SATA

PERSONAL

Born July 30, 1968, in Berkhamsted, England; children: two.

Watford College of Art, higher national diploma (in graphic design; with distinction).

ADDRESS

• Home - Devon, England.

CAREER

Illustrator, author, and artist. Apollo Arts and Antiques (magazine), art director, 1989-91; freelance graphic designer, with clients including British Broadcasting Corporation Children’s Books, Reed Children’s Books, Dorling Kindersley, HarperCollins, Tiger Print (design group), and HIT Entertainment PLC, 1991-98; freelance illustrator, beginning 1997.

Travel, cooking, country walks, gardening, socializing with family and friends.

Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth.

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, 2001, for Over in the Meadow, and 2006, for If You’re Happy and You Know It, and Gold Award, 2002, for Old Mother Hubbard; English Association Best Children’s Book Award shortlist and Keikeboekprijis (Netherlands) shortlist, both 2003, both for Cat’s Colors;

WRITINGS

• SELF-ILLUSTRATED
• ILLUSTRATOR
• Cat’s Colors, Dial (New York, NY), 1997
• Panda Big and Panda Small, DK Publishing (New York, NY), 1998
• Dog’s Day, Reed (London, England), , Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1999
• Rory and the Lion, DK Publishing (New York, NY), 1999
• Over in the Meadow, Gullane Children’s (London, England), , Holiday House (New York, NY), 1999
• Old Mother Hubbard, Holiday House (New York, NY), , board-book edition, 2001
• Floppy Ears (board book), Campbell (London, England), 2001
• Bright Eyes (board book), Campbell (London, England), 2001
• Snappy Teeth (board book), Campbell (London, England), 2001
• Twitchy Nose (board book), Campbell (London, England), 2001
• Bear’s Good Night (pop-up book), Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002
• Monkey’s Playtime (pop-up book), Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002
• The Polar Bear and the Snow Cloud, Macmillan (London, England), , published as The Lonesome Polar Bear, Random House (New York, NY), , board-book edition, 2002
• If You’re Happy and You Know It! A Sing-along Action Book, Gullane Children’s (London, England), , Holiday House (New York, NY), 2003
• Yellow Circle (board book), Scholastic Children’s (London, England), 2003
• Blue Square (board book), Scholastic Children’s (London, England), 2003
• Green Star (board book), Scholastic Children’s (London, England), 2003
• Red Triangle (board book), Scholastic Children’s (London, England), 2003
• The Pram Race, Macmillan (London, England), 2004
• The Creaky Noise, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004
• Mummy Carry Me Please!, Gullane Children’s (London, England), , published as Mommy, Carry Me Please!, Holiday House (New York, NY), , board-book edition, 2004
• Buttercup’s Baby Bird (“Fairy Folk of Leafy Wood” series), Scholastic (London, England), 2005
• Fern’s Holiday (“Fairy Folk of Leafy Wood” series), Scholastic (London, England), 2005
• Acorn’s Bonfire (“Fairy Folk of Leafy Wood” series), Scholastic (London, England), 2005
• Willow’s Christmas (“Fairy Folk of Leafy Wood” series), Scholastic (London, England), 2005
• (Adapter) Ten in the Bed: A Sing-Along Counting Rhyme!, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2006
• Cat’s Cuddles, Gullane Children’s (London, England), , published as Kitten’s Cuddles, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2007
• Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Gullane Children’s (London, England), 2008
• One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2009
• Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2010
• The Wheels on the Bus, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2011
• Fetch, Orchard (London, England), 2012
• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2012
• (Adapter) The Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2013
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2014
• Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2015
• There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2016
• Hello Lamb, Little Bee Books (New York, NY), 2017
• Rock-a-Bye Baby, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2017
• The Thank You Letter, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2019
• The Bear Went over the Mountain, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2020
• Joyce Dunbar, Eggday, David & Charles (London, England), , Sandy Creek (New York, NY), 1999
• Sally Crabtree and Roberta Mathieson, My Sister’s Hair, Random House (New York, NY), 2001
• ,

Author’s work has been published in over twenty-five languages, including French, German, Korean, and Spanish; author of a blog.

SIDELIGHTS

Jane Cabrera left behind a career in graphic design to pursue her love of writing and illustration, and by age twenty-nine she was credited by Books magazine with “breaking the mould” when it comes to illustrating picture books for preschoolers. Featuring brightly colored art, Cabrera’s whimsical and upbeat children’s books include Cat’s Colors, Kitty Cuddles, The Lonesome Polar Bear, Mommy, Carry Me Please!, and The Thank You Letter as well as newly illustrated versions of popular childhood songs such as Over in the Meadow, Ten in the Bed: A Sing-Along Counting Rhyme!, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, If You’re Happy and You Know It!, and Rock-a-Bye Baby. Praising Cabrera’s uplifting story in The Lonesome Polar Bear, about a small polar bear cub looking for a new friend, School Library Journal contributor Genevieve Gallagher deemed it a “charming picture book” that is enhanced by colorful illustrations full of “depth and texture.”

