Russell Ayto is an English author and illustrator of children's books including many picture books.
Russell was born in Chichester, Sussex[1] in 1960 and grew up in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. After school he worked as a postman, then in the Histopathology Department of the John Radcliffe Hospital before studying at Oxford Polytechnic and Exeter College of Art and Design where he gained a degree in Graphic Design. He gained work with Observer Magazine and Time Out[2] and began illustrating adult fiction before his work was spotted by Walker Books and he moved to illustrating children's fiction.[3]
Russell has illustrated over 80 books, including The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill, Quacky Quack-Quack! and Whiff both by Ian Whybrow, and The Witch’s Children series by Ursula Jones.[4] His illustration of The Witch’s Children go to School by Ursula Jones won the 2008 inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize.[5]
Russell’s illustrations for The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas (2012) written by Andy Cutbill were adapted into an animated short film for the BBC, featuring the voices of Johnny Vegas and Miriam Margoles. In 2015, SLR Productions launched a series of 52 x 11 minute animated episodes[6] based on the picture books Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs written by Giles Andre and illustrated by Russell Ayto. The third book in the Captain Flinn series, Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: The Magic Cutlass was later adapted into a stage performance by Les Petits Theatre Company in 2015.[7]
Russell continues to work full time as an author. His self-illustrated books include The Match (2018), Henry and the Yeti (2017), and Mouse in the House (2020).
Russell currently lives with his family near Penzance, Cornwall.[8]
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| How to Cope With Contact Lenses – and the People Who Wear Them, by Phil Dodd and Jody Tresidder, Gollancz, 1992
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