Bert Kitchen

Bert Kitchen was born in 1940 in Liverpool, but moved to Rochdale with his family a few years later to escape the heavy bombing of Liverpool. Bert left school at sixteen and went to the Rochdale School of Art. At the end of his course there, he moved to London and attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts where he studied Textile Design and Drawing and Painting. Graduating in 1961, Bert began teaching at the college as a part-time Lecturer in Drawing and Design.

After leaving college, Bert began painting and drawing in a committed way by doing various types of commercial artwork and illustration. In 1983 he met the publisher, Patrick Hardy, who introduced him to the world of children’s books. This led to ANIMAL ALPHABET which was published by Patrick Hardy in 1984. Since then Bert has published many books for children, as both author and illustrator. He has won numerous awards, including the International Graphics Award at the Bologna Bookfair in 1988. Most recently Bert has collaborated on a collection of AESOP’S FABLES with the American writer, Doris Orgel. He is currently working on THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS for The Millbrook Press.