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Ian Whybrow |
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Before he took up writing full time, Ian Whybrow spent most of his working life in secondary education, mostly as Head of English and Drama and later as Head of Sixth Form.
With the publication by The Bodley Head of the first of THE SNIFF STORIES in 1989, he received rave reviews. Andrew Davies announced in The Times that “a major talent has arrived” and his writing career took off. Since then, Sniff has materialised in four books and an equal number of BBC radio broadcasts. In March 1999 they were re-published as lead titles by Hodder, in a lively new paperback format with illustrations by Tony Ross.
One of a very small number of children’s writers to have topped the best-seller lists, Ian has written over 100 children's books and is published in 27 languages in 28countries. He ranks No. 10 among all writers borrowed in UK libraries and is the sixth most borrowed children’s author.
Best known for his inventive and original humour, he is a fine observer of children’s language and behaviour and always writes with adult readers as well as youngsters in mind. He has a brilliant ear for voices and takes pride in the fact that his work reads aloud very well. “I loved being read to as a child,” he says. “And I loved the sense that my mother and father were enjoying themselves too. For me, that's the acid test for any good book -that there's something in it for everyone to enjoy.'
Little Wolf's Book of Badness is regularly shown as an animated Christmas Special on Channel 4; the cartoon-version Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs is broadcast worldwide. Theatrical adaptations have been made of Little Wolf, Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs and How the The Beautiful Big Fat Smelly Baby Found a Friend.
In 2009, the best part of a million copies of Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs Go to School will be distributed free to children starting school across the country through the Booktime programme.
Apart from his wife and daughters, his passions - in no particular order - are: Herefordshire, where he retreats to write in a deeply rural Victorian villa; digging; walking with friends; swimming; cycling (especially in France); the poet Stevie Smith; the theatre; books, films and hedgehogs.
AWARDS
Children’s Book Award, 2000 - Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs
Norfolk Libraries Children’s Book Award 2000 - Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs
Sheffield Children’s Book Award 2000 - Harry and the Bucketful of Dinsaurs
“Little Wolf’s Postbag”- topped the UK Bestseller List for two weeks in March, 2001
Independent Publishers Book Award 2001 USA –Little Wolf’s Book of Badness
Nominated for Blue Peter Award for Best Picture Book to Read Aloud, 2001 - “Whiff, or How the Beautiful Big Fat Smelly Baby Found a Friend”
Prix de la Ville de Cherbourg: 2002 –“Where’s Tim’s Ted”(“Le doudou perdue”)
Nominated for Best TV Movie in the Pulcinella Awards; Feb 2003 - Little Wolf's Book of Badness
Shortlisted for 4 British Academy Animation Awards – Mar 04 - Little Wolf’s Book of Badness
The Noisy Way to Bed (Scholastic - US ednSchool Library Journal Best Book of the Year, 2005 And Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award 2005.)
Here Comes Harry! Chosen as a World Bookday title – March 2006 - Number two in UK bestseller lists. Number One in Ireland - Raaah!
Place of birth:
I was born in Gillingham, Kent but I’m not telling you when.
Favourite book:
Great Expectations was the first great book I ever read, so it made a deep impression.
Favourite song:
The first song that comes into my head was Moon River, so I’ll stick with that for the moment, in spite of the fact that Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t Be Cruel, the Sergeant Pepper album, Satisfaction and Good Vibrations are crowding in as I type…
Favourite film:
On the Waterfront. No screen actor has ever given a better performance than Marlon Brando does in that film.
Most treasured possession:
A carved box made from a piece of wood from Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford given to me by Mrs Penny next door when I was ten. She paid me a great compliment: “There you are. You like Shakespeare, I expect.” I’d never (consciously) read a word at the time, but I thought it was very nice of her to think that I might one day.
When did you start writing?
I’ve written ever since I can remember. My first successful book for children was published in 1989. It was called The Sniff Stories. (It’s since been reprinted as Sniff.)
What inspires you?
The immediate inspiration for The Sniff Stories was The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, by Sue Townsend (1st person narrative, fish-finger sized chapters, English, funny, domestic). Other influences were JD Salinger (for his voices and for the way he can convey natural, spoken language); Stevie Smith, GM Hopkins, Dylan Thomas (all for their oddness, their pleasure in finding new ways of using words and in the sounds of words and voices), John Burningham, Maurice Sendak and Helen Oxenbury (for their picture books that I was happy to read over and over again with my children); AA Milne, Kipling’s Jungle Book, and Alice in Wonderland for their warmth, peculiarity, humour and rhythm.
Top tips for becoming a successful author:
Nothing you write is ever wasted - even the rejected stuff.
Get an agent
Keep going
Favourite place:
Herefordshire - it’s beautiful and tranquil and as yet undiscovered. Shhhhh.
Hobbies:
Reading, cinema, theatre, jogging, walking with friends, going places, digging, hedgehogs
What would you have been if you weren't an author?
Bitter and miserable.
