# Barbara Reid

Barbara Reid (born November 16, 1957) is a Canadian illustrator and author of children's books. She has been called "one of Canada's major literary figures". In 2012, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, an honour presented annually to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".

## Biography

Reid was born in Toronto, Ontario, on November 16, 1957, and studied at the Ontario College of Art.
After graduation, she began her career creating illustrations for textbooks, after which she began illustrating children's books. She is known for her unique, sculpted-clay imagery, which was established with her illustrations for Elizabeth Clark's The New Baby Calf (1984). She creates her illustrations by starting with a pencil drawing, then builds up the image using coloured modelling clay to give it a three-dimensional effect. The result is then photographed and used as an illustration. The resulting illustrations are "detail rich" and often "invoke laughter and wonder."
Reid's work has been published in over 21 countries, including Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Norway, China, Germany, Brazil and Thailand.

## Awards and honours

In 2006, Reid won the Canadian Library Association's Children's Illustrator of the Year award. The following year, she won the organization's award for Children's Author of the Year. In 2012, she won the organization's Libris Award for Picture Book.
In 2012, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, an honour presented annually to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".
Awards for Reid's work :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 1986 | Have You Seen Birds? | Canada Council Children's Literature Prize | Winner |
| 1986 | Have You Seen Birds? | IODE Book Award | Winner |
| 1987 | Have You Seen Birds? | Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award | Winner |
| 1992 | Zoe series | Mr. Christie's Book Award for English - Illustration | Winner |
| 1993 | Two By Two | Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award | Winner |
| 1995 | Gifts | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 1996 | Gifts | International Board on Books for Young People | Honour |
| 1997 | The Party | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Winner |
| 1997 | The Party | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 2003 | The Subway Mouse | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Finalist |
| 2004 | The Subway Mouse | Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award | Winner |
| 2004 | Peg and the Yeti | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Finalist |
| 2009 | Fox Walked Alone | International Board on Books for Young People | Honour |
| 2010 | Perfect Snow | Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award | Winner |
| 2012 | Picture a Tree | Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration | Finalist |
| 2014 | The Night Before Christmas | Libris Award for Picture Book | Winner |

## Selected works
### As author

* Sing a Song of Mother Goose (1987)
* Playing with Plasticine (1988), non-fiction
* Two By Two (1992)
* Zoe's Year (1992)
* The Party (1997)
* Fun with Modeling Clay (1998), non-fiction
* The Golden Goose (2000)
* Read Me a Book (2004)
* The Subway Mouse (2004)
* Fox Walked Alone (2009)
* Perfect Snow (2009)
* Picture a Tree (2011)
* Welcome Baby (2013)
* The Night Before Christmas (2013)

### As illustrator

* The New Baby Calf by Edith Newlin Chase (1984)
* Have You Seen Birds? by Joanne Oppenheim (1986)
* Effie by Bev Allinson (1990)
* Gifts by Jo Ellen Bogart (1994)