Hawkins, Jacqui

Personal

Born in England; married Colin Hawkins (a writer and illustrator), 1968; children: Finbar, Sally. Education: Attended Goldsmiths College.

Addresses

Home —London, England. Agent —c/o Author Mail, DK Publishing Inc., 95 Madison Ave., 10th Fl., New York, NY 10016.

Career

Author and illustrator.

Writings

AND ILLUSTRATOR; WITH HUSBAND, COLIN HAWKINS

Witches (also see below), Granada (London, England), 1981, Silver Burdett (Morristown, NJ), 1985.

It's a Fact and It's Very Funny, ITV Books (London, England), 1982.

How to Look after Your Cat, Evans (London, England), 1982.

(With Enid Von Bluoton) Vampires (also see below), Granada (London, England), 1982, Silver Burdett (Morristown, NJ), 1985.

Spooks (also see below), Granada (London, England), 1983, Silver Burdett (Morristown, NJ), 1985.

What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?, Heinemann (London, England), 1983, as What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

Adding Animals, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, Mathew Price (Dorset, England), 2004.

Pat the Cat, Putnam (New York, NY), 1983.

Baby Boo!, Pepper (London, England), 1983, published as Boo! Who?, Holt (New York, NY), 1983.

Take Away Monsters, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984, reprinted, Mathew Price (Dorset, England), 2004.

The Monsters Go on a Picnic, Beanstalk, 1984.

The Monsters Visit Granny, Beanstalk, 1984.

The Granny Book, Granada (London, England), 1984.

Snap! Snap!, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984, reprinted, Egmont (London, England), 2004.

Mig the Pig, Putnam (New York, NY), 1984.

Old Mother Hubbard, Piccadilly (London, England), 1984, Putnam (New York, NY), 1985.

I'm Not Sleepy, Walker (London, England), 1985, published as I'm Not Sleepy!, Crown (New York, NY), 1986.

Where's My Mummy?, Walker (London, England), 1985, published as Where's My Mommy?, Crown (New York, NY), 1986.

Hush Now, Baby Bear, Random House (New York, NY), 1985.

My First Book, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.

'Round the Garden, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.

This Little Pig, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.

Jen the Hen, Putnam (New York, NY), 1985.

Incy Wincy Spider, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.

Shriek! A Compendium of Witches, Vampires and Spooks (includes Witches, Vampires, and Spooks ), Granada (London, England), 1985, expanded as The Monster Book of Witches, Vampires, Spooks, and Monsters (includes Witches, Vampires, Spooks, and Monsters,) Collins (London, England), 1997.

Mr. Wolf's Week, Heinemann (London, England), 1985.

The Elephant, Viking (New York, NY), 1985.

Zoo Animals, Methuen (London, England), 1985, expanded as Zoo Animals; Park Animals, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

Dip, Dip, Dip, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986.

One Finger, One Thumb, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986.

Oops-a-Daisy, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986.

Farmyard Sounds, Crown (New York, NY), 1986, Walker (London, England), 1990.

Where's Bear?, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986, published as a pop-up book, Orchard (London, England), 2005.

Tog the Dog, Putnam (New York, NY), 1986.

Jungle Sounds, Crown (New York, NY), 1986.

Max and the Magic Word, Viking (New York, NY), 1986.

Busy ABC, Viking (New York, NY), 1987.

The Wizard's Cat, Warner (New York, NY), 1987.

Pirates, Collins (London, England), 1987.

Terrible, Terrible Tiger, Warner (New York, NY), 1987.

(Reteller) I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Methuen (London, England), 1987, published as There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Putnam (New York, NY), 1987.

Mr. Wolf's Birthday Surprise, Heinemann (London, England), 1987.

Here's a Happy Elephant, Walker (London, England), 1987, Warner (New York, NY), 1988, published as a board book, Good Books (Intercourse, PA), 2004.

Here's a Happy Pig, Warner (New York, NY), 1988, published as a board book, Good Books (Intercourse, PA), 2004.

Zug the Bug, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

This Old Car: A Counting Book, Orchard (London, England), 1988, published as How Many Are in This Old Car?: A Counting Book, Putnam (New York, NY), 1988.

