Oliver Brendan Jeffers (born 1977) is a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

artist, illustrator and writer who now lives and works in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He went to the integrated secondary school Hazelwood College, then graduated from the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

in 2001.

Life and work

From figurative painting and installation, to illustration and picture-book making, his work has been exhibited in New York,

The Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

, Berlin, Dublin, London, Sydney, Washington, D.C., and Belfast. He is widely known for his picture books for children, published by HarperCollins UK and Penguin US. ''How to Catch a Star'' debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim, and ''Lost and Found'' (2005) won the

Nestlé Smarties Book Prize The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and ...

Gold Medal 2006, the

Blue Peter Book Award The Blue Peter Book Awards were a set of literary awards for children's books conferred by the BBC television programme ''Blue Peter''. They were inaugurated in 2000 for books published in 1999. The Awards have been managed by reading charity, ...

2006 and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal the same year. ''The Incredible Book Eating Boy'' (2007) won the

Irish Book Awards The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...

Children's Book of the Year, and his fourth Book ''The Way Back Home'' was released in September 2007 and ''The Great Paper Caper'' was released in September 2008. ''Stuck'' & ''This Moose Belongs to Me'' were both on

The New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

. Jeffers' books have been translated into German, Spanish and French among other languages. ''The Day the Crayons Quit'' achieved No. 1 on

. Jeffers' style of illustration uses mixed media and is recognised for its subtle narrative and use of space in composition. As a freelance illustrator he has worked for clients such as Orange UK, Lavazza, Sony PSP, RCA Records, Starbucks, United Airlines, Newsweek, Wired, Irish Times, ''The Guardian'', Creative Review, ''New York Times'', Kinder and ''The Telegraph''. Jeffers artwork consists of figurative painting executed on either canvas or three-dimensional objects, both found and made. His solo show Additional Information, (

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

December 2006) studied the balance between form and content by drawing parallels between the arts and sciences, in which figurative oil paintings were over laid with mathematical equations. Oliver Jeffers is presented by Lazinc Gallery in London and is regularly exhibited. The list of his one-man shows includes such exhibitions as ''Nothing to See Here'' (2013), ''Measuring Land and Sea'' (2015), etc. As a co-founder of the art collective OAR, along with Rory Jeffers, Mac Premo and

Duke Riley Duke Riley is an American artist. Riley earned a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a MFA in Sculpture from the Pratt Institute. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is noted for a body of work incorporating the seafarer ...

, their exhibitions include ''9 Days in Belfast'', ''book'' and the award-winning ''BUILDING''. In 2007, Jeffers was the official

World Book Day World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and co ...

Illustrator. ''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' became Jeffers' first book to be made into animation by London-based

Studio AKA Studio AKA is a British animation studio producing television commercials, TV programmes and short films. The company was founded in 1989 (as Pizzaz Pictures). Notable productions include ''Hey Duggee'', a TV series aimed at 2 to 5 year olds produ ...

, premiering on Christmas Eve 2008 on Channel 4. In Australia it aired on Christmas Eve 2009 on ABC1 and Christmas Day 2009 on ABC3. Lost and Found the animation has won more than 40 international awards, including a BAFTA for Best animation in 2009. In 2008, Jeffers featured in ''The Times'' list of "The Best New Picture Book Illustrators". In 2010, The Heart In the Bottle was released as an iPad app, by

Harper Collins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...

. In 2012, Jeffers provided illustrations for the UK Kinder TV ad campaign. In 2013, Jeffers illustrated the vinyl cover (a drawing of Nelson Mandela) for the U2 song " Ordinary Love". Jeffers also co-directed (with Mac Premo) the video for the U2 song "Ordinary Love". Two years later, Jeffers contributed video content to the band's

Innocence + Experience Tour The Innocence + Experience Tour (styled as iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour) was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of the band's 2014 album '' Songs of Innocence'', the tour visited arenas throughout 2015. It was U2's firs ...

, creating the chalk drawings and collages for the "innocence" act of the show. In 2017, Jeffers wrote and illustrated ''Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth'', a children's book which topped the New York Times Bestseller list in its debut and won ''Time'' Magazine's 2017 Best Book of the Year award in the Young Adult and Children's Books category. In 2020, Jeffers delivered a

TED Talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

, ‘Ode to Living on Earth’, which was released on Earth Day. and Jeffers Illustration book Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth is adapted to a short film by

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

. Jeffers was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

for services to the arts.

