Graeme Base
Biography
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Base was born in England, but since the age of 8 has lived in Melbourne, Australia.
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He always wanted to be an artist. After high school, he attended Swineburne College of
Technology. Base graduated with a Diploma in Design.
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After a couple of years in advertising, Base decided that was not the career path for him and
began playing with the rock band Rikki Tikki Tavi. As a musician, Base wrote and illustrated
his first book, My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch, which was published in 1983.
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Three years later he wrote and published Animalia which turned his hobby into a career.
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He has written and illustrated 11 children’s books, 1 novel, and illustrated 6 books written by
other authors.
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Base still lives in Melbourne with his wife Robyn and their three teenage children.
Base on Reading
“I wasn't always into books. I could read well enough as a kid but I wasn't in love
with it. Things changed when I was introduced to J.R.R.Tolkien's The Lord of the
Rings when I was about twelve. It was amazing - the world of Middle Earth was so
HUGE. I was totally swept up in it.
I love reading now. Things come to life for me off the page in such a complete 360º
way - a complete world in every detail. I love movies too, but I still haven't seen a
movie screen as big as the one inside my own head! The only problem I have with
reading is that I am slow at it. I savor every detail - almost as if I am proofreading
the text (I guess that's because I'm in the book business) but I certainly wring every
last drop of value out of the pages!”
His Interests
When Base was asked if he always wanted to be a writer he said, “ No, I always
wanted to be an artist (or a musician).”
Orchestral versions of two of his books, The Worst Band in the Universe and The
Sign of the Seahorse were created.
To hear some music from the musical version of The Worst Band in the Universe
click below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gflFaIjTsCA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtwTeMoVue4&feature=related
His Artwork
OUT of the jungle . . . Graeme Base works on his illustrations. Source: The Courier-Mail
•“My artwork is done primarily as a form of self-expression, although I am aware that many aspects of my natural
illustrative style (e.g., bold colors and lots of detail) attract children and can perhaps inspire them.”
•Although he did a graphics design course, his technique is primarily self taught.
•His technique, self admittedly, is unorthodox. Base works on one section of the page at a time, taking it to a
“high level of finish” before he moves on to the next section.
•Base’s paintings are done on illustration board with watercolors and transparent inks.
•He uses brushes, pencils, technical drawing pens, and a scalpel (for scratching).
•Base also uses an airbrush to spray colors onto the board. (This technique is used for painting skies, mist, and
horses breath.)
His Artwork
“The basis of my illustration is fantasy but I constantly refer to reality in order to
make the fantasy more convincing.”
Base’ illustrations are known for being…
•Linear
•Stylized
•Full of humor
•Rich in details
•Challenging to readers’ powers of observation
* In 2008, Julie Watts published The Art Graeme Base which looks chronologically
at the creation of each of his books and includes some never before seen artwork
and photographs.
A Closer Look at His Artwork
Graeme Base uses various media to create the beautiful and
complex illustrations in his stories. Base states that it usually takes
2-6 weeks to complete a piece of artwork or illustration, depending
on its complexity.
As a child his artwork was influenced by Salvador Dali, Rene
Magritte and Albrecht Durer.
Now he is influenced by David Weisner, William Joyce, Chris Van
Allsberg and Robert Ingpen.
ANIMALIA
Use of alliteration
makes for a fun
read aloud.
Base includes
an innumerable
amount of pictures
that begin with each
letter.
Base uses his illustrations to give clues to secret puzzles he includes in Enigma.
After the code is cracked the reader may then solve the puzzle of the hidden items.
Pg 3
Pg 29
In The Legend of the Golden Snail, Base makes use of empty space and veers away
from his usual complex and full illustrations.
In most of Base’s books
he includes hidden pictures
of various animals, etc. for
reader to discover.
He does this to cause the
reader to slow down and
look carefully at each picture.
In Jungle Drums Base hides
Nyumbu, the wildebeest on
each page.
The Water Hole
features
hidden animals
throughout
every illustration.
In Animalia Base
hides a picture of
himself as a child
on each page.
In Uno’s Garden Base
includes a mathematical
equation on each spread.
He guarantees that if you
count carefully you will
find that exact number on
each page.
His Writing
“I never talk down to children, for this is fatal. Much better to aim over their
heads and allow some subtleties to go unnoticed than to earn their scorn
by serving up ‘kiddie fare’.”
