Langley, Jonathan 1952-

PERSONAL:

Born October 31, 1952, in Lancaster, Lancashire, England; son of Raymond (a civil engineer) and Margaret (a homemaker) Langley; married Karen Arnold (a teacher), February 10, 1978; children: Toby, Holly, Rosita. Education: Attended Lancaster College of Art, 1970-71; Liverpool Polytechnic College of Art and Design, B.A. (with honors), 1974; Central School of Art and Design, graduate study; Camberwell School of Art, M.A. (with honors),1978. Politics: Socialist. Hobbies and other interests: Cinema, music (particularly modern jazz), walking, travel, photography, food and drink.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Author and freelance illustrator and designer, in the areas of publishing, editorial, design, advertising, film, gift marketing, and packaging, 1974—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Parents magazine awards, Gold Award for best illustrated book and Play and Learn Award, and nomination for Kate Greenaway Children's Book Award, (British) Library Association, all 1998, for SNORE!, high commendation in picture book category, Sheffield Children's Book Awards, 2000, for The Biggest Bed in the World.

WRITINGS:

Doris and the Mice from Mars, illustrated by Hilary Hayton, 1981.

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

(Reteller) The Three Bears and Goldilocks, Collins (London, England), 1991, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

(Reteller) The Story of Rumpelstiltskin, Collins (London, England), 1991, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

(Reteller) The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Collins (London, England), 1992, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.

(Reteller) Little Red Riding Hood, Collins (London, England), 1992, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1994.

The Collins Book of Nursery Tales, Collins (London, England), 1993.

Nursery Pop-up Book: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

(Reteller) The Princess and the Frog, Collins (London, England), 1993, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

(Reteller) The Ugly Duckling, Collins (London, England), 1993, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Nursery Pop-up Book: Little Red Riding Hood, Collins (London, England), 1995, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Nursery Pop-up Book: Three Little Pigs, Collins (London, England), 1995, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 1996.

Nursery Pop-up Book: Hansel and Gretel, Collins (London, England), 1996, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 1997.

Collins Bedtime Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Tales, Collins (London, England), 1997.

Babies Bedtime Lullabies and Verse, Collins (London, England), 1997.

Favourite Nursery Rhymes, Collins (London, England), 1999.

(With wife, Karen Langley) Shine!, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 2000.

ILLUSTRATOR:

Fay Maschler, Cooking Is a Way round the World, Penguin Books (London, England), 1978.

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Octopus Books (London, England), 1984.

L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz, Octopus Books (London, England), 1985.

Carolyn Sloan, The Friendly Robot, Derrydale Books (New York, NY), 1987.

Anne Civardi, Potty Time, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1988.

Lizzy Pearl, What Have I Lost?, Dial (New York, NY), 1988.

Lizzy Pearl, What Time Is It?, Dial (New York, NY), 1988.

Martin Waddell, Alice the Artist, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

Rudyard Kipling, How the Whale Got His Throat, Philomel (New York, NY) 1988.

Rudyard Kipling, How the Camel Got His Hump, Philomel (New York, NY) 1988.

Rudyard Kipling, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, Philomel (New York, NY), 1988.

Martin Waddell, Daisy's Christmas, Ideals (Nashville, TN), 1990.

Martin Waddell, Daisy the Dreamer, Methuen (London, England), 1990.

The Collins Book of Nursery Rhymes, Collins (London, England), 1990.

Lisa Taylor, A Pig Called Shrimp, Collins (London, England), 1990.

Rain, Rain, Go Away! A Book of Nursery Rhymes, Dial (New York, NY), 1991.

Miss Read, The Little Red Bus and Other Rhyming Stories, Penguin Books (London, England), 1991.

Betty Root, My First Dictionary, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 1993.

Nursery Pop-up Book: Animal Rhymes, Collins (London, England), 1994.

Nursery Pop-up Book: Favourite Rhymes, Collins (London, England), 1994.

The Giant Sandwich, Ginn (London, England), 1994.

Hilary Aaron, Three Little Kittens in the Enchanted Forest: A Pop-up Adventure, Collins (London, England), 1995.

Collins Nursery Treasury, Collins (London, England), 1996.

Michael Rosen, SNORE! Collins (London, England), 1998.

Hiawyn Oram, Where Are You Hiding Little Lamb?, Collins (London, England), 1999.

Lindsay Camp, The Biggest Bed in the Whole World, Collins (London, England), 1999, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Karen Langley, MISSING!, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 2000.

