James Mayhew

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About James Mayhew
Born in 1964, James Mayhew studied illustration at Maidstone College of Art, graduating in 1987 with first class honours. His first book for children Katie's Picture Show (Orchard Books) was published in 1989, beginning his million-selling series of books introducing the work of famous artists to children. There are now nine books about Katie, exploring artists from the Italian Renaissance to Post-Impressionism.
A passionate advocate of art and culture for the very young, James's books range from Shakespearean anthologies (To Sleep, Perchance to Dream; Shakespeare's Storybook), through to grand opera (The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera) and most recently ballet, with the Ella Bella Ballerina series. His books are published in many languages including Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Catalan, Greek, German, Italian, Brazilian, French, Korean, Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Estonian.
James has now published over fifty books for children and has illustrated works by many well known contemporary writers: Philippa Pearce's Beauty And The Beast (Macdonald), Elisabeth Beresford's Lizzie's War (Hodder), Martin Waddell's Boneless And The Tinker (Orchard Books), Joyce Dunbar's Mouse & Mole books (Corgi - adapted for television in 1997 and featuring the voices of Alan Bennett and Richard Briers), and Jenny Koralek's The Boy And The Cloth Of Dreams (Walker Books), for which he was awarded the New York Times Book Illustration Prize in 1994.
As a writer, James enjoys creating texts for other illustrators, including Who wants a Dragon? for Lindsey Gardiner (short listed for the Sheffield Children's Book Award) and Can you see a little Bear? for Jackie Morris.
An experienced storyteller, James has devised and performed unique orchestral concerts for children with narration and live illustration, including Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Stravinsky's Firebird and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition for the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2008 he was invited to participate in workshops and children's promenade performances at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
His book Koshka's Tales: Stories From Russia (Kingfisher Books), has been adapted for the Syracuse symphony Orchestra, New York as a children's concert using music by Rimsky-Korsakov and he has also illustrated for the Mariinsky (Kirov) Opera, St. Petersburg and for the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York.
James is invited to speak internationally at schools and at Literary and Arts festivals, including the Cheltenham, Bath and Edinburgh Festivals, organising a wide variety of art projects with children. He has taught courses on writing for the Arvon Foundation, and also teaches illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.
Forthcoming projects include new Katie and Ella Bella titles.
James is a member of the Art Worker's Guild and the Society Of Authors.
A passionate advocate of art and culture for the very young, James's books range from Shakespearean anthologies (To Sleep, Perchance to Dream; Shakespeare's Storybook), through to grand opera (The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera) and most recently ballet, with the Ella Bella Ballerina series. His books are published in many languages including Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, Catalan, Greek, German, Italian, Brazilian, French, Korean, Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Estonian.
James has now published over fifty books for children and has illustrated works by many well known contemporary writers: Philippa Pearce's Beauty And The Beast (Macdonald), Elisabeth Beresford's Lizzie's War (Hodder), Martin Waddell's Boneless And The Tinker (Orchard Books), Joyce Dunbar's Mouse & Mole books (Corgi - adapted for television in 1997 and featuring the voices of Alan Bennett and Richard Briers), and Jenny Koralek's The Boy And The Cloth Of Dreams (Walker Books), for which he was awarded the New York Times Book Illustration Prize in 1994.
As a writer, James enjoys creating texts for other illustrators, including Who wants a Dragon? for Lindsey Gardiner (short listed for the Sheffield Children's Book Award) and Can you see a little Bear? for Jackie Morris.
An experienced storyteller, James has devised and performed unique orchestral concerts for children with narration and live illustration, including Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Stravinsky's Firebird and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition for the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2008 he was invited to participate in workshops and children's promenade performances at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
His book Koshka's Tales: Stories From Russia (Kingfisher Books), has been adapted for the Syracuse symphony Orchestra, New York as a children's concert using music by Rimsky-Korsakov and he has also illustrated for the Mariinsky (Kirov) Opera, St. Petersburg and for the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York.
James is invited to speak internationally at schools and at Literary and Arts festivals, including the Cheltenham, Bath and Edinburgh Festivals, organising a wide variety of art projects with children. He has taught courses on writing for the Arvon Foundation, and also teaches illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.
Forthcoming projects include new Katie and Ella Bella titles.
James is a member of the Art Worker's Guild and the Society Of Authors.
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Books By James Mayhew
by
James Mayhew
$3.99
Katie's trip to the museum to see Impressionist art leads to a magical journey through the actual paintings. In paperback for the first time.
