Jez Alborough: Children's Author on Creativity & Inspiration

Jez Alborough is the author and illustrator of over 45 books for children. His Eddy and the Bear trilogy (which began with the much loved WHERE’S MY TEDDY in 1992) has sold nearly four and a half million copies and was made into a Bafta award-winning animated television special and series.

DUCK IN THE TRUCK (1999) heralded the start of another bestselling series, this time featuring the irrepressible Duck and his three friends - Frog, Goat and Sheep. There are nine books in the Duck series (1.3 million copies sold) including DUCK’S KEY WHERE CAN IT BE? which won the Child magazine Best of the Year Award.

In 2000 Jez created HUG - a powerful and touching book of only three words about a baby chimpanzee called Bobo who loses his Mum. HUG was raved about by Oprah Winfrey on her show when she chose it for her recommended reading list while Richard Curtis (the writer and director of Four Weddings and a Funeral) selected HUG as one of his ‘Best Books’ calling it: ‘classic family drama which holds up well next to Jez’s other masterpieces.’ Bobo went on to star in three more classics; TALL (which along with HUG won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award), YES and PLAY. The series has sold around 2 million copies. Jez’s other books include SOME DOGS DO (2004) and the NAT THE CAT series (2013).

Takeaways:

• Smiling is a contagious act, capable of spreading joy across vast distances.
• The journey of creativity often begins with a single idea that evolves over time.
• The relationship between an author and a publisher is crucial for a book's success.
• Illustration and storytelling are intertwined, where images and text complement each other.
• Learning is a continuous process that requires both patience and resilience from the learner.
• Inspiration can strike unexpectedly, leading to the creation of impactful works of art.

Chapters:

• 00:08 - The Ripple Effect of a Smile
• 00:34 - Introduction to the Education on Far Podcast
• 13:21 - The Journey of Creation: From Idea to Publication
• 29:32 - The Intersection of Creativity and Technical Skill
• 44:15 - The Power of Inspiration

https://jezalborough.com/

https://jezalborough.com/numberwondersgame/

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