John Shelley (ジョン・シェリー) is a British

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, particularly noted for his work in Japan.

Career

John Shelley (born 1959) grew up in

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...

before studying illustration at Bournville School of Art and

Manchester Polytechnic Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

under

Tony Ross Anthony Lee Ross (born 10 August 1938) is a British author and illustrator of children's picture books. In Britain, he is best known for writing and illustrating his Little Princess books and for illustrating the Horrid Henry series by Frances ...

. His first children's trade

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

''The Secret in the Matchbox'' published by

André Deutsch André Deutsch (15 November 1917 – 11 April 2000) was a Hungarian-born British publisher who founded an eponymous publishing company in 1951. Biography Deutsch was born on 15 November 1917 in Budapest, Hungary, the son of a Jewish dentis ...

and

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

was shortlisted for the

Mother Goose Award The Mother Goose Award was an award annually presented to "the most exciting newcomer to British children's book illustration." It was inaugurated in 1979 and last awarded in 1999. Sponsored by Books for Children booksellers, award winners receive ...

in the UK and won a

Parents' Choice Award The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...

in the US in 1989. From 1987–2008, he lived in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, rising to prominence following a series of posters for Parco, the fashion retail chain of

Seibu Department Stores is a Japanese department store. The first store to trade under the name opened its doors in 1949. Seibu is typical of Japanese department stores with a wide variety of stores doing business on several floors. The company is now a subsidiary of S ...

, and animated

TV commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

for

Mitsubishi Estate Co. is one of the largest real-estate developers in Japan and is involved in property management and architecture research and design. As of 2018, Mitsubishi Estate has the most valuable portfolio in the Japanese real estate industry, with a total ...

He received a

Dentsu Dentsu Inc. ( ja, 株式会社電通 ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dentsū'' or 電通 ''Dentsū'' for short) is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is currently the largest adverti ...

Ad Award for a Suntory Whisky newspaper ad in 1991, and a Nikkei Environmental Ad Award in 1993. From 2000–2007, he was

Vice Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the International Committee of the Japan

Graphic Designers A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

Association (JAGDA).

Children's books

He has illustrated children's books for all age groups through publishers in the UK, Japan and the US, and has self-authored picture books published in Japan. He is a former Board member of the

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers ...

and has been a multiple time nominee for the

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award ( sv, Litteraturpriset till Astrid Lindgrens minne) is an international children's literary award established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907–200 ...

. In 2002 the comic character "Brat" was launched in Japan on apparel, collectors figurines and a

web comic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

. Shelley returned to the UK in 2008 following the death of his wife, and currently lives in Norfolk.

Bibliography

*1982 ''Fatbag'' author: Jeremy Strong (A & C Black, UK) *1983 ''Get Lavinia Goodbody'' author: Roger Collinson (Andersen Press, UK) (Alfaguara, Spain) *1984 ''A Canoe in the Mist'' author:

Elsie Locke Elsie Violet Locke (née Farrelly; 17 August 1912 – 8 April 2001) was a New Zealand communist writer, historian, and leading activist in the feminism and peace movements. Also available to subscribers at Oxford Reference Online'. Probably bes ...

(Jonathan Cape, UK) *1985 ''Night Eyes'' author: Peter Ward (Crystal Clear, UK) *1986 ''Japanese Vegetarian Cookery'' author: Lesley Downer (Jonathan Cape, UK) *1989 ''The Secret in the Matchbox'' author: Val Willis (Andre Deutsch UK / Farrar Straus & Giroux US) *1989 ''Santa ni Yoroshiku'' author: John Shelley (Parco Shuppan, Japan) *1990 ''The Surprise in the Wardrobe'' author: Val Willis (Scholastic UK / Farrar Straus & Giroux US) *1990 ''Peer Gynt'' author:

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

(condensed adaptation by Hiroshi Kawasaki) (Hyoronsha, Japan) *1991 ''The Mystery in the Bottle'' author: Val Willis (Scholastic UK / Farrar Straus & Giroux US) *1991 ''Ju -ni no Tsukitachi (The Month Brothers)'' trans: Sho Suzuki (Miki House, Japan) *1991 ''Ai o Uranau Sabian Astrology'' author:Kiyoshi Matsumura (Fun House Books, Japan) *1994 ''A Father's Diary'' author:

Fraser Harrison Fraser Harrison is an English writer. Biography Harrison published his first novel ''High on the Hog'' in 1991, with his second novel ''Minotaur in Love'' being published in 2007. In 2012, he published a historical travel book titled ''Infinit ...

(Media Factory, Japan) *1994 ''Shikake E-Hon series (3 volumes)'' author: John Shelley (Hikari no Kuni, Japan) *1995 ''Hoppy no Atarashii Uchi (Hoppy's New House)'' author: John Shelley (Fukuinkan Shoten, Japan) *1996 ''Cinderella'' trad., adapted by Misako Nakamura (Hikari no Kuni, Japan) *1999 ''Maho no Kasa (The Magic Umberella)'' author:

Rose Fyleman Rose Amy Fyleman (6 March, 1877–1 August, 1957) was an English writer and poet, noted for her works on the fairy folk, for children. Her poem "There are fairies at the bottom of our garden" was set to music by English composer Liza Lehmann. ...