Cosmic Cat and the Pink Planet, Collins (London, England), 1988.

Cosmic Cat and the Space Spider, Collins (London, England), 1988.

Crocodile Creek, Collins (London, England), 1988, published as Crocodile Creek: The Cry in the Night, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1989.

Pets, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

I Spy: The Lift-the-Flap ABC Book, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1989, published as The Amazing Lift-the-Flap ABC, Mathew Price (Dorset, England), 2005.

Noah Built an Ark One Day, Putnam (New York, NY), 1989.

Mr. Bear's Plane, Orchard (London, England), 1989.

The House That Jack Built, Putnam (New York, NY), 1990.

When I Was One, Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

Knock! Knock!, Walker (London, England), 1990, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

How to Look after Your Dog, Walker (London, England), 1991.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Putnam (New York, NY), 1991.

Monsters, Collins (London, England), 1991.

The Numberlies, eleven volumes, Bodley Head (London, England), 1991, Dorling Kindersley (New York, NY), 2000.

Max and the School Dinners, Viking (New York, NY), 1992.

Hey Diddle Diddle, Walker (London, England), 1992, published as Hey Diddle Diddle: Five Fingerwiggle Nursery Rhymes, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1992.

Humpty Dumpty, Walker (London, England), 1992, published as Humpty Dumpty: Five Fingerwiggle Nursery Rhymes, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1992.

Meet Zero, Bodley Head (London, England), 1992.

Come for a Ride on the Ghost Train, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1993.

Colin and Jacqui Hawkins' Word Book, Simon & Schuster (Hemel Hempstead, England), 1994.

Grannies, Granada (London, England), 1994.

School, Collins (London, England), 1994.

Ghosts, Reader's Digest, 1994.

Pirate Ship: A Pop-up Adventure, Cobblehill (New York, NY), 1994.

How to Look after Your Hamster, Walker (London, England), 1995.

How to Look after Your Rabbit, Walker (London, England), 1995.

Here's a Happy Kitten, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1996, published as a board book, Good Books (Intercourse, PA), 2004.

Here's a Happy Puppy, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 1996, published as a board book, Good Books (Intercourse, PA), 2004.

Aliens, Collins (London, England), 1996.

Mr. Wolf's Sticker Ticker Time, Heinemann (London, England), 1997.

Whose House?, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 1998.

An ABC Picture Gallery, Butterworth-Heinemann (London, England), 1999.

Daft Dog, HarperCollins (London, England), 1999.

Greedy Goat, HarperCollins (London, England), 1999.

One, Two, Guess Who?, Collins (London, England), 2000, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 2001.

Crazy Cow, Collins (London, England), 2000.

Rude Rabbit, Collins (London, England), 2000.

Alien Diaries: Zorb Zork, Stardate 9921, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Bad Bear, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Aliens Joke Book, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Vampires Joke Book, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Creepy Castle, Barron's (Hauppauge, NY), 2001.

Vampire Diaries: The Gorys, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Happy Horse, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Pirate's Log: The Diary of Captain Ben Blunder, 1740, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Pirates Joke Book, Collins (London, England), 2001.

The Dance of the Dinosaurs, Collins (London, England), 2002.

Bruno and the New Plane, Orchard (London, England), 2003.

Bruno and the Old Car, Orchard (London, England), 2003.

Hungry Baby, Orchard (London, England), 2003.

Playful Baby, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Sleepy Baby, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Soapy Baby, Orchard (London, England), 2004.

Fairytale News, Candlewick (Cambridge, MA), 2004.

Mr. Wolf's Nursery Time, Egmont (London, England), 2005.

Witch Pigs, Jonathan Cape (London, England), 2005.

"FOXY" SERIES; AND ILLUSTRATOR; WITH HUSBAND, COLIN HAWKINS

Foxy and the Spots, HarperCollins (London, England), 1995.

Foxy Goes to Bed, HarperCollins (London, England), 1995.

Foxy in the Kitchen, HarperCollins (London, England), 1995.

Foxy Loses His Tail, HarperCollins (London, England), 1995.

Foxy Plays Hide and Seek, HarperCollins (London, England), 1996.

Foxy and His Naughty Little Sister, Collins (London, England), 1997.