List of works

As writer and illustrator

* ''How to Catch a Star'' (Philomel, Jun 2004) * ''

'' (Philomel, Dec 2005) * ''The Incredible Book Eating Boy'' (Philomel, 2006) * ''The Way Back Home'' (Philomel, 2007) * ''The Great Paper Caper'' (Philomel, 2008) * ''The Heart and the Bottle'' (Philomel, Mar 2010) * ''Up and Down'' (Philomel, Dec 2010) * ''Stuck'' (Philomel, Nov 2011) * ''This Moose Belongs to Me'' (Philomel, Nov 2012) * ''The Hueys'' series (Philomel) ** ''The New Jumper'' / ''The New Sweater'' (May 2012) ** ''It Wasn't Me'' (Jan 2014) ** ''None the Number'' (Jul 2014) ** ''What's the Opposite?'' (Jan 2016) * ''Once Upon an Alphabet: Short Stories for All the Letters'' (Philomel, Oct 2014) * ''Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth'' (Philomel, Nov 2017) * '' The Fate of Fausto'' (2019) * ''What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future'' (2020) * ''There's a Ghost In This House'' (2021) * ''Meanwhile Back on Earth'' (2022)

As illustrator only

* ''Noah Barleywater Runs Away'', by

John Boyne John Boyne (born 30 April 1971) is an Irish novelist. He is the author of eleven novels for adults and six novels for younger readers. His novels are published in over 50 languages. His 2006 novel '' The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' was adapt ...

(2010) * '' The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas'', by David Almond (2012) * ''The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket'', by John Boyne (Knopf, Jan 2013) * ''The Day The Crayons Quit'', by

Drew Daywalt Drew Daywalt (born January 5, 1970), is an American author and filmmaker. He is best known for writing the best-selling children's picture book ''The Day the Crayons Quit'', and its sequel ''The Day the Crayons Came Home'', both illustrated by Ol ...

(Philomel, Jun 2013) * ''Stay Where You Are And Then Leave'', by John Boyne (2014) * ''The Day the Crayons Came Home'', by Drew Daywalt (Philomel, Aug 2015) * ''Imaginary Fred'', by Eoin Colfer (HarperCollins, Sep 2015) * ''The Crayons’ Book of Colors'', by Drew Daywalt (2013) * '' The Crayon's Christmas'', by Drew Daywalt (HarperCollins 2019)

As cover artist only

* ''The Weight of Water'', by Sarah Crossan (2011) * ''Five Go to Smugglers Top'', by

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have b ...

, 70th Anniversary limited edition (2013)

Other

* ''Neither Here Nor There'' – a monograph of paintings by Oliver Jeffers, published by

Gestalten Gestalten is an independent publishing house based in Berlin, Germany. History Gestalten was established by three friends: Robert Klanten, Markus Hollmann-Loges and Andreas Peyerl, who all moved to Berlin in the early 1990s.JULIA LÖHR, They r ...

(2012)

Awards

* 2005 Merit – ''CBI

Bisto Book of the Year Awards The CBI Book of the Year Awards ( ga, Duaiseanna Leabhair na Bliana CBI), previously known as the Bisto Book of the Year Awards, are literary awards presented annually in the Republic of Ireland to writers and illustrators of books for children ...

'' How To Catch A Star * 2005 Gold Award – ''

(5 years and under category)''

* 2006 Winner – ''

* 2006 Winner – ''Channel 4 Richard & Judy Award'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2006 Merit – ''CBI

'' Lost and Found * 2007 Winner – ''

'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2007 Merit – ''CBI

'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2008 Merit – ''CBI

'' The Way Back Home * 2009 Merit – ''CBI

'' The Great Paper Caper * 2009 Winner – British Academy Children's Awards

Best Illustrated Film with

* 2010 Winner – ''

New York Emmy Awards The New York Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honoring those in television and advanced media in the tri-state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut and New York State New York, officially the St ...

