Elys Dolan is a children's book writer and illustrator, and lecturer at the Cambridge School of Art.[1] She came in second for the Macmillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration as a student.[2] She won the Zena Sutherland Award for Excellence in Children's Literature 2015.[3] Her books are typically humorous,[4] and she illustrates primarily with ink.[5]
Work
editDolan's first book, Weasles (2013), was praised for its humour and for the wide age range to which it appealed.[6] It was shortlisted for the 2013 Roald Dahl Funny Prize.
Her book Doughnut of Doom (2016) attracted controversy in 2018 over its treatment of food allergies.[7] The main character, a peanut butter sandwich, saves the town by causing the villain, a giant doughnut, to have an allergic reaction. In response to complaints, the publisher Nosy Crow recalled and destroyed all copies of the book it was sent.[8] Dolan subsequently revised the book, changing the story and some parts of the art to remove references to allergies, and a new version was published in 2019.[9]
Mr Bunny's Chocolate Factory won Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book at the 2018 LOLLIES awards.[10] The book has been described as "political" and pro-union.[11] How the Borks Became (2019), illustrated by Dolan and written by Jonathan Emmett, won Best Early Years Book in the STEAM Children's Book Prize for educating children about evolution.[12]
Other works include Super Snail, The Haunted Farm, Steven Seagull, Nuts in Space, Knighthood for Beginners, and others.[4][13]
Personal life and education
editDolan has a BA in Fine Art, an MA Children's Book Illustration, and a Ph.D. in Children's Book Illustration (awarded 2020) from the Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University.
Dolan collects pocket watches.[14] She is partially deaf.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Elys Dolan - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Pair win prize for illustrations". BBC News. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ a b Treagus, Phil (10 August 2017). "Elys Dolan: Colouring In And Lying To Kids". The Reading Lists. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ a b Dolan, Elys (29 June 2016). "Comedy in picture books: how it's done – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Elys Dolan". Nosy Crow. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Stevenson, Deborah (23 January 2014). "Weasels by Elys Dolan (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 67 (6): 301–302. doi:10.1353/bcc.2014.0089. ISSN 1558-6766.
- ^ Dolan, Elys. The doughnut of doom. London. ISBN 978-0-85763-880-9. OCLC 1011647115.
- ^ "The Doughnut of Doom - an update". Nosy Crow. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Dolan, Elys. Doughnut of Doom. London: Nosy Crow. ISBN 978-1-78800-373-5. OCLC 1104651418.
- ^ "Funny children's books are celebrated as the Lollies 2018 winners are unveiled". www.booktrust.org.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Williams, Zoe (12 November 2018). "Why political books for kids are more popular than ever – and six you should definitely read". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Christopher Edge wins £1,000 STEAM Children's Book Prize | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Books". Elys Dolan. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Youde, Kate (21 March 2019). "Children's author loves a pocket watch that tells a story". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 September 2020.