Pete Oswald author page

Pete Oswald biography

Pete Oswald is a picture-book creator, illustrator, painter, animator, character designer, concept artist and production designer. His picture-book work includes illustrating Jory John’s Food Group books The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, The Cool Bean, The Couch Potato, The Smart Cookie and The Sour Grape. He has also illustrated Sleepy Sheepy, written by Lucy Ruth Cummins; Flat Cat, written by Tara Lazar; The Attack of the Underwear Dragon and The Return of the Underwear Dragon, written by Scott Rothman; and Poultrygeist, written by Eric Geron.

Oswald’s author-illustrator debut was Hike, a nearly wordless picture book for ages 4 to 8 published by Candlewick Press on 17 March 2020. Hike is a 40-page story about a father-and-child outdoor journey, with family, camping and the natural world among its subject areas. The book was shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and won a Parents’ Choice Award.

Alongside picture books, Oswald has worked in animation across traditional animation, CG and stop motion. His film and television design work includes Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Madagascar 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, ParaNorman and Hotel Transylvania. His short film The Story of Walls received an Annie Award nomination in 2009.