Quentin Saxby Blake was born on
the 16th of December 1932 in Sidcup, Kent. His father was a civil servant and his mother looked after the family. His brother was eleven when he was born.
Blake first published a drawing when he was still at school. It was printed in Punch magazine when he was just 16.
www.teachingideas.co.uk © Images: © ThinkStock Blake taught at the Royal College of Art in London for over twenty years. He was the head of the illustration department from 1978 to 1986.
Blake has created murals for hospitals and other public spaces. His work decorates the corridors in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and Hopital Armand Trousseau, Paris, among many other places.
www.teachingideas.co.uk © Images: © ThinkStock Blake has won many awards for his work, including the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1980 for Mister Magnolia. In 2013 he was knighted, becoming Sir Quentin Blake.
When the post of Children's Laureate was created in 1999. Blake became the first person to take the job.
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Blake started working with Roald Dahl in the 1970s and in 1979 they published their first book together, The Enormous Crocodile.
Blake has illustrated around 300 books. They are mostly written by other people but he has written over 35 books himself.
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Blake worked on 150 episodes of the storytelling program Jackanory. He illustrated stories live on the program.
Blake has collaborated with many well known authors, including David Walliams, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen and Michael Morpurgo.
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In March 2018 Blake became a Patron of the Owls Trust. His interest in owls started when he was a schoolboy.
In 1974 he illustrated Great Day for Up, which was the first Dr Seuss book that was not illustrated by Seuss himself.
www.teachingideas.co.uk © Images: © ThinkStock During the Second World War, Blake was evacuated to Beer in Devon to escape the London Blitz. He hated it.
Quentin Blake has also illustrated books about healthy living, cookery and poetry.
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In 2016, Blake published Three Little Monkeys. It was illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark who was his student at the Royal College of Art.
When he was a boy, Blake liked to read adventure stories and annuals, including one called Chicks' Own Annual from 1936.
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From 1951 to 1953 Blake did National Service in the Royal Army Education Corps, teaching English.
Blake has a house in France and has received honours from the French government, including becoming a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 2015.
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In 1953, Blake went to Downing College, Cambridge University to study English. He drew covers for the student magazine.
Blake once told Roald Dahl that he thought the poems in Revolting Rhymes were too rude!
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