Oliver Jeffers: Storyteller, painter, illustrator

Last Sunday, to our great surprise, we saw one of our own books on Vima’s bestseller lists. The surprise was not that a book was on the bestseller list, but that it was a children’s book. Oliver Jeffers’ Oops, published by us in May, has become a runaway success and is loved by young and old alike. Although, unfortunately, there aren’t many publications in our field that deal seriously and in depth with children’s books, many bloggers and parents writing online have included it among their favourite books of the year. The Little Big Ones wrote a brilliant review from the perspective of both the parent and their children, whilst the review by The Storyteller remains one of his most popular posts. UPDATE: The blog Once Upon a Time Little Helen had also written about Jeffers in August, but it had slipped our notice. Thank you! In the video below, Oliver Jeffers reads the English edition of Oops.Born in Australia and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oliver took his first steps as an artist after winning a teenage amateur painting competition. During his student years, he experimented extensively, working mainly with watercolours. It was during this time that he found the inspiration for his first book, entitled How to catch a star (scheduled for publication by Ikaros), whilst in his subsequent works he worked extensively with collage, acrylics, oil paints and Photoshop. Copyright Erika Hokanson Oliver’s distinctive illustration style and talent for storytelling have won the hearts of young and old alike, as well as critics. His books have won numerous awards, including the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Gold Award, the Blue Peter Book of the Year and the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book, whilst he has also been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. His latest book, entitled This Deer Is Mine (Ikaros, forthcoming), was honoured just a few days ago with the Irish Book Awards Children’s Book.As well as children’s books, Oliver’s work has been featured in magazines such as Newsweek, Wired and The Guardian, and he has also worked for companies including Starbucks, Sony and United Airlines.  From New York, where he now lives, he is trying to take a step back from commercial work for a while, focusing on more personal projects and his first solo exhibition in Berlin. Today, 29 November, the exhibition entitled HERE OR THERE opens at the Gestalten gallery, whilst an art book featuring a selection of his works is also being published. You can find more information about Oliver Jeffers’ work and books at www.oliverjeffers.com The exhibition poster.