Jeannie Baker author page

Jeannie Baker biography

Jeannie Baker is an English-born author and illustrator, known for her distinctive collage artwork in children’s picture books. She studied art at Brighton College of Art. Baker’s books often explore themes related to the environment and human relationships with nature.

Her first book, Polar, was published in 1975. She is widely recognised for Where the Forest Meets the Sea (1987), which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and won the Australian Picture Book of the Year Award. Other notable works include Window (1991), which received a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honour, and Belonging (2004), which was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year.

Baker’s books have been published internationally and translated into several languages. Her collage illustrations are created using natural materials and found objects, which are then photographed for publication. In addition to her books, Baker’s original artworks have been exhibited in galleries and museums in Australia and overseas.

Her later works include Mirror (2010), which won the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year and the NSW Premier’s Literary Award. Circle (2016) was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year. Baker’s work continues to be recognised for its innovative visual storytelling and environmental focus.

In 2017, Circle was awarded the Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children’s Literature.