"This British import pays joyful homage to the world of the Impressionists. When Katie and her grandmother visit an art museum to celebrate the elder's birthday, the girl wanders into a gallery where she admires Claude Monet's The Luncheon.... With a blink of her eyes, Katie is magically transported into the painting... Lovely watercolors emulate the style of the Impressionists... Not only does this delightful fantasy succeed as art education, but it's a charming story as well." --School Library Journal
"This British import pays joyful homage to the world of the Impressionists. When Katie and her grandmother visit an art museum to celebrate the elder's birthday, the girl wanders into a gallery where she admires Claude Monet's The Luncheon.... With a blink of her eyes, Katie is magically transported into the painting... Lovely watercolors emulate the style of the Impressionists... Not only does this delightful fantasy succeed as art education, but it's a charming story as well." --School Library Journal
Koshka's Tales: Stories from Russia
May 6, 2020
by
James Mayhew
$7.99
Brave princes, evil witches and beautiful maidens abound as the tales of Koshka, the wise old story-telling cat, unfold. James Mayhew has drawn inspiration from the traditional stories and art style of old Russia to re-tell five enchanting tales in this re-published edition of a children’s classic.
Stories include:
- The Tale of the Snowmaiden
- The Tale of Sadko the Minstrel
- The Tale of Iven, the Greywolf and the Firebird
- The Tale of Vassilisa the Fair and Baby Yaga
- Tsar Saltan and Koshka the Cat
‘I loved the constant references to stories as inherently magical and powerful, full of rare secrets that you would be justified in sailing “beyond thrice-nine realms and over the seven seas” in search of. Thankfully, readers and listeners (and lovers of illustration) only need open this magic box to be immediately transported.’ Dr Nick Campbell, writer, researcher and bookseller
‘Every children’s book deserves to be lavishly-illustrated, a task taken on by the author himself. It’s herd to say which are better, the words or the pictures. But at the end of the day, it hardly matters because they complement each other perfectly in a book that captures the essence of the old-fashioned Noel of traditional story-telling.’ The Bay magazine, 2019
‘It’s the energy that shines out in the boldness, the verve, the lack of reticence that says: Look at this beautiful thing! Look again! It’s the kind of work that welcomes readers (because in this book, James has written the words too!) as well as spectators. The combination is a real joy. […] Today’s children are lucky to have this version of the stories. And James Mayhew is lucky to have Graffeg realising that we need them as much as we did in 1993.’ Adele Geras
‘Here is a fabulous collection of folk tales from Russia by James Mayhew, written in luminous language and accompanied by equally luminous artwork… Beyond the classroom, I will be recommending it to boys and girls in Year 4 who still love the accessibility of traditional fairy stories but need to develop their reading stamina and confidence with a little more challenge. I am hoping it will provide a gateway to longer novels such as The House with Chicken Legs or Harry Potter.’ Books for Topics
Stories include:
- The Tale of the Snowmaiden
- The Tale of Sadko the Minstrel
- The Tale of Iven, the Greywolf and the Firebird
- The Tale of Vassilisa the Fair and Baby Yaga
- Tsar Saltan and Koshka the Cat
‘I loved the constant references to stories as inherently magical and powerful, full of rare secrets that you would be justified in sailing “beyond thrice-nine realms and over the seven seas” in search of. Thankfully, readers and listeners (and lovers of illustration) only need open this magic box to be immediately transported.’ Dr Nick Campbell, writer, researcher and bookseller
‘Every children’s book deserves to be lavishly-illustrated, a task taken on by the author himself. It’s herd to say which are better, the words or the pictures. But at the end of the day, it hardly matters because they complement each other perfectly in a book that captures the essence of the old-fashioned Noel of traditional story-telling.’ The Bay magazine, 2019
‘It’s the energy that shines out in the boldness, the verve, the lack of reticence that says: Look at this beautiful thing! Look again! It’s the kind of work that welcomes readers (because in this book, James has written the words too!) as well as spectators. The combination is a real joy. […] Today’s children are lucky to have this version of the stories. And James Mayhew is lucky to have Graffeg realising that we need them as much as we did in 1993.’ Adele Geras
‘Here is a fabulous collection of folk tales from Russia by James Mayhew, written in luminous language and accompanied by equally luminous artwork… Beyond the classroom, I will be recommending it to boys and girls in Year 4 who still love the accessibility of traditional fairy stories but need to develop their reading stamina and confidence with a little more challenge. I am hoping it will provide a gateway to longer novels such as The House with Chicken Legs or Harry Potter.’ Books for Topics
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