Ian Beck

Ian Beck is one of the UK's most popular illustrators of children's books and his work appears frequently in magazines and advertisements. This must be his 5 millionth visit to NCBF and we couldn't imagine him not appearing..he's a big fave!

Ian Beck was born in Hove on the Sussex coast in 1947. At the age of thirteen, after seeing an exhibition of drawings for the Radio Times, he was fired with enthusiasm about illustration and began attending Saturday painting classes at the nearby Brighton College of Art. Ian left school at fifteen and went immediately to Brighton to study art full-time. There he was taught by both Raymond Briggs and John Vernon Lord.

Ian has worked in many fields of illustration. He's been involved in the record industry, and painted the cover of one of the most popular records of all time: Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. He has had many commissions from the Conran Design Group, including packaging, greeting cards, calendars, interior design panels - even murals for a restaurant at Gatwick Airport!

Ian is probably best known for his many bestselling picture books, four of which have been shortlisted for the Best Books for Babies Award: The Teddy Robber (Transworld), Round and Round the Garden, Ride a Cock-Horse, and Little Miss Muffett. Ian has had many exhibitions of his work, and regularly gives talks and lectures on the creation and development of his books.

His beautiful collection of night-time poetry, Stories and Songs for Bedtime, publishes in October 2004, and will make the perfect Christmas gift.

He lives in South-West London with his wife, Emma Stone, and their three children.