Meet the illustrator Gerda Muller

 

Gerda Muller was born in 1926 in Naarden, the Netherlands. She studied at the Fine Arts School of Amsterdam and École Estienne of Paris. Gerda has illustrated over 120 books for children, many of which have been translated worldwide. Her book A Year in our New Garden appeared on the USBBY Outstanding International Books list. Gerda Muller lives in France.

Gerda Muller works across a wide variety of mediums and uses diverse techniques when illustrating. For precise line work, she typically works with black and sepia pen, using watercolours to add colour and detail. Her picture book illustrations have also made use of coloured pencils, oils, lithography and more recently, pastels.  Gerda Muller is known for her love of nature and natural scenes. Her illustrations are vibrant, detailed, and reflect the changing seasons and landscapes. Floris Books

Illustration from The Wildwood Elves

The lives of her subjects seem slower, more deliberate, and more joyful than do those of some of us in the modern world, as they happily progress through the seasons caressing baby animals, splashing in the sea, gatherin acorns, and catching snowflakes on their tongues. Monadock Mamma

On a snowy winter's morning, footprints trace a path from a child's unmade bed, past discarded clothes and breakfast dishes to the front door where they're joined by excited pawprints. But who else is making the footprints and what are they doing? In this delightful wordless picture book, the story of a child and a dog enjoying the snow is told entirely through following their footprints.