Kitty Cuddles finds Kitty deciding which among her many friends is the best partner for hugging. Noting Cabrera’s “trademark” use of “eye-catching” bold color, School Library Journal critic Marge Loch-Wouters added that the story’s “animal friends are rendered with a verve” that energizes the simple text. In Booklist, Cooper dubbed Kitty Cuddles “awfully cute” due to its “charming” naive-styled art.

In another original story, Cabrera was inspired by an oft-heard childhood plea. Mommy, Carry Me Please! focuses on the many ways animal young are portaged by their parents, from arms to teeth to comfy pouch. Here her “breezy, blocky, and bold animals” carry the show, asserted Loch-Wouters in School Library Journal, while a Kirkus Reviews writer concluded of the book that its “vibrant” colors and “kid-appealing artwork … will keep the focus on the Mommy-child interaction.”

Animals figure prominently in many of Cabrera’s books, and these engaging and bright-eyed creatures lead children willingly into learning. Cat’s Colors finds a finicky feline perusing ten different colors in order to select a favorite; in this brightly colored book children not only count along with the likeable kitten but also learn color names.

Cabrera’s song adaptation in Over in the Meadow similarly helps children by presenting finger-paint-style illustrations of bunnies, goldfish, and turtles clustered together for easy counting. The final pages provide reinforcement as readers locate and count the correct groups of animals as they are lined up. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly stated that Cabrera’s fresh variation on the popular nursery rhyme format “offers an appealing and energetic landscape of boldly applied colors.” In School Library Journal, Jean Gaffney commented of Over in the Meadow that the “movement and energy conveyed in her illustrations enhance the rhyme, and listeners may be inspired to act out the animals or chime in.”

Cabrera’s nursery-rhyme adaptation of If You’re Happy and You Know It! was praised by Booklist critic Hazel Rochman as “perfect for the lap-sit crowd” on the strength of its “bright, exuberant” animal characters. Loch-Wouters also praised the artistic adaptation, writing that Cabrera’s use of “brush strokes gives texture” to the monkey, elephant, giraffe, and other characters featured in the upbeat story.

Similar praise has greeted other illustrated childhood favorites, among them Cabrera’s version of The Wheels on the Bus, which Booklist critic Carolyn Phelan described as a “brightly illustrated picture book [that] tells of a joyful, raucous ride.” Noting that the artist steers her black-lined animal characters through a vividly colored jungle setting, a Kirkus Reviews writer predicted that The Wheels on the Bus is “sure to be a lively addition to storytimes.”

Starring two frisky puppies, Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush, another childhood favorite, “gets a sprightly new workout in Cabrera’s adorable offering,” according to Ilene Cooper in Booklist. The artist’s revisioning of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star strays even further afield through the uplifting energy of her all-animal cast. Here mothers and babies of all sorts—even human—are depicted in “bold, playful paintings full of texture” that “take readers from the forest to the ocean to the Arctic to the jungle,” according to School Library Journal contributor Julie Roach.

A work illustrated by Cabrera, Joyce Dunbar’s Eggday shares a useful lesson about competition as Dora the duck declares the following day to be Eggday: All barnyard animals will compete to see who can lay the best egg. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly complimented Cabrera’s “eye-catching artwork” for Dunbar’s tale as well as her knack for covering pages with “vibrant colors that seem infused with the spring sunshine.” Ilene Cooper noted in Booklist that Cabrera’s style artfully resembles children’s finger paints and in Eggday her “bright pictures exude playfulness and good cheer.”

Cabrera published Row, Row, Row Your Boat in 2014. The tale takes the popular children’s song lyrics and repositions it down a jungle stream. A puppy and kitten in the boat observe a range of animals, from monkeys and elephants to crocodiles and lions. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews observed that “thick impasto acrylics and clear colors with many shades of green underscore the dedication to Earth’s ‘disappearing forests.’” The reviewer called it “sweet, if freighted.” A Children’s Bookwatch contributor commented that “the illustrations are brilliant, filled with glowing suns, luminous moons, and fantastic colored flowers as well as insects and animals.”

In Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, a young girl who enjoys knitting wool from sheep gets carried away, knitting everything from vests for birds to black sweaters for the sheep who are practically bald after her efforts. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews insisted that “there’s a lot to appreciate here.” The same critic admitted that “Cabrera’s winning style—acrylics with bold, black outlines—is perfect for the preschool audience.”

In There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Cabrera alters the old rhyme so the woman is more kind to her ten children and five animals. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews reasoned that “soft colors and the rounded forms of the characters against bright washes of background add to the gentle spirit of the text.”

In 2017 Cabrera published the board book Hello Lamb. The account invites young readers to mimic the sounds that baby animals make on each double-page spread. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews pointed out that “it’s not exactly original, but the execution, with familiar, appealing Cabrera illustrations, is attractive and perfect for the target audience.” The reviewer mentioned that many of the babies depicted in the book were “cute.”

