Meet the illustrator Freya Blackwood

 

The CBCA Judges said;

This wordless book is a deeply emotional, tender, poignant and quietly affecting story which sings on so many levels. Rereading will reward the reade. There is the need to stop destruction of the natural environment alongside themes of friendship, loneliness and displacement in a world where people are too busy to see beauty in the world. The characters, settings and transitions in time are engaging, emotive and worthwhile. There are many elements in this book; 

young and wistful protagonist, peacock and orange colour palette used to represent home life, 

delicately drawn figures and sensitive use of lighting.

2022 Picture Book of the Year short list

Freya Blackwood is one of our most talented Australian children's book illustrators. Her wordless book The Boy and the Elephant will go to Lampedusa to be part of the IBBY Silent Books project. This is a huge honour. 

The pathos of her characters is a joy to behold, and her work has deservedly captured international attention and a swag of awards and nominations. Penguin Australia

Freya has worked with some of the biggest names in Australian children's literature - Mem Fox; Libby Gleeson, Margaret Wild and the late Jan Ormerod. I especially love her two books which feature the poems of Banjo Patterson. Did you know the US version of Amy and Louis has a different title - Half a World away. 

Freya has illustrated over twenty-five books and has also done her own work as author and illustrator. My most favourite book illustrated by Freya is My Two Blankets. This book was featured by two Canadian academics at an IBBY (USBBY) conference in Seattle and I was pleased to include this book when I spoke at the Texas Book Festival in 2019.

In her hand-drawn illustrations, Blackwood uses colour and line to draw out the emotional complexity of growing up. It's the tender-sweet stories, those that make her "skin buzz and tingle" on first reading, that she accepts as book projects. The Sydney Morning Herald

In 2015 the CBCA listed three books illustrated by Freya Blackwood as their winners:

Winner Younger Readers: The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and The Present Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood

Winner Early Childhood: Go to Sleep, Jessie! Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood 

Winner Picture Book: My Two Blankets, Freya Blackwood, Text Irena Kobald 

In 2017 art by Freya was used for the CBCA slogan - Escape to Everywhere. If you have a school subscription or one through your public library here in Australia you can see some of Freya's books on The Storybox Library. Here is an interview with Freya Blackwood and The Art of the Picture Book. Here is a very comprehensive set of questions and answers.

My brother and I used to love visiting my grandparents because, among other things, they had a collection of picture books that was completely different from the collection we had at home. In amongst my grandparents’ books was a copy of Would You Rather by John Birmingham ... We loved Would You Rather because we had to interact with the story and think of our own answers. How fun (and horrible) is it to choose an answer for a question like this: "Would you rather eat spider stew or slug dumplings or mashed worms?" 

One of her most powerful books which shows the impact of drought here in Australia is My Two Summers and this is the title that won Freya Blackwood the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) New Illustrator award in 2004 and perhaps set on the path to her illustration career:

My Two Blanket was also selected for the White Ravens list. In this interview with Reading Australia Freya Blackwood talks about My Two Blankets and also her book Amy and Louis. 

In 2010, she received the Kate Greenaway Medal for Harry & Hopper.

The Terrible Suitcase

The Treasure Box

Banjo and Ruby Red