Authors & Illustrators
Charlotte Voake
Charlotte Voake is one of the most acclaimed contemporary children’s book illustrators and has been shortlisted for the Kurt Maschler Award a total of four times. Born and raised in Wales, Charlotte says that book illustration is "the only thing I ever wanted to do" and she certainly has made a brilliant career of it. Skipping formal training in art, she studied art history at London University and worked at an art gallery before embarking on a freelance career in illustration. Her illustrations are widely loved for this very quality of gentle wit, not to mention their quiet observation, airy exuberance and utter charm. Among Charlotte's most acclaimed picture books are "Ginger", and its prequel, "Ginger Finds a Home", which shows how the loving ministrations of a little girl transformed the title character from stray to pampered pet. "We had a cat who lived at the bottom of our garden," Charlotte says of her inspiration for this story. "It was a great moment when he decided to come and live with us." Charlotte was personally selected by the nephew of the esteemed children's book writer Eleanor Farjeon to illustrate the delightful classic, "Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep". More recently, Charlotte has written and illustrated "Pizza Kittens", which won the 2002 Smarties Book Prize Silver Award. She is married with two children and lives in Surrey.
