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Biography (From Puffin Books)
Fans of Babette Cole's books will not be surprised that their creator has had a somewhat unconventional life and career. Yes, she did train at Canterbury College of Art but "spent every minute trying to get out." By her third year, Babette was "producing my own little books which everyone liked except my tutors, who thought I should have been doing my Letraset, sitting up properly and not wearing my wellingtons into art school." Babette was actually thrown out of the college twice but then invited back!
Babette graduated with a BA Hons (First Class) and began talking to publishers. "Students don't know what publishers want and I think they should find out," she says. Today, she remains closely involved throughout the production process, even if that means flying out to the Far East to check the pages as they come off the printing press. Babette is no stranger to travel. She lived for a year in the Okavango Swamps in Botswana, and now makes regular trips to her second home in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
Her first job was at BBC TV, working with Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, creating storyboards for classic children's programmes as Watch With Mother, Ivor the Engine and Bagpuss.
Home is a farm in Lincolnshire, with a menagerie of horses and dogs. Her interests include breeding and showing Show Hunters, riding side-saddle, team chaseing (side-saddle), show-jumping, terrier racing, anthropology, sailing, showing her Deer Hounds and partying on her special island - Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
Babette draws inspiration from her own animals, from Tenniel - whose Alice drawings "contributed to my love of the grotesque", from Edward Lear "for his scratchy lines" and from Quentin Blake - "the creme de la creme".
Babette loves reading, whenever she can. Her favourite author is Tom Sharpe.
More books from Babette Cole
From her Website About Babette Cole!
Hello, My name is Babette Cole and I write and illustrate children's picture books.
I was born on a little island called Jersey in 1950. I went to school in a convent where I spent most of my time drawing pictures and writing stories.
I got fed up with school so I left and went to Art School at Canterbury in England. I left there in 1973 with a first class honours degree.
I made friends with Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate who were making Children’s TV programmes for the BBC. They gave me my first proper job drawing for Jackanory and TV comics.
Then, since I had some work published by the BBC. I could go to other publishers with my own books and finally got one published in 1976.
It did very well so it wasn't difficult to get books published after that because publishers knew I could make money for them.
Since then I have written over 70 books!
The most famous one is called "Mummy Laid An Egg". It sold a million copies!
I have lived in different parts of the world like Africa and the West Indies. I now live in Dorset in England and stay with family if I return to the West Indies.
I have a stud farm in England and I breed Show Hunters which I ride myself. I have been riding show ponies and horses since I was seven years old. I do a lot of side saddle riding - My little horse, Hot Tip, (Scrappit) and I have been the National Champions for the past three years.
