AustLit logo

AustLit

Sophie Blackall Sophie Blackall i(8549348 works by)
Born: Established: 1970 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

Sophie Blackall is an Australian writer and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York City.

Blackall is best known as an illustrator of children's books, especially picture books. In addition, her editorial illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other periodicals.

In addition to her 2016 Caldecott Medal, Blackall has won the Ezra Jack Keats Award (for Ruby’s Wish, written by American author Shirin Yim Bridges) and a Founder’s Award from the Society of Illustrators (for Meet Wild Boars, written by American author Meg Rosoff).

For information on works not individually indexed on AustLit, see Notes below.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • Only those works set in Australia or written by an Australian author are individually indexed on AustLit. In addition to those works, Sophie Blackall has illustrated the following works:

    Individual children's books

    • A Fine Dessert, by Emily Jenkins (2015)
    • And Two Boys Booed, by Judith Viorst (2014)
    • The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield, by John Bemelmans Marciano (2014)
    • The Mighty Lalouche, by Matthew Olshan (2013)
    • Pecan Pie Baby, by Jacqueline Woodson (2013)
    • Take Two: A Celebration of Twins (2012)
    • The Crows of Pear Blossom, by Aldous Huxley (2011)
    • Spinster Goose, by Lisa Wheeler (2011)
    • Edwin Speaks Up, by April Stevens (2011)
    • Big Red Lollipop, by Rukhsana Khan (2010)
    • Jumpy Jack and Googily, by Meg Rosoff (2008)
    • What's So Bad about Being an Only Child?, by Cari Best (2007)
    • Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China, by Deborah Noyes (2007)
    • Summer Is Summer, by Phillis and David Gershator (2006)
    • Ruby's Wish, by Shirin Yim Bridges (2004)
     

    Series

    Wild Boars (written by Meg Rosoff):

    1. Meet Wild Boars (2008)

    2. Wild Boars Cook (2008)

    Mr and Mrs Bunny (written by Polly Horvath):

    1. Mr and Mrs Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire (2014)

    2. Lord and Lady Bunny: Almost Royalty! (2014)

    Ivy + Bean (written by Annie Barrows):

    1. Ivy and Bean (2007)

    2. Ivy and Bean And the Ghost that Had to Go (2007)

    3. Ivy and Bean: Break the Fossil Record (2007)

    4. Ivy and Bean: Take Care of the Babysitter (2008)

    5. Ivy and Bean: Bound to be Bad (2009)

    6. Ivy and Bean: Doomed to Dance (2010)

    7. Ivy and Bean: What's the Big Idea? (2011)

    8. Ivy and Bean: No News is Good News (2012)

    9. Ivy and Bean: Make The Rules (2013)

    10. Ivy and Bean: Take the Case (2014)

Personal Awards

2022 recipient Order of Australia Member of the Order of Australia (AM) For significant service to children's literature.
2016 winner Caldecott Medal For Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, written by international author Lindsay Mattick.
2014 nominated German Youth Literature Award Children's book Herr und Frau Hase: Die Superdetektive by Polly Horvath (author),

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon If I Was a Horse Sydney : Lothian , 2023 26495529 2023 single work picture book children's

'If I was a horse, I would gallop all day.
I could go anywhere I want . . .

'If you were a horse, what would you do? Could you fit in your clothes? Would you give your little sister a ride? Would your brother even notice?

'Gallop along with two-time Caldecott Medallist Sophie Blackall through this riotous day in the life of a child who imagines their life as a horse. Sophie's delightful text and resonant illustrations that feature a giant horse in familiar settings offer a visual feast, a grand dose of joy and a celebration of the real power of imagination to help us navigate the world.' (Publication summary)

2024 shortlisted Booksellers Choice Award BookPeople Book of the Year Children's Book of the Year
2024 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Children's Picture Book of the Year
2024 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Picture Book of the Year
2024 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Picture Books
2024 longlisted Indie Awards Children's
y separately published work icon If I Was a Horse Sydney : Lothian , 2023 26495529 2023 single work picture book children's

'If I was a horse, I would gallop all day.
I could go anywhere I want . . .

'If you were a horse, what would you do? Could you fit in your clothes? Would you give your little sister a ride? Would your brother even notice?

'Gallop along with two-time Caldecott Medallist Sophie Blackall through this riotous day in the life of a child who imagines their life as a horse. Sophie's delightful text and resonant illustrations that feature a giant horse in familiar settings offer a visual feast, a grand dose of joy and a celebration of the real power of imagination to help us navigate the world.' (Publication summary)

2024 shortlisted Booksellers Choice Award BookPeople Book of the Year Children's Book of the Year
2024 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Children's Picture Book of the Year
2024 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Picture Book of the Year
2024 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Picture Books
2024 longlisted Indie Awards Children's
y separately published work icon Farmhouse Sydney : Lothian , 2022 24677543 2022 single work picture book children's

'A lavish and moving tribute to a beloved place in the vein of Hello Lighthouse from two-time Caldecott Medallist, Sophie Blackall

'Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artefacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy. Join the award-winning, bestselling Sophie Blackall as she takes readers on an enchanting visit to a farmhouse across time, to witness the way that history spins stories.' (Publication summary)

2023 shortlisted Booksellers Choice Award BookPeople Book of the Year Children's Book of the Year
2023 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Picture Book of the Year
2022 winner The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books
2023 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Picture Book
Last amended 6 Sep 2023 09:18:24
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X