Once Upon an Ordinary School Day

About Colin McNaughton

Colin McNaughton - as a child

Colin was born in Wallsend-upon-Tyne in Northumberland in 1951. As a child, Colin had little indication that he would one day become an author-illustrator. There were no books at all in his parents’ home, he recalls, but there were always comics. These were his formative literature and their slapstick humour has been a lasting influence. “I’ve been talking about the comic format for years,” he says. “It’s the modern way of telling stories for today’s children; it’s about movement, the step between film and the book.”

As an adult

Colin trained as a graphic designer at the Central School of Art and Design and subsequently took an MA in Illustration at the Royal College of Art. He now lives in London with his wife, Francoise, and has two sons, Ben and Tim.

As an artist

Since the publication of his first title in 1976, Colin has produced over 70 books, many of which he has both written and illustrated. As well as storybooks Colin is renowned as a humorous poet and is now recognized as one of Britain’s leading illustrators and authors. The greatest influences on his work are the comics, comic annuals and Saturday morning cinema serials of his childhood.