Brian Wildsmith

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Brian Wildsmith was raised in the mining village of Penistone, near Sheffield. He won a scholarship to the Slade School of Fine Art, where he studied for three years, then spent his National Service teaching music at the Royal Military School of Music. After his time in the Army, he became an art master, but soon gave up teaching to pursue his life-long ambition of becoming a painter.

He believed that children like good illustrations and well-designed books and are much better able to understand "difficult" art than some adults acknowledge. He said: "Picture books give an opportunity for a marriage between painting and illustrating, and the challenge of designing each page is very stimulating. I believe that beautiful picture books of the right kind are vitally important in subconsciously forming a child's visual appreciation, which will bear fruit later in life."

Brian’s work is both provocative and stimulating and he has a world-wide reputation as one of the greatest children's illustrators. He is particularly popular in the USA, Europe and Japan. In Leningrad he was responsible for all the sets and some of the costumes for the film The Blue Bird, based on Maurice Maeterlinck's famous play, and in 1996, as a celebration of Brian's special relationship with Japan, Oxford University Press published Katie and the Dream-Eater written by Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of the Japanese Imperial Family. Brian published over 70 books with OUP over his career.

Brian died aged 86 on 31 August 2016. He is survived by his four children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

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Book	The Easter Story A beautiful edition of Brian Wildsmith's enduring Easter story Author Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-276873-5 Hardback \| 07/03/2019 (estimated) Price: £7.99
Book	The Twelve Days of Christmas Brian Wildsmith's magical picture book of the classic Christmas song Author Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-276874-2 Hardback \| 06/09/2018 Price: £7.99
Book	A Christmas Story A beautiful edition of Brian Wildsmith's enduring Christmas classic. Author Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-276872-8 Hardback \| 06/09/2018 Price: £7.99
Book	Brian Wildsmith's Animal Gallery A picture book that showcases Wildsmith's most beautiful animal paintings. Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272794-7 Paperback \| 04/03/2010 Price: £7.99
Book	Brian Wildsmith's Favourite Nursery Rhymes Here is a classic collection of nursery rhymes, chosen and sumptuously illustrated by Brian Wildsmith, an internationally-acclaimed writer and artist for children. Author and Illustrator: Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272766-4 Paperback \| 05/03/2009 Price: £11.99
Book	The Easter Story A child-friendly and accessible retelling of the Easter story through the eyes of the donkey that carries Jesus into Jerusalem. Author & Illustrator Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272729-9 Paperback \| 07/02/2008 Price: £6.99
Book	A Christmas Story A charming retelling of the Nativity through the eyes of a little girl and a donkey Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272730-5 Paperback \| 04/10/2007 Price: £6.99
Book	The Hare and the Tortoise A timeless fable made immediate and fresh for the youngest readers Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272708-4 Paperback \| 07/06/2007 Price: £6.99
Book	Mary A beautiful pictorial record of the life of Mary, mother of Jesus Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272734-3 Paperback \| 01/03/2007 Price: £7.99
Book	Moses A beautiful pictorial chronicle of the life and times of Moses, previously published as Exodus Brian Wildsmith Quantity Add to basket Added.View basket 978-0-19-272733-6 Paperback \| 01/03/2007 Price: £7.99