Early Years and beyond
Korky Paul was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1951. He studied art at the Durban School of Art in Natal, South Africa and then spent three years working for an advertising agency in Cape Town. In 1976 as Korky puts it he "fled for Europe" and got a job illustrating and designing educational books in Greece. He then spent some time working for an advertising agency in London and Los Angeles and then studied film animation at Cal Arts in California.
Korky Paul is married with two children. He works in Oxford but spends the summer living it up in Greece.
First drawing attempts
On his first day at work, the young art graduate Korky was called the new "drawer". On reflection, it is a fair description of what he did then and what he does now-draw picture books. He likes the word, preferring it to artist or even illustrator.
Korky's first children's book was published in the USA in 1980. It was a pop-up book called The Crocodile and Dumper Truck. During the 1980's Korky illustrated a number of children's books and in 1986 he illustrated his first book for Oxford University Press, Winnie the Witch, which won the Children's Book Award in 1987.
Korky - the drawer
Since then, Korky has illustrated many more successful children's books for Oxford University Press. He has continued with his adventures of Winnie the Witch and her loveable cat Wilbur, as well as illustrating many children's poetry books in collaboration with John Foster. He has become a hugely popular figure in the children's book world and he is especially popular with the young children who read his books and are carried away into a fantasy world by the illustrations.
Appearing (November 2009)
South Tyneside (19th), Sunderland (20th), GALA DAY (21st)
Author Website
www.korkypaul.com
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Recommended Reads
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Winnie's Amazing Pumpkin OUP 978-0192729088 Winnie and Wilbur love their vegetables. They are regulars at the weekly farmers' market to stock up on their greens, but bringing them back home on a broomstick proves to be rather hazardous. So Winnie decides to grow her own and digs a vegetable patch in her garden. Not having the patience of a true gardener, she uses a little magic to speed up the growing process . . .only to end up with a garden overrun by enormous vegetables. She uses her giant pumpkin to make pumpkin pies, pumpkin scones, creamy pumpkin soup for Wilbur, and dish after dish of roast pumpkin. She invites all her neighbours to help themselves to pumpkin, too. Eventually the yummy orange flesh is all gone but the shell remains. What can Winnie do with it? She waves her wand, shouts 'Abracadabra!', and something amazing happens |
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Winnie's Big Cackling Book OUP 978-0192729552 Ten of Winnie and Wilbur's favourite stories in one bumper bind-up-and a chance to listen to Winnie laugh every time you open the book! Life is never dull for Winnie the Witch! In 'Hot Cross Winnie' a trip to the shops turns into a desperate hunt for a missing Wilbur; in 'Winnie Gets Cracking' she creates a 'chocodile' that lays chocolate eggs; in 'Whizz-Bang Winnie' Winnie gets her skates and speeds to victory in a 'hot wheels' race; in 'Winnie and the Toof Fairy' Winnie discovers she's not the only one with the ability to wave a wand; in 'Winnie's One-Witch Band' she tries to match Wilbur's musical talents; in 'Winnie Says Cheese' Winnie and Wilbur take some supremely silly snapshots to add to their photo album; in 'Winnie's Awful Auntie' an unbearably fussy relative makes an unexpected visit; in 'Winnie Goes Cleaning' Winnie offers her janitorial services to the local school with hilarious results; in 'Winnie and the Ghost in the Post' Winnie and Wilbur find themselves the surprise winners of a television poetry competition and in 'Mini Winnie' there's an unusual solution to a laundry problem. Korky Paul's exuberant black line illustrations complement the humour, slapstick, and moments of real drama that run through each story. Pure magic! |
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Captain Teachum's Buried Treasure OUP 978-0192727107 Captain Teachum has a reputation as a wicked and terrible pirate. He has, so his readers are told, led a life of crime: capturing ships, making his enemies walk the plank, and burying stolen treasure all over the world. But then we discover some unexpected secrets about Captain Teachum's home life: he is more than a little hen-pecked, he has twenty five children, and his memory is rather unreliable ...Hardly surprising, then, that Captain Teachum has not been able to find his buried treasure. So, by the time Captain Teachum's story is finished and we see his mischievous grin as he lies in his hammock, we're left wondering how much of his boastful bluster about past dastardly deeds is true and how much of it is wishful thinking! |
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Winnie The Witch OUP 978-0192726438 Winnie, the Witch lives in a black house. She has black chairs and black stairs, black floors and black doors. The trouble is that Winnie's cat, Wilbur, is also black. After sitting on him and tripping over him, Winnie decides to turn Wilbur into a green cat. But then, he goes out into the long grass! Winnie is going to need a little magic to make sure she can always see Wilbur...This is a beautifully-crafted story with a colourful final twist. |
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Winnie at the Seaside OUP 978-0192727251 Winnie decides she needs a seaside break, so she and Wilbur zoom off to the coast. Winnie makes a beeline for the sea to cool down. Wilbur makes a beeline for anywhere other than the sea - he hates water, and can't bear getting wet. Winnie is having so much fun in the water that she doesn't notice her broomstick being washed out to sea. She waves her magic wand in an attempt to get the broomstick back but it doesn't really go according to plan. The mix of magic and mayhem that follows involves a surfer and a whale and, predictably, it's poor Wilbur who gets the worst of things...In this paperback with audio CD edition, children can listen to the story with accompanying music and sound effects that really transport listeners to the seaside! |