Cabrera also published Rock-a-Bye Baby in 2017. A large tree serves as the habitat for a number of different animals, as the parents attempt to sing their babies to bed. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews remarked that “the repetitive forced rhythm of the verse could cause stumbles when attempting a read-aloud.” Overall, the same reviewer found the book to be “ho-hum.”

In 2019 Cabrera published The Thank You Letter. After her birthday party ends, young Grace attempts to write thank you notes to everyone who attended. Even if the gloves she received were too big or the stuffed dog she got is not a real puppy, she nevertheless shows her appreciation. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews opined that “at times, the book tries too hard to be positive.” The same contributor conceded, though, that “the animated art style … buoys the effort.”

BIOCRIT

PERIODICALS

• Booklist, April 1, 1999, Ilene Cooper, review of Eggday, p. 1420; February 1, 2000, Hazel Rochman, review of Over in the Meadow, p. 1026, and Ilene Cooper, review of Dog’s Day, p. 1028; September 1, 2001, Hazel Rochman, review of Old Mother Hubbard, p. 111; February 15, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of If You’re Happy and You Know It! A Sing-along Action Book, p. 1081; October 1, 2006, Julie Cummins, review of Ten in the Bed: A Sing-Along Counting Rhyme!, p. 56; February 15, 2007, Ilene Cooper, review of Kitty’s Cuddles, p. 83; October 1, 2009, Kristen McKulski, review of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, p. 51; November 15, 2010, Ilene, Cooper, review of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, p. 50; October 1, 2011, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Wheels on the Bus, p. 50; October 1, 2012, Carolyn Phelan, review of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, p. 51.

• Books, June 1, 1997, review of Cat’s Colors, p. 21.

• Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 1, 1997, Elizabeth Bush, review of Cat’s Colors, pp. 388-389; May 1, 2000, review of Over in the Meadow, p. 310; November 1, 2001, review of Old Mother Hubbard, p. 96.

• Children’s Book Review, August 1, 1997, review of Cat’s Colors, p. 158.

• Children’s Bookwatch, May 1, 2015, review of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

• Horn Book, May 1, 1999, review of Eggday, p. 313; November 1, 2013, Cynthia K. Ritter, review of The 12 Days of Christmas, p. 62.

• Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 1997, review of Cat’s Colors, p. 138; September 1, 2001, review of Old Mother Hubbard, p. 1287; February 1, 2005, review of If You’re Happy and You Know It!, p. 174; February 15, 2006, review of Mommy, Carry Me Please!, p. 179; September 15, 2006, review of Ten in the Bed, p. 948; August 1, 2009, review of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe; August 15, 2010, review of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush; July 1, 2011, review of The Wheels on the Bus; July 1, 2012, review of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; February 1, 2014, review of Row, Row, Row Your Boat; July 15, 2015, review of Baa, Baa, Black Sheep; January 15, 2016, review of There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe; July 1, 2017, review of Hello Lamb; July 15, 2017, review of Rock-a-Bye Baby; July 15, 2019, review of The Thank You Letter.

• Publishers Weekly, April 21, 1997, review of Cat’s Colors, p. 70; February 22, 1999, review of Eggday, p. 93; January 31, 2000, review of Over in the Meadow, p. 105; March 20, 2000, review of Top Dog, p. 94; June 3, 2002, review of Bear’s Good Night, p. 91; August 24, 2009, review of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, p. 60; September 16, 2013, review of The 12 Days of Christmas, p. 46.

• School Librarian, August 1, 1997, review of Cat’s Colors, p. 130.

• School Library Journal, May 1, 1997, Melissa Hudak, review of Cat’s Colors, p. 93; December 1, 1999, Janet M. Bair, review of Rory and the Lion, p. 88; March 1, 2000, Linda Ludke, review of Dog’s Day, p. 189; April 1, 2000, Jean Gaffney, review of Over in the Meadow, p. 92; January 1, 2002, Linda M. Kenton, review of Old Mother Hubbard, p. 116; February 1, 2002, Jane Marino, review of My Sister’s Hair, p. 97; January 1, 2004, Genevieve Gallagher, review of The Lonesome Polar Bear, p. 95; March 1, 2005, Blair Christolon, review of If You’re Happy and You Know It!, p. 191; February 1, 2006, Marge Loch-Wouters, review of Mommy, Carry Me Please!, p. 94; September 1, 2006, Martha Simpson, review of Ten in the Bed, p. 161; March 1, 2007, Marge Loch-Wouters, review of Kitty Cuddles, p. 152; March 1, 2008, Martha Simpson, review of Old MacDonald Had a Farm, p. 182; October 1, 2009, Adrienne Wilson, review of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, p. 87; December 1, 2010, Martha Simpson, review of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, p. 92; September 1, 2011, Judith Constantinides, review of The Wheels on the Bus, p. 134; December 1, 2012, Julie Roach, review of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, p. 103.

ONLINE

• Jane Cabrera website, http://janecabrera.co.uk (December 22, 2019).*