Gamble, Kim 1952-

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Gamble, Kim 1952-

Personal

Born July 13, 1952, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; son of Edward (Ted) James (a building inspector) and Hazel Eve (a teacher) Gamble; married Bella Wilson (a painter), December 28, 1985; children: Arielle Axel, Greer Rose. Education: Attended college. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, music, reading, wandering about.

Addresses

Home and office—5 Manning Rd., Killara, New South Wales 2971, Australia.

Career

Freelance illustrator of children's books. Formerly employed as an assistant to a small publisher; illustrator, beginning 1990.

Awards, Honors

Crichton Award, Children's Book Council of Victoria, and Book of the Year (Young Readers), Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA), both 1992, both for The Magnificent Nose, and Other Marvels by Anna Fienberg; CBCA Award shortlist, 2001, for Joseph by Fienberg; CCBC Honor Book designation, 2001, for Pog by Lyn Lee; numerous children's choice awards for the "Tashi" series by Anne and Barbara Fienberg.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN; SELF-ILLUSTRATED

You Can Draw Anything, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1994.

You Can Do Great Lettering, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1995.

You Can Draw: Amazing Faces (art instruction), edited by Nicola Waine, DK Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

FOR CHILDREN; ILLUSTRATOR

Anne Spencer Parry, The Land behind the World, Pinchgut Press (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1976.

Anne Spencer Parry, The Lost Souls of the Twilight, Pinchgut Press (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1977.

Anne Spencer Parry, The Crown of Darkness, Pinchgut Press (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1979.

Anne Spencer Parry, The Crown of Light, Pinchgut Press (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1980.

Ellen Robertson, Own Up!, Harcourt (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1990.

Anna Burgess, The Do-It-Yourself Lettering Book, Lineup (East Roseville, Australia), 1991.

Anna Fienberg, The Magnificent Nose, and Other Marvels, Allen & Unwin (North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1991, Joy Street Books (Boston, MA), 1992.

Michael Stephens, Titans!, Allen & Unwin (North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1992.

David Shapiro, The Thunder God: A Chinese Folktale, Harcourt (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1992.

Anna Fienberg, Ariel, Zed, and the Secret of Life, Allen & Unwin (North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1992.

Jillian De Muth, Blue Skies, Green Days, Allen & Unwin (North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1992, Independent Publishers Group, 1993.

Michael Stephens, Eddy the Great, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1993.

Ian Bowring, The Exploding Egg, Angus & Robertson (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 1993.

Anna Fienberg, The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1993, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 1995.

Rosalind Price, Come the Terrible Tiger, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1993.

Leigh Treseder, Buster's Custard, Ashton Scholastic (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1993.

Susanna Rodell, Dear Fred, Viking (Ringwood, New South Wales, Australia) 1993, Ticknor & Fields (New York, NY), 1995.

Michael Stephens, The Prince of Kelvin Mall, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1994.

Anna Burgess, The Do-It-Yourself Drawing Book, Lineup (Balmain, Australia), 1994.

Sarah Keane, My Grandma, Mammoth (Port Melbourne, Australia), 1994.

Wendy Orr, Yasou Nikki, Angus & Robertson (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 1995.

Pamela Shrapnel, Bella of Bananaland, Omnibus Books (Norwood, South Australia, Australia), 1995.

Pamela Freeman, Victor's Quest, Omnibus Books (Norwood, South Australia, Australia), 1996.

Sally Odgers, Bunyips Don't!, Scholastic (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1996.

Janine M. Fraser, Abdullah's Butterfly, Angus & Robertson (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 1996.

Peter Macinnis and Jane Bowring, The Desert, Puffin (Ringwood, New South Wales, Australia), 1997.

Colin Thompson, The Last Circus, Hodder Headline (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 1997.

Wendy Orr, Arabella, HarperCollins (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

Margaret Wild, First Day, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

Peter Macinnis and Ian Bowring, The Rainforest, Puffin (Ringwood, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

Lyn Lee, Pog, Omnibus Books (Norwood, South Australia, Australia), 2000.

Janine M. Fraser, Sarindi and the Lucky Bird, HarperCollins (Pymble, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

Anna Fienberg, Joseph, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

Anna Fienberg, Horrendo's Curse, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2002.

Lyn Lee, Mary, the Big Brown Hairy Spider, Omnibus Books (Norwood, South Australia, Australia), 2004.

Louise Pfanner, Our School Fête, ABC Books (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 2004.

Aaron Shepard, The Adventures of Mouse Deer: Tales of Indonesia and Malaysia, Skyhook Press (Olympia, WA), 2005.

Louise Pfanner, Our School Camp, ABC Books (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 2005.

Mike Dubleton, Let's Escape, Scholastic Press (Gosford, New South Wales, Australia), 2006.

Lyn Lee, Eight, Omnibus Books (Malvern, South Australia, Australia), 2006.

Also illustrator for New South Wales School Magazine, beginning 1988.

