Coxon, Michèle 1950-

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COXON, Michèle 1950-

Personal

Born July 20, 1950, in Kent, England; daughter of Stan Kelly (a mathematician and writer) and Margaret (Jones) Bootle (a homemaker); married Philip Stanley Coxon (a poet, writer, and wildlife warden), April 27, 1976 (died May 25, 1987); children: Crispin, Sam. Education: Attended Royal Leamington Art School. Hobbies and other interests: Completing triathalons (swimming, biking, and running).

Addresses

Home— Sunny Lea, Meifod, Powys, Wales. Agent— c/o Author Mail, Star Bright Books, 325 West 38th St., New York, NY 10018.

Career

Children's book author and illustrator. Active on behalf of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Seal Research Unit. Muralist and cartoonist.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

The Cat Who Lost His Purr, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1991.

Who Will Play with Me?, Blackie and Son (London, England), 1992.

Where's My Kitten?: A Hide-and-Seek Flap Book, Happy Cat (Bradfield, Essex, England), 1996.

Look out, Lion Cub!: A Lift-the-Flap Book, Happy Cat Books (Bradfield, Essex, England), 1997.

Kitten's Adventure, Star Bright Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Kitten Finds A Home: A Lift-the-Flap Book, Happy Cat (Manningtree, England), 1998.

Catch up, Little Cheetah!: A Lift-the-Flap Book, Star Bright Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Cat Who Found His Way Home, Star Bright Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Too Big!: A Lift-the-Flap Book, Star Bright Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Who Will Play with Me?, Happy Cat (Bradfield, Essex, England), 2002.

Minnie Kitten Has a Bad Day, Happy Cat (Bradfield, Essex, England), 2003.

Tommy's Busy Day, Happy Cat (Bradfield, Essex, England), 2003.

Have You Fed the Cat?, Star Bright Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Coxon's books have also been published in Spanish.

ILLUSTRATOR

Philip Coxon, The World of an Island, Faber (London, England), 1977.

Work in Progress

The Tale of the Tatty Cat.

Sidelights

British artist and children's book author Michèle Coxon gets her inspiration from her love of animals. Among her many books about cats, Have You Fed the Cat? is an excellent example of Coxon's illustrative skill. The story focuses around Sam, a young calico kitten who goes to live at the Robinson's house. Upon arrival he is lavished with attention, however as time progress, Sam finds that the only way he can gain attention is by meowing for food. In order to keep their new kitten quiet and discourage him from scratching up the newspaper or sleeping on the computer keyboard, the family members all begin to feed Sam in order to divert his attention. "Coxon's artwork is so outstanding it elevates [the story] to full-charm status" commented Booklist critic Ilene Cooper, adding that the illustrator's artwork contains "such life" that the tiny kitten "almost leaps off the page."

Coxon once told Something about the Author: "I started writing children's stories after I picked up my cat and there was silence! My cat normally purrs like a pneumatic drill and that day there was nothing. My children were there and I asked them if they had seen the cat's purr. So The Cat Who Lost His Purr was born....All[my early] stories so far are developed from ideas that my cats gave me." At this point in her career, Coxon could boast "six cats, one rat, and a stray dog who walked into my life and took over my sofa."

"I have always painted and I have had several wildlife exhibitions. I love the countryside and animals and hope to give more of my time to conservation. I enjoy traveling and going to schools. I talk to the children about books and stories and encourage them to illustrate their own stories."