Browne — Anthony Browne has said that he identifies with his character Willy the chimpanzee, who takes centre stage here in his picture book Willy and Hugh. Willy, pictured, is lonely in a world of gorillas - until he bumps into the huge gorilla Hugh, who quickly becomes his friend Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Illustration for Voices in the park by Anthony Browne — Voices in the Park (1999) revisits the world Browne created in his second book, A Walk in the Park, twenty years earlier. It's the story of four people who visit a park - a woman and her son, and a man and his daughter. Browne says that he never intended to do another gorilla book, but one day found himself painting over one of the faces, and turning it into a gorilla. 'In a peculiar kind of way it made them more real, more human. And it made the whole book funnier,' he said Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: King Kong, illustration by Anthony Browne — In 1994's King Kong, Browne creates an illustrated version of the giant ape's story, in which Beauty - in the shape of Ann Darrow - kills the Beast Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: My Brother, illustration by Anthony Browne — My Brother is a follow-up to Browne's affectionately humorous tributes to family, My Dad and My Mum. 'My brother is really COOL,' he writes. 'He's a SUPER skateboarder and he’s got MASSIVE muscles. He can run so FAST that ... he can FLY! Yes, my brother is really COOL' Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: My Dad, illustration by Anthony Browne — Browne was moved to write My Dad - a sunny tribute to his father - after discovering his old dressing gown on a hanger. 'It smelt like him and, hanging on a hanger, it looked like him. It just reminded me of how he was. I'd been wanting to do a positive book about fathers for some time but hadn't found the right way. The dressing gown was my starting point,' he said Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: My Mum, illustration by Anthony Browne — Called 'original, unexpected, funny and typically Browne' by the Guardian, My Mum continues Browne's familial tributes. 'My mum's a fantastic cook, and a brilliant juggler. She's a great painter, and the strongest woman in the world! She's really nice, my mum,' he writes Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Zoo, illustration by Anthony Browne — Winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway medal, Zoo is told from the perspective of a young boy visiting the zoo with his family. Told with Browne's dry, surreal wit, the human visitors bear a strange resemblance to the animals they are visiting Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Gorilla, illustration by Anthony Browne — This scene is taken from the start of Gorilla, Browne's best-known book, and sees the little girl Hannah on the eve of her birthday, feeling sad, lonely and neglected by her father. But never fear! There's something exciting just around the corner... Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Gorilla, illustration by Anthony Browne — It's a gorilla! Gorillas feature in many of Browne's books; “I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent - their huge strength and gentleness. They’re thought of as being very fierce creatures and they’re not,” he has said. Hannah has asked her father for a gorilla for her birthday - he's too busy to take her to the zoo - and is disappointed when she's given a toy one. But then it comes to life Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Gorilla, illustration by Anthony Browne — Not so lonely any more, Hannah is taken on a magical trip by the bow-tie-toting gorilla, who puts on her father's hat and coat and flies her to the zoo. Gorilla won Browne the Kate Greenaway award, the Emil/Kurt Maschler prize, the New York Times best illustrated book and The Boston Globe book award, and is viewed as a classic today Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Willy Dreamer, illustration by Anthony Browne — Willy the chimp is one of Browne's best-loved characters, and here he features in Willy the Dreamer, complete with Browne's trademark surreal, dreamlike paintings Photograph: Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne: Willy Dreamer, illustration by Anthony Browne — Willy dreams his way into the world of Alice in Wonderland, given a Browne-ian twist with the addition of gorilla Tweedledum and Tweedledees, a gorilla Humpty Dumpty and plenty of bananas. Hidden bananas are a frequent feature of Browne's illustrations, which also pay tribute to his love of the Surrealist painters Photograph: Anthony Browne

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