Foxy and Friends Go Racing, Collins (London, England), 1998.

Foxy Bakes Some Cakes, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Foxy Feels Unwell, Collins (London, England), 2001.

Adaptations

The "Foxy" stories have been adapted as a British television series, 1999.

Sidelights

In league with her husband, author and illustrator Colin Hawkins, Jacqui Hawkins is part of the popular children's book-writing team that has created such popular works as Tog the Dog, Terrible, Terrible Tiger, and Foxy and Friends Go Racing. Featuring engaging animal characters, an offbeat sense of fun, and engaging texts, these and many other titles have proved popular with the picture-book set in both Hawkinses' native England as well as in the United States and many other countries. In addition to their books' constant presence on store shelves, the Hawkinses and their comic vision have also made their way to British television in the form of a weekly series featuring the character "Foxy," the main character in such books as Foxy in the Kitchen, Foxy Plays Hide and Seek, and Foxy and His Little Sister.

After forming a friendship during their teen years, Colin and Jacqui fell in love and were married in 1968. One of the things cementing their long relationship has been their common interests in art and writing, which they have combined in their successful career as picture book authors. A few years after their first child, Finbar, was born, the Hawkinses began coming up with ideas for story books, and decided to approach several publishers with their proposals in the form of "roughs": words accompanied by sketchy drawings. Despite little initial interest, they persisted, and their first book, Witches, was purchased by Granada in 1981. That book would be the start of something big—within a decade the prolific Hawkins duo could boast authorship of more than sixty titles. Interestingly, on many of their earliest books, Jacqui did not have her name on the title page; in Witches, for example, the book was credited to "Colin Hawkins and an old witch." This would change after a few titles, and after Colin demanded that his wife receive equal billing from publishers who incorrectly considered her only a minor contributor to each volume. As Colin recalled to Books for Keeps interviewer Stephanie Nettell, [one] publisher said, "'Well, we can't put every little housewife's name on all the books.' Well, without this little housewife, the book wouldn't be here!"

For more information on Jacqui Hawkins, please see the entry on Colin Hawkins in this volume.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Birmingham Evening Mail (Birmingham, England), February 20, 2001, review of Pirates Joke Book, p. 24.

Booklist, August, 1983, Denise M. Wilms, review of Pat the Cat, p. 1465; September, 1983, Denise M. Wilms, review of Adding Animals, p. 85; August, 2004, Hazel Rochman, review of Fairytale News, p. 1942.

Books for Keeps, January, 1988, Liz Waterland, review of Mr. Wolf's Week, p. 16; July, 1988, review of Max and the Magic Word, p. 6; January, 1992, p. 7; March, 1998, Roy Blatchford, review of This Little Pig, Incy Wincy Spider, and The Elephant, p. 18; May, 1999, Stephanie Nettell, interview with the Hawkinses, pp. 12-13.

Guardian (London, England), May 15, 2004, Julia Eccleshares, review of Fairytale News, p. 33.

Horn Book, July-August, 2004, Kitty Flynn, review of Fairytale News, p. 438.

Junior Bookshelf, April, 1986, review of Mr. Wolf's Week, p. 64; February, 1995, p. 36; June, 1995, p. 99.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2004, review of Fairytale News, p. 223.

Publishers Weekly, February 3, 1984, review of Boo! Who? p. 402; March 22, 1985, review of Old Mother Hubbard, pp. 59-60; May 14, 2001, "Concepts Made Fun," p. 85; September 24, 2001, review of Creepy Castle, p. 44; April 19, 2004, review of Fairytale News, p. 60.

School Librarian, November, 1994, Julie Blaisdale, review of School, p. 151; August, 1995, p. 103; winter, 1999, review of Greedy Goat and Daft Dog, p. 186.

School Library Journal, April, 1987, Anne Wirkkala, review of Max and the Magic Word, p. 83; August, 2004, Blair Christolon, review of Fairytale News, p. 88.

Scotland on Sunday, June 17, 2001, Debby McGregor, review of Rude Rabbit, p. 15.

Times Educational Supplement (London, England), October 22, 1999, review of The Spooks and Vampire Diaries: The Gorys, p. 43; April 2, 2004, Anne Faundez, "An End to the Blank Canvas," p. 35.