• Base always wanted to be an artist or musician but discovered that by
writing the stories himself he could draw what he wanted not what
someone else wanted.
• He gets many of his ideas from travel.
• Base focuses on ideas first, then sketches, then he concentrates on the
story.
• He typically works on picture book text for several weeks but even at the
end of the project (two or three years including the artwork) he says that
he is still finding ways to improve the text.
His Work
Written and Illustrated by Base
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My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch
Animalia
The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery
The Sign of the Seahorse
The Discovery of Dragons
The Water Hole
The Worst Band in the Universe
Jungle Drums
Uno’s Garden
Enigma
The Legend of the Golden Snail
Illustrated by Base
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Adventures with My Best Worst
Friend
The Days of the Dinosaurs
Jabberwocky: From “Through the
Looking Glass
The Rottenest Bike Business
Creation Myths
Stop, Look, and Listen: Road Sense for
Kids
*Base’s first and only chapter book, Truck Dogs, was published in 2003.
Launching a “Graeme Base” Unit of Study
•The unifying theme that I would use to introduce a unit of study on Graeme
Base is his detailed artwork.
•Although the subject matter of his books varies widely, his artistic style remains the
same.
•Throughout the unit of study I would hope that my students would embrace
Graeme’s attitude to always strive for better quality work and to find their
individual way to meet their own creative desires.
•I would slowly work through the books and partnered teacher ideas included
in the remaining slides. As a culminating activity students would share our
class created books with other classes in our school.
Animalia
Summary:
Base worked on Animalia for three years before it was
published in 1986. This is not your typical alphabet book. Base
included more than 1,500 pictures to accompany this alliterative animal
alphabet book. In addition, he playfully inserts himself (as a boy) into
each picture for the reader to find. One can literally spend hours pouring over
the illustrations and still not see everything Graeme included.
Awards, Honors:
– Young Australian Best Book Award Picture Book Winner 1987
– Kids Own Australian Literature Award, Winner 1988
– Children’s Book Council Book of the Year, Picture Book, Honor Book 1987
– COOL Award Shortlisted 1993
– Kids Own Australian Literature Award, Shortlisted 1993
– Kids Own Australian Literature Award, Shortlisted 1994
– New York Times Bestseller (over 3 million copies sold)
Teaching Ideas:
Animalia will be used to introduce alliteration. While reading we will also discuss Base’s use of strong/vivid
verbs, adverbs and adjectives. Students will be invited to create a class written alphabet book that they will
later share with kindergartners. They will vote on the subject matter and will use alliteration. Students will
choose their letter and we will compose text for the remaining letters together before students begin their
independent page.
NCSCOS Connections:
Language Arts—Grade 2
3.04 Increase oral and written vocabulary by listening, discussing, and composing texts when responding to
literature that is read and heard.
3.06 Discuss the effect of an author's choices for nouns, verbs, modifiers and specific vocabulary
Animalia
• Animalia has been made into
a TV on PBS. Visit their site to
learn more:
www.pbskidsgo.org/animalia
• Animalia has its own App. Find out more or
download the App at:
http://www.graemebase.com/publish/index.html
The Eleventh Hour:
A Curious Mystery
Summary:
Base worked for two years before completing The Eleventh Hour:
A Curious Mystery and traveled to Kenya and Tanzania to observe
animals and gather ideas for the book. He has described it as “an
Agatha Christie-type mystery in pictures—without any murders”. Horace the elephant is turning eleven
years old and invited eleven of his friends over to celebrate. He has prepared a feast but the party will not
eat until 11:00. When the eleventh hour arrives, the guests and Horace discover that someone has
devoured the birthday feast. It is up to the reader to investigate the codes and clues found within the text,
illustrations, and page borders to discover who the culprit is. This book promotes problem solving and like
Base’s other books, challenges the reader’s powers of observation.
