Bob Kerr (born 1951) is an author, illustrator and artist based in Wellington, New Zealand. He writes and illustrates children’s books and has won several awards for his work. He lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand.

Biography

Bob Kerr was born in 1951 in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He grew up in

Tokoroa Tokoroa ( mi, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere) is the fifth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the M ...

and graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (Hons) in 1974 from the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

. In 1973 he was an editor of ''

Craccum ''Craccum'' is the weekly magazine produced by the Auckland University Students' Association of the University of Auckland, New Zealand. It was founded in 1927. The name originated from the scrambled acronym of "Auckland University College Men' ...

'' (the

Auckland University Students' Association The Auckland University Students' Association (AUSA), founded in 1891, represents students at the University of Auckland. AUSA organises student events, publicises student issues, administers student facilities, and assists affiliated student c ...

weekly magazine) along with collaborator Stephen Ballantyne, with whom he went on to create ''

Terry and the Gunrunners ''Terry and the Gunrunners'' is a book by New Zealand authors Bob Kerr and Stephen Ballantyne. The authors created the comic book ''Terry and the Gunrunners'' in 1982 as part of a series that also included ''Terry and the Yodelling Bull'' (1986) ...

'', which has been adapted for television twice. The first series was released in 1985 and is hosted in full on

NZ On Screen NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...

. The 2016 series was "a darker, edgier, more mature reboot of the show". The comic was re-issued in 2015. He was a judge of the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in 2005 and 2012; in 2005 he was the convener of the panel. Many of his stories have appeared in the ''

New Zealand School Journal The ''New Zealand School Journal'' is a periodical children's educational publication in New Zealand. Founded in 1907 by the Department of Education, it is one of the world's longest-running publications for children. Since 2013 it has been pub ...

''. He was included in the book ''A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 Years of the New Zealand School Journal''.

Painting

Kerr's paintings are often based on historical events. His work has featured the stories of conscientious objectors, scientists, the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...

, the 1916 police invasion of

Maungapohatu Maungapohatu is a settlement in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. Located in a remote area of the Te Urewera, Urewera bush country about north of Lake Waikaremoana, it was founded by Rua Tapunui Kenana in 1907 and was substa ...

, a New Zealand soldier's experiences during the Gallipoli campaign, and the

Waihi miners' strike The Waihi miners' strike was a major strike action in 1912 by gold miners in the New Zealand town of Waihi. It is widely regarded as the most significant industrial action in the history of New Zealand's labour movement. It resulted in one strike ...

of 1912. His best-known work appears on the cover of Michael King's book ''The Penguin History of New Zealand'' (2003).

Select bibliography

* Lucy’s Big Plan, text by Christine Harris (Collins 1977). * Lucy Loops the Loop, text by Oz Kraus (Collins 1979) * Terry and the Gunrunners, text by Stephen Ballantyne (Collins 1982) * Terry and the Yodelling Bull, text by Stephen Ballantyne (Finlayson Hill 1986) * Terry and the Last Moa, text by Stephen Ballantyne (Hodder & Stoughton 1990) * For a Living, co-edited with Linda Mitchell (Working Life Publications 1991) * The Optimist (Mallinson Rendel 1992) * The Day of the Rain, text by Joy Cowley (Mallinson Rendel 1993) * The Day of the Snow, text by Joy Cowley (Mallinson Rendel 1994) * The Paper War (Mallinson Rendel 1994) * Mechanical Harry (Mallinson Rendel 1996) * Strange Tales from the Mall (Mallinson Rendel 1998) * Mechanical Harry and the Flying Bicycle (Mallinson Rendel 1999) * After the War (Mallinson Rendel 2000) * Field punishment No.1., text by David Grant with paintings by Bob Kerr (Steele Roberts, 2008) * Waiheathens. Voices from a Mining Town, text by Mark Derby with paintings by Bob Kerr (Atuanui Press, 2013) * Best Mates, text by Philippa Werry (New Holland Publishers, 2014) * Changing Times, The Story of a New Zealand Town and its Newspaper (Potton and Burton 2015)

Awards and Prizes

* 1993 AIM Children’s Book Awards Best First Book for The Optimist. * 1993 AIM Children’s Book Awards Junior Fiction Shortlist for The Optimist. * 1994 AIM Children’s Book Awards Picture Book Shortlist for The Day of the Rain. * 1997 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Children’s Choice Winner for Mechanical Harry. * 1997 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Picture Book Shortlist for Mechanical Harry. * 1999 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Junior Fiction Shortlist for Strange Tales from the Mall. * 2000 Storylines Notable Book Awards Picture Books List for Mechanical Harry and the Flying Bicycle. * 2001 Russell Clark Award Winner for After the War. * 2001 Esther Glen Award Shortlist for After the War. * 2001 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Picture Book Shortlist for After the War. * 2001 PANZ Book Design Awards Best Use of Illustration Winner for After the War. * 2001 Storylines Notable Book Awards Picture Books List for After the War. * 2016 Storylines Notable Book Award (Picture Book) for Changing Times: The Story of a New Zealand Town and its Newspaper. * 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalist for the Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Award for Changing Times. * 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalist for the Russell Clark Award for Illustration for Changing Times.

References

External links

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Bob 1951 births New Zealand male novelists University of Auckland alumni Elam Art School alumni 20th-century New Zealand novelists 21st-century New Zealand novelists 20th-century New Zealand male writers New Zealand children's writers New Zealand children's book illustrators New Zealand illustrators New Zealand comics artists 20th-century New Zealand painters 20th-century New Zealand male artists Living people