Gary Northfield author page

Gary Northfield biography

Gary Northfield is a British author and illustrator known for his work in children’s comics and books. He began his career contributing to the UK comic The Beano, where he created the strip Derek the Sheep. This strip debuted in 2004 and was the first new character created by a British cartoonist for The Beano in over a decade. Derek the Sheep was later published as a collection by Bloomsbury in 2008.

Northfield has also contributed to other comics, including The Dandy and National Geographic Kids. He is the creator of the Julius Zebra series, published by Walker Books. The first book, Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans!, was released in 2015, followed by sequels such as Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons! and Julius Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians!. The series combines humour with historical settings and has been translated into multiple languages.

In addition to his work as an author and illustrator, Northfield has run workshops and events at schools and literary festivals. His books have been shortlisted for several awards, including the Blue Peter Book Award. In 2017, Julius Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians! was shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (Lollies).

Northfield’s published works include Derek the Sheep (Bloomsbury, 2008), Gary’s Garden (David Fickling Books, 2014), and the Julius Zebra series (Walker Books, 2015–2020). His work is recognised for its distinctive illustration style and comedic approach to storytelling. The most recent title in the Julius Zebra series, Julius Zebra: Grapple with the Greeks!, was published in 2020.