'' Best Commercial, Artwalk 09 * 2010 Winner – ''

'' Best Graphics, Artwalk 09 * 2010 Winner – ''British Book Design and Production Awards'' The Heart and the Bottle * 2011 Winner – ''V&A 2011 Book Illustration Award'' The Heart and the Bottle * 2012 Winner – ''

CBI Book of the Year Awards The CBI Book of the Year Awards ( ga, Duaiseanna Leabhair na Bliana CBI), previously known as the Bisto Book of the Year Awards, are literary awards presented annually in the Republic of Ireland to writers and illustrators of books for childre ...

'' Honour Award for Illustration, Stuck * 2012 Winner – ''

'' Junior Children's Book of the Year – This Moose Belongs to Me * 2012 Winner – ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' One of the year's Best Illustrated Children's Books for The Hueys in The New Sweater * 2013 Winner – '' Orbil Prize'' Best Illustrated Book, Stuck * 2013 Winner – ''

'' Honour Award for Illustration, This Moose Belongs To Me * 2014 Winner – '' ALA Notable Book'' 2014 ALA Notable Book, The Day The Crayons Quit (illustrator) * 2014 Winner – ''

'' 2014 Children's Choice Award, The Day The Crayons Quit (illustrator) * 2014 Winner – '' Children's Book Council'' 2014 Children's Choice Book Awards (Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year) The Day The Crayons Quit (illustrator) * 2014 Winner – '' The Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts'' 2014 Inaugural Hay Medal for an Outstanding Body of Work * 2015 Winner - '' Texas Bluebonnet Award'' The Day The Crayons Quit (illustrator) * 2015 Winner – ''

'' 2015 Book of the Year Award, Once Upon An Alphabet * 2015 Winner – ''

'' 2015 Children's Choice Award, Once Upon An Alphabet *2017 Winner – ''

Bologna Children's Book Fair The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...

'' 2017 Fiction, A Child of Books *2017 Winner – ''Prix des libraires du Québec'' 2017 international youth, for the illustration of The boy who swam with piranhas *2020 Winner – ''Prix des libraires du Québec'' 2020 international youth, We are here

Runners-up

* 2004 Shortlist – ''Booktrust Early Years Award (Best New Illustrator)'' How To Catch A Star * 2005 Shortlist – '' Kate Greenaway Medal''

* 2006 Shortlist – ''Booktrust Early Years Award (Pre-School Award)'' * 2007 Longlist – ''Big Picture Best New Illustrator (Booktrust)'' * 2007 Shortlist – ''Redhouse Award'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2007 Bronze Award – ''Norfolk Libraries Children's Book award'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2007 Shortlist – ''Independent Bookseller's Book of the Year'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2007 Shortlist – ''British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year'' The Incredible Book Eating Boy * 2008 Shortlist – ''Irish Book Awards'' The Way Back Home * 2009 Shortlist – '' Kate Greenaway Medal'' The Way Back Home * 2009 Shortlist – ''Roald Dahl Funny Prize (6 years and under category)'' The Great Paper Caper * 2009 Shortlist – ''Somerset Fiction Award'' The Way Back Home * 2009 Shortlist – ''

'' The Great Paper Caper * 2010 Shortlist – '' Kate Greenaway Medal'' The Great Paper Caper * 2011 Shortlist – ''

'' The Heart and the Bottle * 2011 Shortlist – ''

'' Up & Down * 2011 Shortlist – '' Kate Greenaway Medal'' The Heart and the Bottle * 2012 Shortlist – ''Roald Dahl Funny Prize (6 years and under category)'' Stuck * 2013 Finalist – ''

Kitschies The Kitschies are British literary prizes presented annually for "the year's most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic" published in the United Kingdom. Awards and criteria The Ki ...

'' Inky Tentacle for cover art of ''The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket'' by

* 2013 Shortlist – '' Virginia Readers' Choice Master List'', Primary Selection, Stuck

References

External links

* *
Discover author Oliver Jeffers
at publisher HarperCollins * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffers, Oliver 1977 births Living people Alumni of Ulster University Artists from Belfast British children's book illustrators British children's writers Irish children's book illustrators Irish children's writers People educated at Hazelwood College People from Port Hedland, Western Australia Date of birth missing (living people) Members of the Order of the British Empire