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Author Website
Hungry Wolf
Jan Fearnley was born and brought up in South Shields, a coastal town near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The youngest of six children, she spent much of her time creating her own characters with a packet of felt-tips and a sketch-book. On leaving school, she completed a degree in graphic design at Newcastle. Realising that she was more interested in children’s books than in working for advertising agencies, she later trained as a teacher.
Jan moved to London, and worked there full-time as a primary teacher, followed by part-time work for an inner-city literary project. As a teacher she firmly believed that the skill of reading is the best gift she could give any child. She has always been drawn to books, and believes they are very powerful, evoking laughter and tears. She loves writing picture books, enjoying the way she can say so much with so few words, due to the strong relationship between picture and text.
As a child, Jan’s favourite books included The Wind in the Willows. She still loves Ernest Shepard’s illustrations. She also admires Helen Oxenbury, Shirley Hughes and Richard Scarry – to name but a few. Ideas for her stories can come from anywhere. She always carries a sketchbook with her, finding that just one image can spark off a story.
Jan’s first picture book was Little Robin Red Vest, published by Mammoth. She has also written a Blue Banana title, Mabel and Max, which was featured in the Granada TV schools programme, ‘The Writing House’. Mr Wolf’s Pancakes was chosen as The Guardian’s Book of the Week, and both Mr Wolf and Little Robin were featured in Selfridges’ 1999 Christmas Grotto. Other books, include, A Special Something, Just Like You, Mr Wolf and the Three Bears and most recently A Perfect Day For It, which was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Award 2002. Jan has been involved in many literary events, including the Hay-on-Wye festival, the Edinburgh Festival, Swansea festival and the Northern Children’s Book Festival. Jan Fearnley won the AOI Gold Award in 2002 for her work in Mr Wolf and the Three Bears.
Recommended Reads
Mr Wolf and
the Enormous Turnip
Egmont Books
ISBN:1405215801 
Mr Wolf's Pancakes
Egmont Books
ISBN:140521581X 
Little Red Robin Vest
Egmont Books
ISBN:1405208457
Publisher
Egmont