Did you recognize the illustration in our new logo last week? Did you know who wrote the book it is featured in?
Karen recognized the author/illustrator Beatrix Potter. The illustration is from The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
As for the bonus question, why didn’t Beatrix Potter receive all the royalties she should have for this book? It turns out Warne, her publishers, failed to obtain a copyright in the United States. This allowed other publishers to freely distribute her work without paying royalties.
Of course, there is no way to know whether these cheap and readily available copies may not have increased her readership and led to more sales for her later books. What do you think?
Question 2. Can you name the 2011-2013 Children’s Laureate from the U.K.? What is his or her name and favorite genre?
Julia Donaldson was named the U.K. Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate for 2011-13. The award is given to authors/illustrators who have made outstanding contributions to the field of children’s literature.
Starting out as a songwriter, Julia loves poetry. She has been a prolific author, primarily of picture books. The Gruffalo is one of her better known books.
If you aren’t familiar with her work, here are a few of her picture books:
And finally, our mystery author from the archives with a name that is difficult to pronounce name is Eoin Colfer.
Thank you for playing!