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Robert Ingpen Robert Ingpen i(A41533 works by) (a.k.a. Robert Roger Ingpen)
Born: Established: 1936 Geelong, Geelong City - Geelong East area, Geelong area, Geelong - Terang - Lake Bolac area, Victoria, ;
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Internationally known and renowned writer and illustrator of fiction and non-fiction, Ingpen studied art and illustration under Harold Freedman at the RMIT from 1955-1958. He worked as a graphic designer at CSIRO from 1958 to 1967 before freelancing as a designer, illustrator, writer and consultant.

As well as working in the field of book illustration, Ingpen was also involved in the design of many major projects including stamps for the Captain Cook Bicentenary and the 50th anniversary of CSIRO, the Northern Territory flag and coat of arms, the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement, and the Dromkeen Medal. He has painted murals and designed materials for United Nations projects and designed a tapestry commemorating the 150th anniversary of the MCG. The story of the tapestry, woven by members of the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, was told in a book The Tapestry Story : Celebrating 150 Years of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Lothian Books, 2003). He was one of the founders of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Ingpen was commissioned to undertake the illustrations for new editions of several classic children's works published by Walker Books including Around the World in Eighty Days (2000), Peter Pan and Wendy (2004), The Ugly Duckling (2005), Treasure Island (2005), The Jungle Book (2006), The Wind in the Willows (2007), Charles Dickens' s A Christmas Carol with 'A Christmas Tree' (2008), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2009), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2010), The Secret Garden (2010) and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2011).

Ingpen's work reflects his exploration of fantasy and the imagination and his interest in heritage and the environment. The landscapes and portraits in his illustrations are equally powerful. He co-authored with Michael Page (q.v.) the Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were (1985), republished as Out of This World: The Complete Book of Fantasy (1989).

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • For information about this author's works for children not yet included in AustLit see Australian Children's Books by Marcie Muir and Kerry White (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1992).

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Radio Rescue! Canberra : National Library of Australia , 2016 9410734 2016 single work picture book children's

'Jim and his family live happily on their remote outback station. Yet, sometimes Jim feels lonely. Then a strange new radio with pedals arrives and Jim's Mum and Dad can send messages to their neighbours. Jim wants to have a go! "When you're older," says Dad. Then something happens that only Jim can deal with. Will he learn how to use the radio in time to save Dad?

'Radio Rescue! is a beautifully illustrated flap book that takes us back to the origins of communication in the outback, with fascinating factual information at the back of the book.' (Publisher's abstract)

2018 shortlisted West Australian Young Readers' Book Award Picture Books
y separately published work icon Tea and Sugar Christmas Canberra : National Library of Australia , 2014 7209974 2014 single work picture book children's (taught in 1 units)

'The Tea and Sugar train only came once a week on a Thursday. But the special Christmas train only came once a year. Today was Sunday. Four more days without sugar. Four more days until the Christmas train. Please, please be on time. Please don't be late. Join Kathleen in the outback as she eagerly awaits the Christmas Tea and Sugar train. Will she meet Father Christmas? Will she receive a Christmas gift from him? A delightful, heart-warming story from the National Library of Australia that will intrigue, captivate and introduce readers to a slice of the past.Wonderful sensitive illustrations, including a beautiful double fold-out image showing the shops inside all the carriages. For 81 years, from 1915 to 1996, the Tea and Sugar Train travelled from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie once a week. It serviced the settlements along the Nullarbor Plain, a 1050-long rail link. It was a lifeline. There were no shops or services in these settlements. The train carried everything they needed: household goods, groceries, fruit and vegetables, a butcher's van, banking facilities and at one time even a theatrette car for showing films.The biggest excitement for the children was the first Thursday of December every year, when Father Christmas travelled the line. He distributed gifts to all the children on the way, including those of railway workers, those in isolated communities, and station kids.' (Publication summary)

2016 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books
2015 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
2015 winner Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year
y separately published work icon Ziba Came on a Boat Camberwell : Penguin , 2007 Z1380909 2007 single work picture book children's (taught in 2 units) 'A picture book about a little (Afghan) girl whose family has lost everything and their brave journey across the sea to make a new life.' (Source: QUT Library Catalogue)
2007 winner Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Premier's Prize for Writing for Children
2008 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books
2008 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Picture Book of the Year

Known archival holdings

National Library of Australia (ACT)
Last amended 26 Oct 2021 09:16:23
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