Godon, Ingrid 1958–

views updated

Godon, Ingrid 1958–

Personal

Born August 29, 1958, in Antwerp, Belgium; married; children: three. Education: Attended Sint-Marie Instituut (Antwerp) and Lierse Academie voor Schone Kunsten.

Addresses

Home—Belgium. Office—Leielaan 4, 2500 Liege, Belgium. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Children's book illustrator and author, beginning c. 1980.

Awards, Honors

Boekenpauw, and Vlag en Wimpel, Penseeljury, and Gouden Griffel, all 2001, all for Wachten op Matroos by André Sollie; Kakelbontsprijs, 2005, for My Daddy Is a Giant by Carl Norac.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Nelly et César: Sauter, danser et autres aventures, Casterman (Tornai, Belgium), 1999, translated as Nelly and Caesar: Jumping, Dancing, and Other Adventures, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 2000.

Nelly et César: Large étroit et autres contraires, Casterman (Tornai, Belgium), 1999, translated as Nelly and Caesar, Fat, Thin, and Other Opposites, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 2000.

Nelly et César: Dedans, dehors et autres situations, Casterman (Tornai, Belgium), 1999, translated as Nelly and Caesar, In, Out, and Other Places, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 2000.

Nelly et César: Toucher, goúter et autres sensations, Casterman (Tornai, Belgium), 2000, translated as Nelly and Caesar, Touch, Taste, and Other Senses, Barron's Educational (Hauppauge, NY), 2001.

Theo's Rainy Day, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Théo construit un chariot, Bayard Jeunesse (Paris, France), 2002, translated as Theo's Red Wagon, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Théo fait un gâteau, Bayard Jeunesse (Paris, France), 2002, translated as Theo's Cheer up Cake, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Theo's Big Surprise, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Bonjour Monsieur Pouce!, Bayard Jeuness (Paris, France), 2003.

Théo part en bateau, Bayard Jeunesse (Paris, France), 2003.

Théo travaille au jardin, Bayard Jeunesse (Paris, France), 2003.

ILLUSTRATOR

Héloïse Antoine, Grand catalogue des petits curieux, translated by Vicky Holifield as The Big Book of Words for Curious Kids, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1995.

Héloïse Antoine, Grand catalogue des petits écoliers, translated by Vicky Holifield as Curious Kids Go to Preschool: Another Big Book of Words, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1996.

Héloïse Antoine, Grand catalogue des petits vacanciers, translated by Vicky Holifield as Curious Kids Go on Vacation: Another Big Book of Words, Peachtree (Atlanta, GA), 1996.

Cressida Cowell, What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby?, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000, board book edition, 2003.

André Sollie, Wachten op matroos, Querido (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2000.

Marlies Bardeli, De vogels van Heer Droogstempel, Arifjn, 2001.

Ben Kuipers, De wereld van Wolf en Lam, Leopold, 2001.

Martine Oborne, One Beautiful Baby, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2002.

Ben Kuipers, Hoe de Wereld begon, Leopold, 2002.

Marita de Sterck, Grote tanden, De Eenhoorn, 2002.

André Sollie, De bus naar Hawaii, Querido (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2003.

Jaak Dreesen, Het concert, De Eenhoorn, 2003.

Edward van de Vendel, Anna Maria Sofia en de kleine Cor, Querido (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2004.

Marlies Bardeli, Philines Zirkusreise, Sauerlander, 2004.

Carl Norac, Mijn papais een reus, Leopold, 2004, translated as My Daddy Is a Giant, Macmillan (London, England), 2004, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Carl Norac, My Mummy Is Magic, Macmillan (London, England), 2006, published as My Mommy Is Magic, Clarion Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Carl Norac, My Grandpa Is a Champion, Macmillan (London, England), 2006, published as My Mommy Is Magic, Macmillan (London, England), 2007.

Carl Norac, My Grandma Is a Star, Macmillan (London, England), 2006.

Contributor of illustrations to periodicals, including Doopido.

Books featuring Godon's artwork have been translated into ten languages, including English, Dutch, German, and French.

Adaptations

Godon's "Nellie and Caesar" books were adapted as an animated television series by "Averbode (Belgium)/Planet Nemo (France), 2008.

Sidelights

An artist whose illustrations for picture-book texts by authors such as Carl Norac and Ben Kuipers are beloved by readers in her native Belgium, Ingrid Godon has also achieved international acclaim. In addition to winning awards for picture-book collaborations with writers Norac and André Sollie, Godon's popularity among young children has inspired television animators to adapt her "Nellie and Caesar" book series into an animated television series.

Godon's warm, expressive art is characterized by chalked outlines filled with pastel, water color, and gouache. Her stylized images gain a wood-cut feel through her incorporation of heavy, dark lines drawn freehand on textured paper, a technique that also adds an element of movement to her work. In a review of her illustrations for Martine Oborne's One Beautiful Baby, Martha Topol wrote in School Library Journal that Godon's "minimalist, cartoon style" pastel images "radiate warmth and genuine delight," making the counting book "perfect … for toddlers."

Simple and engaging, Godon's work pairs well with Norac's simple, family-centered picture books My

[Image not available for copyright reasons]

Daddy Is a Giant, My Mother Is Magic, and My Grandpa Is a Champion, which depict a loving, caring parent from a toddler's perspective. In My Daddy Is a Giant, Godon's illustrations show the boy and father in a skewed perspective that pairs with the young narrator's assertions that his father is so high that he reaches the clouds, and can kick a ball up to the moon. Noting the value of Norac's story in building up fathers as role models for young boys, Joanna Rudge Long added in Horn Book that Godon's "graphic virtuosity and … pleasing palette" contribute to the book's success. According to School Library Journal contributor Amy Lilien-Harper, the illustrator's "oversize, brightly colored paint-and-pastel illustrations … are the real draw," and "depict the loving bond between father and son perfectly."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2001, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby?, p. 967; September 15, 2002, Kathy Broderick, review of One Beautiful Baby, p. 242; June 1, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 1819; February 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of My Mommy Is Magic, p. 84.

Horn Book, May-June, 2005, Joanna Rudge Long, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 311.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2002, review of One Beautiful Baby, p. 1139; May 15, 2005, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 594.

Publishers Weekly, July 24, 1995, review of The Big Book of Words for Curious Kids, p. 63; November 6, 2000, review of What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby?, p. 89; June 6, 2005, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 63.

School Library Journal, September, 2002, Martha Topol, review of One Beautiful Baby, p. 202; May, 2005, Amy Lilien-Harper, review of My Daddy Is a Giant, p. 94; March, 2007, Nancy Kunz, review of My Mommy Is Magic, p. 182.