PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Lauren Child grew up in Marlborough, Wiltshire. She is the middle of three sisters and both her parents are teachers. She has had a variety of jobs from waitressing to designing exotic, elegant lampshades and working as an artist's assistant to Damien Hirst. Lauren Child is considered one of the most talented children's book author/illustrators working today and has won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, the Nestle Gold Book Award for That Pesky Rat and the Nestle Bronze Book Award for Beware of the Storybook Wolves. Utterly Me, Clarice Bean, Lauren's first fiction title, was a runaway success all over the world followed by Clarice Bean Spells Trouble and Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now. Lauren has now sold over 3 million books in 19 countries across the globe. Notable events in Lauren's career include selection for Quentin Blake's Magic Pencil Exhibition 'British Library' in 2005; the Charlie and Lola TV series winning a BAFTA in 2007; In 2008 Lauren was appointed Artist for Peace by UNESCO and has been spearheading a project to raise money for UNESCO's Programme for the Education of Children in Need, called My Life is a Story. All profits from the sale of a special edition of That Pesky Rat will go to UNESCO. A retrospective of Lauren's work is now a major new exhibition starting at the Manchester Art gallery and now travelling the country. Lauren loves designing and making things and finds it exciting to see her drawings turned into objects. Other favourite things include the cinema, TV matinees, small Italian cars, handbags, cardigans, travelling and being picked up from the airport.
Lauren Child's first Clarice Bean book, Clarice Bean, That's Me, was published in 1999 and shortlisted for the Smarties Award. Her delightfully wacky young heroine and her madcap family were an instant hit with young readers; fans of the Bean household will be captivated by her latest escapades in this full-length novel. Once again Child's vivacious prose leaps off the page, accompanied by her trademark sparky black-and-white illustrations. The print jumps boldly from upper to lower case, fonts are juggled with gay abandon and Child delights in swirling the text around on the page to suit the plot. The result is a story bubbling with exuberance and vitality. Clarice can't concentrate at school and her teacher, the dreaded Mrs Wilberton, is on her back. The trouble is, Clarice can't think of anything but the adventures of her favourite girl detective, Ruby Redfort, and spends every spare minute devouring the stories. When the class is asked to do a school project on a book, Clarice and her best friend Betty decide to write about their beloved Ruby. But before they can get under way mysterious things start to happen. Why does Grandad keep disappearing off to the shed? Who is moving the coats around at school? And what has happened to the school project trophy? Then Betty herself disappears with just a tattered postcard as a clue. Can Clarice use all those detective skills picked up from Ruby Redfort and find her missing pal? The story is full of hilarious characters, who are way out yet instantly identifiable - many parents will know only too well what it's like to cope with a soap-loathing Kurt or an eccentric Grandad who won't abide by the rules. Lauren Child has said she doesn't believe in underestimating children - her latest book is funny and absorbing yet full of a witty sophistication which will not be lost on her young readers. Ages 7-10 (Kirkus UK)
