Laura Ellen Anderson: Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball (HarperCollins Publishers 2017)
Laura Ellen Anderson: Amelia Fang and the Unicorn Lords (HarperCollins Publishers 2018)
Laura Ellen Anderson: Rainbow Grey (HarperCollins Publishers 2021)
Enid Blyton: Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island (Hachette Children’s Group 2017)
In this new series, I will write about illustrators I love, and who are famous abroad and have already published their work in Hungary as well. The first one is Laura Ellen Anderson, of whom I have written before, which can be read here.
Laura Ellen Anderson lives in London and works as author and illustrator of children’s books and comics. She graduated as an illustrator in 2010 and has worked with a number of English and American publishers since then. Her first book, which she notes not only as an illustrator but also as a writer, Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball was published in 2017 and won several prestigious awards that year. The writer’s favorite season is Halloween and she has always wanted to create a Gothic-style tale, so she drew Amelia’s figure in a café shop. The tale was inspired by the works of Tim Burton and Roald Dahl’s Witches. The adventures of Amelia and her friends teach the importance of friendship and teamwork. The books have been translated to more than 20 languages, and the first two volumes have been published in Hungarian. The 7th (finishing) volume was published in English last November, as well as a special edition on Word Book Day.
This year we could start reading a new series, Rainbow Gray. The protagonist of the story is Ray Gray, who lives in a world above the clouds, from where the Weatherlings control the weather on Earth. However, Ray has no special ability at all, but she soon drops into the great adventure of her life where she can prove herself. In this story, too, friendship and helping each other play a major role. Beautiful illustrations decorate every page of the book. My favorite character was Nim, the cloud cat.
In addition to her own books, Laura Ellen Anderson illustrated and made cover designs of works by famous writers such as Terry Pratchett, Cornelia Funke, or the relaunch of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series.
To learn more about the writer’s work, visit her website: http://lauraellenanderson.co.uk/