Awards, Honors:
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Picture Book of Year, 1989
Book Design Award high commendation from Australian Book Publishers’ Association, 1988
Children’s Book Council Book of the Year, Picture Book, Joint Winner 1989
Kids Own Australian Literature Award Winner, 1989
Young Australian Best Book Award Picture Book Winner, 1989
COOL Award, Miscellaneous, Runner Up, 1992
Kids Own Australian Literature Award, Shortlisted, 1994
New York Times Bestseller
The Eleventh Hour:
A Curious Mystery
Teaching Ideas:
This book gives students a wonderful motivation not only for reading,
but also locating information for a specific reason and examining author’s
decisions. I think students would jump at the chance to play detective and
solve this caper. This book also provides a nice opportunity to partner with
non-fiction text to allow students to learn about Morse code and decipher the
message written in Morse code on the page where the animals play blind man’s
bluff in The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery. This would be the perfect internet workshop for students to conduct to find
out the inventors behind it, the purpose, and finally use the code itself to help solve the mystery.
Here are the websites I would use with the internet workshop:
http://library.thinkquest.org/26890/morsecodet.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01046/pages/morse.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112389/morse.htm
NCSCOS Connections:
Language Arts—Grade 2
2.03 Read expository materials for answers to specific questions.
2.01 Read and comprehend text (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama) appropriate for grade two by:
• determining purpose (reader's and author's).
• making predictions.
• asking questions.
• locating information for specific reasons/purposes.
• comprehending and examining author's decisions and word choice.
The Water Hole
Summary:
The Water Hole has been described by critics as Base’s
numerical and ecological companion to Animalia. The book
begins with one rhino at the water hole, followed by two tigers,
and so forth. However, as the number of animals increases,
the water hole is slowly disappearing until it is finally dry and all the animals have gone too. Life renewing
rain comes and the water hole is replenished and the animals return. Base created the illustrations with
watercolors, pencil, and gouache on hot-press illustration board. As with his other works, the illustrations
are visually delightful. Colorful, intricate, and fascinatingly detailed illustrations fill each page. The more
time the reader spends looking at the illustrations, the more they are rewarded by new discoveries.
Awards, Honors:
– COOL Award, Picture Book, Shortlisted 2005
– Kids Own Australian Literature Award Shortlisted 2004
– COOL Award, Picture Book, Shortlisted 2004
– Kids Own Australian Literature Award, Shortlisted 2004
– Reading, Enjoying Australian Literature, Picture Book Shortlisted 2003
– Kids Own Australian Literature Award, Young Reader Shortlisted 2003
– Young Australian Best Book Award, Picture Book Shortlisted 2003
– Wilderness Society Environment Award, Picture Book Shortlisted 2002
– Young Australian Reader’s Awards, Picture Book listed 2001
– ALS Library Services, Best Seller listed 2001
– Australian Publishers Association Shortlisted 2001
– New York Times Bestseller
– A Child Magazine Best Book of 2001 Pick
The Water Hole
Teaching Ideas:
The book provides the perfect jumping off point for facilitating a
conversation with students on how humans rely on natural resources
just like the animals in the book. While the rain returned to replenish
the water hole, we will discuss what humans can do to replenish
resources that we use i.e. recycling, reusing, planting trees. Students could use The Water Hole as a
mentor text and compose a class written counting book in increments of 5’s or 10’s to show how woods
are cut down for building, paper products, residential and retail development but that can be replenished
by replanting trees and plant life that was removed. Uno’s Garden by Graeme Base should be partnered
with The Water Hole to accompany these discussions and illustrate how man and nature can live in
harmony.
Here are helpful websites to encourage ecological awareness and ideas for how involvement:
http://www.kidsplanet.org/
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/kids_home.cfm
http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/intro/intro_2.asp
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html
NCSCOS Connections:
Social Studies—Grade 2
Goal 6: The learner will analyze how people depend on the physical environment and use natural
resources to meet basic needs.
6.01 Identify natural resources and cite ways people conserve and replenish natural resources.
Jungle Drums
Summary:
Jungle Drums begins in a jungle in Africa with a little warthog named Ngiri.
He is the smallest warthog in the jungle and he is constantly being teased
by the other warthogs. Ngiri wishes he could be like everyone else. Old
Nyumbu the Wildebeest gives Ngiri a set of magic drums and he knows his wish is about to come
true. But…all the animals, including Ngiri, are in for a surprise. The Other Animals lose their unique
spots and stripes and the warthogs receive them. All of the animals end up looking ridiculous.
Eventually, the animals all learn an important lesson about inner beauty being the most important
quality. This is a great book about inner beauty and valuing others.