"MINTON" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN; ILLUSTRATOR

Anna Fienberg, Minton Goes Sailing, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

Anna Fienberg, Minton Goes Flying, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1998.

Anna Fienberg, Minton Goes Driving, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

Anna Fienberg, Minton Goes Trucking, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1999.

Anna Fienberg, Minton Goes Home, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

Anna Fienberg, Minton Goes Under, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

"TASHI" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN; ILLUSTRATOR

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1995, new edition, Allen & Unwin (E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Giants, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1995, new edition, Allen & Unwin (E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Ghosts, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1996, new edition, Allen & Unwin (E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Genie, Allen & Unwin (St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia), 1997, new edition, Allen & Unwin (E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Baba Yaga, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 1998, new edition, Allen & Unwin (E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Demons, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 1999, new edition, Allen & Unwin (E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Big Stinker, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2000.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, The Big Big Big Book of Tashi (omnibus volume), Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2001.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Haunted House, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2002.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Royal Tomb, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2003.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, There Once Was a Boy Called Tashi, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2004.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi Lost in the City, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2004.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Dancing Shoes, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, The Second Big Big Book of Tashi (omnibus volume), Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Stolen Bus, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Mixed-up Monster, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2006.

Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, Tashi and the Forbidden Room, Allen & Unwin (Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia), 2008.

The "Tashi" series has been translated into sixteen languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Thai, and Taiwanese.

Sidelights

Australian children's book illustrator and author Kim Gamble is best known as the illustrator of the "Tashi" books, a popular series of stories by the mother-daughter writing team of Barbara and Anna Fienberg that follows the magical adventures of a dwarf-like creature in an Asian-inspired fantasy world. Although he studied to be a teacher, Gamble began his work as an illustrator in his mid-thirties, while raising his two daughters. His first work was published in the New South Wales School Magazine, where he works as a staff illustrator. In addition to the "Tashi" books, Gable has worked with Anna Fienberg on several other titles, and has also produced a number of instructional art books for children. Reviewing Gamble's work, Karen Jameyson wrote in Horn Book that the illustrator's "refreshing palette" and "lively, imaginative" watercolor images reflects a "very special talent." Gamble's "playful [black-and-white] drawings are an integral part of the fun" in the Fienbergs' "Tashi" series, according to a Publishers Weekly contributor in a review of the first series omnibus, The Big Big Big Book of Tashi.

Gamble once told SATA: "I was born and grew up in a leafy, peaceful suburb of Sydney. At the end of our street full of billycarts was a forest, still full of native birds and animals, caves, a river, and a silent, aboriginal history.

"I enjoyed drawing, but also playing, exploring, inventing and just ‘hanging out.’ I had a Tove Jansson picture book. When I was nine my mum took me to visit May Gibbs, a friend of hers and the Grand Old Dame of Australian children's literature. She gave us two of her books. The ramifications of this didn't occur to me until a few years ago.

"I painted pictures of Robinson Crusoe in my days off and lived in various cottages on the harbor. Then I ‘went bush’ with my wife, Bella, and we built a house in the granite and pine highlands of New South Wales. We painted and pottered, and had a little girl, Arielle. After five years, on the strength of regular work I was doing for the New South Wales School Magazine (similar to Cricket), we moved to Dungog and had another girl, Greer. With hindsight I see that everything was pointing to this, but until I had children of my own I wouldn't have understood what it takes to illustrate their books.

"I draw my inspiration from the stories, my children, my childhood, the news, and my environment. I love the work of most other illustrators, and I love the light, so I've become a sort of watercolorist, but don't be surprised if I respond to a brooding drama in oils. In the end, I love stories, and I feel so privileged to be a part of their telling."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 1994, Sheilamae O'Hara, review of Eddy the Great, p. 1680; August, 1995, Leone McDermott, review of Dear Fred, p. 1956; December 1, 2002, Kay Weisman, review of Horrendo's Curse, p. 664.

Canadian Review of Materials, September 6, 2002, review of Horrendo's Curse.

Horn Book, March-April, 1994, Karen Jameyson, review of The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived, p. 242.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2002, review of Horrendo's Curse, p. 1127; September 1, 2006, review of There Once Was a Boy Called Tashi, p. 903.

Publishers Weekly, July 6, 1992, review of The Magnificent Nose, and Other Marvels, p. 56; January 30, 1995, review of Dear Fred, p. 99; October 29, 2001, review of Minton Goes Sailing, p. 62; June 3, 2002, review of The Big, Big, Big Book of Tashi, p. 88; June 9, 2003, review of Tashi and the Haunted House, p. 54.

School Librarian, August, 1995, Jill Bennett, review of Come the Terrible Tiger, p. 102; November, 1997, Lynda Jones, review of You Can Draw: Amazing Faces, p. 204.

School Library Journal, February, 1998, Marcia Hupp, review of You Can Draw Amazing Faces, p. 116; July, 2001, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of Tashi and the Big Stinker, p. 75; February, 2003, Alison Grant, review of Horrendo's Curse, p. 141.