Jane Kemp and Clare Walters, Baby Friends Come to Play, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Dave Hanson, What Now, Puss?, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2003, Sea-To-Sea (Mankato, MN), 2006.

Michael Rosen, Oww!, Collins (London, England), 2003.

Nanette Newman, Good Baby; Bad Baby, Collins (London, England), 2003.

Jane Kemp and Clare Walters, I Very Really Miss You, Collins (London, England), 2006.

Michael Rosen, Shoo!, Collins (London, England), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jonathan Langley's book Rain, Rain, Go Away! A Book of Nursery Rhymes is a combination of popular nursery rhymes interspersed with less familiar verses, sayings, and poems. Dorothy F. Houlihan noted in School Library Journal that Langley's text is accompanied by lively illustrations that are pleasing in their rhythm and imagery. She further commented that Langley maintains the tempo throughout the book, loosely grouping his rhymes according to subject. According to Houlihan, Langley's attractive black-pen outline and bright watercolor illustrations lend personality and charm to the book. The critic also commented that "multiracial characters are depicted with disarming ease, ignoring stereotypical assumptions about the nature of traditional nursery rhymes."

The same spirit permeates Langley's retelling of the classic The Story of Rumpelstiltskin. "Iconoclastic additions [are] freely incorporated into the spritely retelling," according to a Kirkus Reviews contributor. The critic further noted that the illustrations are executed with energy, the characters are drawn like cheerful children, and even Rumpelstiltskin is less than menacing. Langley's treatment is contemporary and quite naturally leads to a "‘fractured’ ending that has the king falling victim to (and into) his own Crocodile Pool," according to Linda Boyles in School Library Journal.

The Three Bears and Goldilocks is subject to the same contemporary treatment, with an extension of traditional gender roles. The father bear helps in cleaning the house and takes his turn making breakfast while the mother bear uses an electric drill to fix the baby bear's chair. According to reviewers, Langley's text is full of good humor, and the artwork and illustrations are detailed with numerous bear motifs for young readers to discover along their journey.

The Princess and the Frog and The Ugly Duckling were both praised by critics for their large format and attractive presentation. Langley's attention to detail in the illustrations, ranging from two-page spreads to depictions of minute insects in the margins, was appreciated. Critic Trevor Dickinson of School Librarian similarly admired The Collins Book of Nursery Tales for its "briskly energetic" language and its "lively, joyful brashness." Though Langley's Nursery Pop-up Book: Little Red Riding Hood follows the traditional pattern of the tale, critics said that it nevertheless contains numerous details to give it a modern feel. As with The Story of Rumpelstiltskin, Langley adds his unique touch to the end of the classic tale.

In her review of several of Langley's books for School Librarian, Cathy Sutton noted that the author/illustrator "rounds off and enhances the tales by attaching a humorous conclusion which tells of later events." It is perhaps such refreshing viewpoints and novel postscripts that make Langley's books widely appreciated and make them stand out from the numerous already available on the subjects.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 1991, Carolyn Phelan, review of Rain, Rain, Go Away! A Book of Nursery Rhymes, p. 1801; February 1, 1992, review of The Story of Rumpelstiltskin, p. 1034; May 1, 2000, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Biggest Bed in the World, p. 1675.

Books for Keeps, November, 1994, Jill Bennett, review of The Princess and the Frog, p. 11.

Junior Bookshelf, February, 1994, review of The Ugly Duckling, p. 16.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1991, review of The Story of Rumpelstiltskin, p. 1593; February 15, 1993, review of The Three Bears and Goldilocks, p. 229.

Magpies, July, 1992, Jo Goodman, reviews of The Story of Rumpelstiltskin and The Three Bears and Goldilocks, p. 25.

Publishers Weekly, September 4, 1995, review of Three Little Kittens in the Enchanted Forest: A Pop-up Adventure, p. 68; January 24, 2000, review of The Biggest Bed in the World, p. 310.

School Librarian, February, 1993, Cathy Sutton, reviews of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Nursery Pop-up Book: Little Red Riding Hood, and The Story of Rumpelstiltskin, p. 16; May, 1994, Trevor Dickinson, review of The Collins Book of Nursery Tales, p. 56.

School Library Journal, August, 1991, Dorothy F. Houlihan, review of Rain, Rain, Go Away!, p. 162; February, 1992, Linda Boyles, review of The Story of Rumpelstiltskin, p. 82; March, 1993, Kate McClelland, review of The Three Bears and Goldilocks, pp. 191-192; January, 1994, Dorcas Hand, review of My First Dictionary, p. 110.