Awards, Honors:
-COOL Award Winner in 2009 (Picture Book), Short-listed in 2008 (Picture Book)
-Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) Short-listed in 2008, Shortlisted in 2007
-KROC Award, Short-listed in 2008
-Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA), Short-listed in 2009
Jungle Drums
Teaching Idea:
After reading the story I would have the students participate in an activity in which they would
list all of the special qualities that make individuals special. We would create a chart to list these.
I would then encourage students to write in their journals about their own perceptions of
themselves. Encouraging them to write as many words that describe their appearance, skills,
habits, gifts and personality as they can. I would then have the students decorate a star with
their name and any describing words they wished to include. We would then allow sharing for
those who would like to do so. These stars could be used to decorate a classroom wall or
window and would serve as a great reminder that we are all special and unique.
NC SCOS Connections:
Social Studies—Grade K
1.01 Describe how individuals are unique and valued.
Social Studies 2nd
3.01 Compare similarities and differences between oneself and others.
Uno’s Garden
Summary:
Uno visits the forest one day and finds many beautiful and magical
things. He loves it so much that he decides to live there. Uno doesn’t
realize the effects that his move makes. The forest is filled with beautiful vegetation and unique
creatures for Uno to enjoy, like lumpybums and puddlebuts. However, Uno is joined by others. As
we read, the number of people and buildings grow and the number of plants and people decrease.
Eventually, there are only people, buildings and smog. The animals and plants are gone. The city is
soon deserted and Uno and a snortlepig are left in the aftermath of the destruction. Fortunately,
Uno's children continue to nurture the plants that Uno had saved and over time, the vegetation
and animals begin to again inhabit the forest. This book shows the importance of environmental
awareness and the ramifications of not caring for the environment.
Awards:
-2008 Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA) Picture Book Category - Winner
-2007 Green Earth Book Award - Winner
-2007 Speech Pathology Australia Lower Primary Category - Winner
-2007 Wilderness Society Environment Award Picture Book Category - Winner
Uno’s Garden
Teaching Ideas:
There are many objectives that could be linked to Uno’s Garden that would fit into a
variety of curriculums;
Identify main idea, Identify relationships and make connections, Sequence events
Identify details, Distinguish fact from opinion, Identify cause and effect, Compare and contrast
viewpoints, Identify the problem and solution, Make predictions, Make inferences, Draw
conclusions
After reading the story with my students we would discuss the literary elements of the story,
focusing on the problem and solution. After the students identified the problem we would
discuss the causes of this problem. I would have the students give accounts of any current global
issues that relate to the story at this time. We would then discuss the effects of these issues. I
would have the students work in small groups to create awareness posters. I would allow them
to share these posters with each other and then we would display them in the hall of our school
to help others share in our newfound or revitalized awareness.
Uno’s Garden
NC SCOS Connections:
Social Studies—Grade 1
3.03 Compare and contrast past and present changes within the local community and
communities around the world.
3.04 Recognize that members of the community are affected by changes in the community
that occur over time.
Social Studies—Grade 2
4.01 Analyze the effects of change in communities and predict future changes.
4.02 Analyze environmental issues, past and present, and determine their impact on
different cultures.
4.03 Describe human movement in the establishment of settlement patterns such as rural,
urban, and suburban.
6.01 Identify natural resources and cite ways people conserve and replenish natural
resources.
6.02 Cite ways people modify the physical environment to meet their needs and explain the
consequences.
6.03 Identify means and methods of human movement as they relate to the physical
environment.
Enigma
Summary:
Enigma is a fun filled mystery about a grandson, Bertie, and his grandpa,
a retired magician. Bertie visits the retirement home where his grandfather
lives with other elderly magicians and still performs magic tricks. When all the magicians’ props
go missing Bertie is on the case. The reader goes along with Bertie to solve the mystery. Base
includes a secret decoder at the end of the book that helps the reader find the missing props.
This is a fun read for all ages and introduces young readers to poetry and mystery.
Awards, Honors:
-Aurealis Award Short-listed in 2009
-Speech Pathology Australia Short-listed in 2009
-Australian Book Industry Awards Short-listed in 2009 (Young Children)
-Edgar Award (Mystery Writers US) Nominated in 2009 (Juvenile Section)
-Kids Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA) Short-listed in 2010 (Picture Book)
-Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA) Short-listed in 2009
Enigma
Teaching Ideas:
You can use this book in a variety of ways to fit your curriculum; reading genres (mystery),
analytical thinking, math (code), deductive reasoning (figuring out the clues), poetry (the story
is in verse), rhyming pairs and phonics, art appreciation (color schemes and hidden pictures).
