The Magic of Anthony Browne

Is such an atmospheric illustrator a magician? What spell has he put on the reader... first to catch your attention... then to bring you in and finally upon closer examination reveal what is not outwardly said.

Is part of his spell the mood which arches over his work - enfolding like a mist. His use of colour, the details and strange little things going on in the background? Or, is it the use of a particular being - the gorilla.


The author and illustrator is perhaps best known for using gorillas in his stories. And as a storyteller, his picture book, 'Gorilla' sums up alot of what Anthony Brown is about. The flight of the imagination, a journey, and the strength of the main character in dealing with their particular situation - here, a little girl wanting to spend some time with her overworked dad. She loves gorillas and there emerges a protecting figure in the form of a gorilla - who one night magically takes a her to places where she always dreams - the zoo, the cinema, dancing on the lawn and back home again. And in a true resolving fashion, dad comes through and we see father and daughter walking away to share time together.

But why does Brown use this particular animal over and over in his picture books? 'They are so much like us - look into their eyes... so similar. And they are fantastic things to draw - full of hair and bumps.' These large anthropomorphic beings - strong, sensitive, protective and fun - through them, we can see inside ourselves - both the child and adult. This, I find so appealing and important.

When asked about his readership, he states, 'I don't see picture books for being for a specific age - I don't aim for a specific age group; picture books are for everybody and can be appreciated by everybody.'

Indeed, if you sit alone with his books or in company, Brown aims to '...encourage people to spend more time looking. We live in an visual age - but with very fast moving images - we're endanger of losing our visual imagination.'

In his books, he crafts a 'tantalising gap between the pictures and the words'. Such an approach is inspiring - the gap to be filled by our own imagination - our own unique form of magic. It can be exciting, mysterious and new. Indeed this is like a magic mist which whispers something to us all.

Quotes taken from BBC's 'Woman's Hour' radio interview, 10th June 2009

Links:
Interview from Teaching Books website
Read the Children's Laureate blog