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Satoshi Kitamura

きたむら さとし

Kitamura Satoshi

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-01-01 （Tokyo）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Tokyo → London → Tokyo

Career

Occupations
children's picture book author, illustrator
Active Years
1981-2024
Affiliations
Andersen Press
Influenced By
Kamishibai, comics, Heinrich Schliemann
Influenced
Hiawyn Oram, Roger McGough
Nominations
Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist for Millie's Marvellous Hat

Awards

Mother Goose Award
1983
Work: Angry Arthur
Category: Most Exciting Newcomer to British Illustration
Result: winner
New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Work: When Sheep Cannot Sleep
Organization: New York Times
Result: winner
National Art Library Award
1999
Work: A Ring of Words
Organization: Victoria and Albert Museum
Result: winner
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Silver Award
2000
Work: Me and My Cat?
Result: silver

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Angry Arthur

1983 picture book

Story of angry boy Arthur.

angerhumor

Sheep in Wolves' Clothing

1996 picture book

Humorous story of sheep disguised as wolves.

disguisefriendship
Adaptations
  • [TV series] Sheeep (2000)

UFO Diary

1989 picture book

Boy's diary of seeing UFO.

imaginationSF

When Sheep Cannot Sleep

1988 picture book

Counting book of sleepless sheep.

sleepcounting

Bibliography

  • The Smile Shop
  • Twinkle, Twinkle Firefly
  • Tiger Dead! Tiger Dead! Stories from the Caribbean
  • Millie's Marvellous Hat
  • The Young Inferno
  • Let's Send an Efuto
  • Stone Age Boy
  • What's Wrong with My Hair?
  • Efuto
  • Play With Me!
  • Hello, Who's There?
  • Jackdaw Jinx
  • The Carnival of the Animals
  • Pablo the Artist
  • Igor, the Bird that Couldn't Sing
  • Once Upon an Ordinary School Day
  • Hello H2O
  • Einstein: The Girl Who Hated Maths
  • Under the Moon and Over the Sea
  • The Comic Adventures of Boots
  • For Every Child the Rights of the Child
  • Points of View with Professor Peekaboo
  • Weblines
  • Me and My Cat?
  • Kaze, Tsmetai Kaze
  • Morris MacMillipede - the Toast of Brussels Sprout
  • The Spotted Unicorn
  • A Friend for Boots
  • Bathtime Boots
  • The Ring of Words
  • From the Devil's Pulpit
  • Cat is Sleepy
  • Dog is Thirsty
  • Duck is Dirty
  • Squirrel is Hungry
  • Goldfish Hide And Seek
  • Out of the Deep
  • Sheep in Wolves' Clothing
  • Paper Dinosaurs: A cut-out book
  • The adventures of Morris MacMillipede
  • Fly with the Birds: A word and rhyme book
  • We animals would like a word with you
  • Eureka!: Me and my Body
  • Eureka!: Inside my House
  • Eureka!: Living and Working Together
  • Eureka!: Hello, is anyone there?
  • A Boy wants a Dinosaur
  • A Creepy Crawly Song Book
  • The Oxfam Book of Children's Stories: South and North, East and West
  • From Acorn to Zoo and Everything in Between In Alphabetical Order
  • Lily takes a Walk
  • Speaking for Ourselves
  • UFO Diary
  • Ned and the Joybaloo
  • A Children's Chorus
  • Captain Toby
  • When Sheep Cannot Sleep: The counting book
  • In the Attic
  • My Friend Mr. Morris (Share-A-Story)
  • Scrapyard
  • What's Inside: The Alphabet book
  • The Happy Christmas Book (anthology)
  • Paper Jungle: A cut-out book
  • The Flying Trunk
  • Sky in the Pie
  • The Great Games Book
  • Angry Arthur

Adaptations

  • Sheep in Wolves' Clothing adapted into TV series Sheeep

Translations by Author

  • Translated David McKee's Elmer the Patchwork Elephant series into Japanese

Style & Themes

Literary Style
quirky perspectivesbrilliant watercoloursattention to detailunique characters
Recurring Motifs
animals or animal characterscatsBoots the cat

Legacy

Japanese author and illustrator of children's picture books known for quirky perspectives, watercolours, and animal characters, particularly active in the UK.

In Popular Culture

  • Adapted into the TV series Sheeep by HIT Entertainment

Quotes

  • ‘The bold, bright, beautiful style of Satoshi Kitamura stands out like a beacon.’
    Source: T.E.S.
  • ‘There could be no better way to start than with Kitamura’s wonderful illustrations.’
    Source: Observer

Trivia

  • Moved from Tokyo to London in 1979, returned to Tokyo in 2009
  • Sheep in Wolves' Clothing adapted into animated TV series Sheeep in 2000