Jane Ray
Jane Ray:
Born in London, Jane graduated from Middlesex University in 3D design (ceramics). Since then she has designed greetings cards and wrapping paper, posters for theatre and opera, book jackets and illustrated numerous books for children tending towrds folk and fairy tales, and mythology. Of her books she says ‘I am drawn to the fairy tale because of its humanity and its universality. Many fairy tales are parables dealing with deep emotions – fears, aspirations and joys. That is their appeal over the centuries and why stories such as Cinderella crop up in different cultures.’
Her work frequently takes her to schools where she finds the thoughts and responses of children invaluable and stimulating. She has been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award six times, most recently for The Lost Happy Endings by Carol Ann Duffy, published by Bloomsbury.
In the last couple of years Jane has begun to write her own stories – Can You Catch a Mermaid was published by Orchard Books in 2002, followed by The Apple Pip Princess in September 2007. Other recent work includes The King of Capri by Jeanette Winterton, The Garden of Eden for the Eden Project and The Lost Happy Endings by Carol Ann Duffy (Bloomsbury).