This book would offer great opportunity to introduce students to poetry and mysteries. After
Reading this book with my students we would discuss the verse which Base uses to tell his
story. After much discussion my students and I would compose a mathematical riddle for another
Second grade class to try solving. I would then allow students to work in partners or individually
to create other mathematical riddles. We would place these in a math center so that students
Could try solving them throughout the week.
NC SCOS Connections:
Language Arts—Grade 2
2.01 Read and comprehend text (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama) appropriate for grade two
by: determining purpose (reader's and author's), making predictions, asking questions, locating
information for specific reasons/purposes, recognizing and applying text structure,
comprehending and examining author's decisions and word choice, determining fact and opinion,
recognizing and comprehending figurative language, making inferences and draw conclusions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtGohb3e-2A&feature=related
The Legend of the
Golden Snail
Summary:
Wilbur is a young boy who loves the story about a snail that takes the
shape of a golden galleon when it sails through the Magical Realm.
The Golden Snail is captured by the Grand Enchanter must obey his commands for 100 years. The
Golden Snail is sent to the ends of the earth and can only be set free by the reciting of a the magical
spell. Wilbur decides that he will free the Golden Snail and sets of with his pet cat in a tiny sailboat.
Wilbur’s travels are interrupted by several animals in need of help. Wilbur feels as though his acts of
kindness on the way have hindered him in beginning a good Grand Enchanter however, each
rescued creature comes to Wilbur's aid when he is in trouble. In the end, Wilbur decides it is better
to be a Gallant Captain than a Grand Enchanter.
The Legend of the
Golden Snail
Teaching Ideas:
This book exposes its reader to rich vocabulary and a wonderful example of the use
of details. After reading The Legend of the Golden Snail I would have my students
help me make a chart of “interesting” language that Base chooses to use in the
story. We would discuss how this aided the reader to envision the events beyond
the illustrations. I would then have the students collaborate with a partner(s) to
recreate the ending of the story. I would encourage the students to use Base’s
example to remind them to add details and describing words. After the students
rewrote the ending I would allow the to share their versions with the class.
NC SCOC Connections:
Language Arts—Grade 2
2.04 Pose possible how, why, and what if questions to understand and/or interpret text.
2.06 Recall main idea, facts and details from a text.
4.04 Use oral communication to identify, organize, and analyze information.
4.05 Respond appropriately when participating in group discourse by adapting language and
communication behaviors to the situation to accomplish a specific purpose.
4.06 Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products (e.g., narratives of
personal experiences, creative stories, skits based on familiar stories and/or experiences).
Other Awards and Honors
The Worst Band in the Universe
• International Board on Books for Young People
Honor, 2000
Truck Dogs
• Young Australian Best Book Award, Older
Readers Winner, 2004
Interesting Internet Resources:
Create Your own Graeme Base-like artwork:
http://artsmarts4kids.blogspot.com/2009/02/create-your-own-graeme-basecreature.html
Graeme Base, The Legend of the Golden Snail, Exhibition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq_rGlMxT68&feature=related
Creating The Legend of the Golden Snail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpZiFQAl7zw&feature=related
References
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(2006) Graeme (Rowland) Base. Something About the Author. (Vol. 162, pp. 7-13.)
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/prc/keypeople/ambassadors/base.htm
http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/tv/real-animal-act-on-show/story-e6freqj61111114814085
www.graemebase.com
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000002108,00.html
http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_base_grame.html
http//:www.childrensbooksguide.com/animals/unos-garden
Base, Graeme. (1988). The eleventh hour. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers.
Base, Graeme. (2001). The water hole. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers.
Base, Graeme. (1986). Animalia. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Base, Graeme. (2010). The legend of the golden snail. New York, NY: Abrams
Books for Young Readers.
Base, Graeme. (2004). Jungle drums. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers.
Base, Graeme. (2008). Enigma, a magical mystery. New York, NY: Abrams Books
for Young Readers.
Base, Graeme. (2006). Uno’s garden. New York, NY: Abrams Books for
Young Readers.