Location: /Artist and Illustrations/Joanna Troughton

The African Plain

Joanna Troughton was born in London, and has lived there ever since.  She attended Hornsey College of Art, and when she left became a freelance illustrator, and had her first picture book published in 1971 when she was 22. During a career spanning 40 years she has worked on her own series of 23 picture books – FOLK TALES OF THE WORLD, which she has both written and illustrated. The BBC and Channel 4 have made four of these books into animated films for TV.  She has illustrated books for many other authors: Kevin Crossley-Holland, Geoffrey Trease, James Reeves, Adel Geras, Jamila Gavin, Robert Nye. She has also worked for BBC TV, illustrating for Jackanory and Jackanory Playhouse

She has taught illustration at Harrow, Barnet, West Herts and Croydon Colleges of Art.  She has visited schools and libraries all over Britain, to give talks about her work, as well as being a writer in residence for a number of these schools. For the last three years she has worked as a part time teaching assistant in Burnt Oak, London, supporting children who are new to English.