(Fukuinkan Shoten, Japan) *2002 ''King Smelly Feet'' author: Hiawyn Oram (Andersen Press, UK / Uitgeverij Sjaloom, Netherlands) *2002 ''Tinpot Tales'' author: John Shelley (Artbox, Japan) *2003 ''Hawaiian Big Daddy'' author: Banbis Snowflower (Nikkei BP, Japan) *2004 ''MVP'' author: Douglas Evans (Front Street, US) *2004 ''The Deptford Mice (3 volumes)'' author:

Robin Jarvis Robin Jarvis (born 8 May 1963) is a British Young-Adult fiction (YA) and children's novelist, who writes dark fantasy, suspense and supernatural thrillers. His books for young adults have featured the inhabitants of a coastal town battling a mon ...

(Hayakawa Shobo, Japan) *2005 ''Anata no Shiranai Andersen series (4 volumes)'' author:

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

(Hyoronsha, Japan) *2005 ''Sekai Isshu Ohanashi no Ryo (Stories from Around the World)'' Ed. Linda Jennings, Trans. Rika Nogi (PHP, Japan) *2005 ''Bella Baxter series (4 volumes)'' author: Jane B. Mason / Sarah Hines Stephens (Aladdin, US) *2005 ''I Wish I Could be a Ballerina'' author: Rosie McCormick (Inky Press, UK/ Backpack Books, US) *2005 ''Mighty Mike'' author: Pascal-Auban Scher (Aeon, Japan) *2006 ''Charlie Bone

Children of the Red King Charlie Bone is a series of ten children's fantasy, school and adventure novels written by British author Jenny Nimmo, first published by Egmont 2002 to 2010. It is sometimes called "the ''Charlie Bone'' series" after its main character. A ser ...

Series (5 volumes)'' author:

Jenny Nimmo Jenny Nimmo (born 15 January 1944) is a British author of children's books, including fantasy and adventure novels, chapter books, and picture books. Born in England, she has lived mostly in Wales for 40 years. She is probably best known for tw ...

(Tokuma Shoten, Japan) *2006 ''The Magic Train Ride'' author: Pascal-Auban Scher (Aeon, Japan) *2007 ''The Boat in the Tree'' author:

Tim Wynne-Jones Tim Wynne-Jones, (born 12 August 1948) is an English–Canadian author of children's literature, including picture books and novels for children and young adults, novels for adults, radio dramas, songs for the CBC/Jim Henson production ''Fraggl ...

(Front Street, US) *2007 ''The Elves and the Shoemaker'' author:

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

(Fukuinkan Shoten, Japan) *2008 ''The House of the World'' author: John Shelley (Benesse, Japan) *2008 ''Zipper-kun to Chaku no Maho'' author: Machiko Hayakawa (Rironsha, Japan) *2009 ''Family Reminders'' author: Julie Danneberg (Charlesbridge, US) *2010 ''Nasty'' author:

Michael Rosen Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. Early life Michael Wayne Ros ...

(Barn Owl, UK) *2010 ''Outside-In'' author: Clare Smallman (Frances Lincoln, UK) *2012 ''Jack to Mame no Ki (Jack and the Beanstalk)'' author: John Shelley (Fukuinkan Shoten, Japan) *2012 ''Halloween Forest'' author: Marion Dane Bauer (Holiday House, US) *2013 ''Ishi no Kyojin'' author: Jane Sutcliffe (Komine Shoten, Japan) *2014 ''Stone Giant: Michelangelo's David and How He Came To Be'' author: Jane Sutcliffe (Charlesbridge, US) *2015 ''Crinkle, Crackle, Crack'' author: Marion Dane Bauer (Holiday House, US) *2016 ''Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk'' author: Jane Sutcliffe (Charlesbridge, US) *2016 ''Yozora o Miageyo'' author: Yuriko Matsumura (Fukuinkan Shoten, Japan) *2016 ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' author:

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

(Hesperus, UK) *2017 ''Magic For Sale'' author: Carrie Clickard (Holiday House, US) *2019 ''A Purse Full of Tales: Folk Tales from Korea'' author: Chan Young Kim, David Carter (Hesperus, UK) *2020 ''The Boy in the Jam Jar'' author:

Joyce Dunbar Joyce Dunbar (born 6 January 1944) is an English writer. She primarily writes books for children, and has published over seventy books.Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (previ ...

Face No.330 2004 *The Communicator February 2002

External links

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John Shelley
Charles Bridge {{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, John 1959 births Living people 20th-century British illustrators Illustrators of fairy tales Alumni of the Bournville College of Art British children's book illustrators English illustrators Artists from Birmingham, West Midlands 21st-century illustrators