Pat Hutchins (1942~)

영국 요크셔 태생의 Pat Hutchins는 6형제와 함께 시골에서 성장하였다. 그녀는 어릴 때부터 그림 그리기를 좋아했는데, 한 노부부가 그녀가 그림을 그릴 때마다 쵸코바를 선물로 주었다고 한다. 16세 때 장학금을 받고 고향의 미술학교에 진학했다가 3년 후 다시 대학에 진학 일러스트레이션을 전공했다. 졸업 후 런던에서 상업미술가로 활동을 시작하였으나, 결혼 후 뉴욕에 잠시 사는 동안 작품을 몇 몇 출판사에 선보였는데, 이 작품이 바로 큰 성공을 거둔 Rosie's Walk이었다. 이후 그녀는 미국과 영국에서 꾸준히 작품 활동을 계속해 오고 있다.

그녀는 사물의 재미있는 점을 보려고 애쓰며, 어린이들을 말하고 행동하는 것을 그대로 작품에 옮기려고 한다. 그녀는 어린이들과의 만남을 통해서 그들의 세계를 이해하는데, 그녀의 작품은 단순하면서도 유머러스한 구성과 원색의 생동하는 일러스트레이션은 다른 작가들이 결코 따라올 수 없을 만큼 절묘한데, 특히 시간 변화나 수학같이 어린이들이 꼭 알아야 할 기본 개념을 상상력을 이용하여 절묘하게 전달하는 재주를 가진 것으로 정평이 나 있다.

Pat의 작품은 크게 두 가지로 나눌 수 있는데, What Game Shall We Play, One Hunter, Don't Forget The Bacon은 파스텔풍의 색조와 치밀한 구성으로 짜여진 반면, The Doorbell Rang은 앞서 말한 작품보다는 대담하면서도 치밀도는 떨어지며 원색이 사용되었다.

 

Some of the books are:

Changes, Changes. Macmillan, 1987
In this wordless book, dolls cope with every emergency by using blocks imaginatively.

Clocks and More Clocks. Macmillan, 1994
Mr. Higgins finds a beautiful clock in the attic and starts it going but doesn't know what time to set it to so he buys another clock which he puts in the bedroom. The two clocks don't agree so he buys a third and so on. Eventually, a watch solves his problem.

Don't Forget the Bacon. Morrow, 1989
A child is sent by his mother with a short mental list of things he must get. Each thing he sees on the way, however, transforms the list. What he buys at the store is nothing like what he starts with. On the way home he transforms the list to its original state, but he forgets the bacon.

The Doorbell Rang. Morrow, 1989
Ma has made a big plate of cookies and the two children are just about to share them when the doorbell rings. Each ring of the doorbell brings more people who must share those cookies.

Good Night, Owl. Macmillan, 1990
Owl has a hard time sleeping because it's daytime and the forest is full of the sounds of the diurnal animals. When nighttime comes, it's a different story and Owl gets his revenge.

One Hunter. Morrow, 1986
This is Hutchins' counting book and the hunter looks throughout the forest seeing not a single animal, but we do.

Rats. Greenwillow, 1989
In this slightly longer book, Sam badly wants a rat for a pet. His mother refuses until Sam gets a knock on the head. Although it doesn't really hurt him, he gets enough sympathy from his mother to get the rat. Although Sam loves Nibbles, others are not so sure.

Rosie's Walk. Macmillan, 1971
Rosie the hen takes a leisurely walk around the barnyard oblivious to the fox who is constantly being foiled in his attempts to get Rosie.

The Surprise Party. Macmillan, 1986
The invitation to the party starts out all right, but it gets mangled as it transfers from person to person.

Titch. Aladdin, 1992
Titch gets his revenge over his older brother and sister.   

The Very Worst Monster. Morrow, 1989
Hazel is not thrilled with the attention newborn Billy Monster is getting. Eventually she gives him away earning her parents' attention and the title of "very worst monster".

What Game Shall We Play. Greenwillow, 1990
The animals are searching for each other in order to find a good game to play. They find each other and end up playing a game of hide and seek which, really, they've already been playing.

Which Witch is Which? Greenwillow, 1989
When twins choose twin witch costumes, it's hard to figure out which witch is which twin, but there are clues in the text to follow.

The Wind Blew. Penguin, 1974
The wind does indeed blow and it snatches something from almost everyone we see. Each chases their possessions and the chain of chasers gets longer as they approach the city. When the wind drops their things, they are all mixed up.