David Roberts author page

David Roberts biography

David Roberts is an author-illustrator of children’s books. He was born in Liverpool and studied fashion design at Manchester Metropolitan University before working as a milliner and fashion illustrator. His first children’s book as illustrator was Frankie Stein’s Robot, written by Roy Apps; it was published in 1998 and shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award for emerging illustrators.

Roberts created the Dirty Bertie character and is the author-illustrator of the Dirty Bertie books. His illustration work includes The Fairy Tale Fan Club, The Bolds, the Rosie Revere, Engineer series, The Dunderheads and Suffragette: The Battle for Equality. The Dunderheads was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

His collaborations include books with Andrea Beaty such as Iggy Peck, Architect and Ada Twist, Scientist, and books with Julia Donaldson such as Tyrannosaurus Drip, The Troll and The Cook and the King. He has also illustrated works by Philip Ardagh, Daren King, Jacqueline Wilson, Tom Baker and Chris Priestley.

In 2006, Roberts won the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Gold Award for his line drawings in Mouse Noses On Toast. Little Red was shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. Suffragette: The Battle for Equality was his first self-authored book and presents an illustrated history of the women’s suffrage movement.