{{short description|British children's illustrator}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Use British English|date=June 2021}}
'''Sarah Gibb''' is an English illustrator and author, predominantly of children's books. Her best known books are adaptations of fairytales, both as an illustrator and an author.<ref name="Paul">{{cite news |last1=Paul |first1=Pamela |title=Children's Books - 'Rapunzel' by Sarah Gibb and 'Twelve Dancing Princesses' by Brigette Barrager |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/books/review/childrens-books-rapunzel-by-sarah-gibb-and-twelve-dancing-princesses-by-brigette-barrager.html |work=The New York Times |date=25 May 2011 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |access-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612235444/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/books/review/childrens-books-rapunzel-by-sarah-gibb-and-twelve-dancing-princesses-by-brigette-barrager.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Her drawings have also appeared in national newspapers, magazines, and greetings cards. She studied at London's St. Martin's College before completing an MA in Sequential Illustration at Brighton College of Art.
==Career== Gibb has illustrated three picture books by Ursula Jones—a retired British actress and the surviving sister of Diana Wynne Jones, published by Orchard Books. ''The Princess Who Had No Kingdom'' was published in 2009, and was translated into French, Spanish, Dutch and Japanese.<ref>{{cite web |title=Children's Book Review: The Princess Who Had No Kingdom |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8075-6630-5 |website=Publishers Weekly |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604211245/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8075-6630-5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ursulajones.co.uk/princess-who-had-no-kingdom.html "The Princess Who Had No Kingdom"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426233656/http://www.ursulajones.co.uk/princess-who-had-no-kingdom.html |date=26 April 2014 }}. ''Ursula Jones: children's author & actress''. Ursula Jones (ursulajones.co.uk). Retrieved 2014-04-25.</ref> It's been described as a book "for parents who are really sick of princess books".<ref name="Barry">{{cite news |last1=Barry |first1=Aoife |title=The new breed of children's books |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/childrens-books-diversity-3299103-Mar2017/ |access-date=12 June 2021 |work=TheJournal.ie |date=26 March 2017 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612235446/https://www.thejournal.ie/childrens-books-diversity-3299103-Mar2017/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was followed by a sequel, ''The Princess Who Had No Fortune'', and subsequently a retelling of ''Beauty and the Beast''.<ref name="PW BB">{{cite news |title=Children's Book Review: Beauty and the Beast by Ursula Jones, illus. by Sarah Gibb |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780807506004 |access-date=12 June 2021 |work=Publishers Weekly}}</ref> Gibb's "lacy" black and white silhouettes and gold, foiled covers were noted in reviews.<ref name="Kirkus Beauty">{{cite web |title=Beauty and the Beast: Kirkus Reviews |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ursula-jones/beauty-and-the-beast-jones/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=15 June 2021 |archive-date=19 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240719214719/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ursula-jones/beauty-and-the-beast-jones/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
She has illustrated at least a dozen books in The Tiara Club series by Vivian French, which carry titles such as ''Princess Alice and the Glass Slipper'', and ''Princess Charlotte and the Birthday Ball''. (The Library of Congress catalogues 12 volumes featuring 6 named princesses with U.S. editions released in 2007.)
Gibb's first book as both author and illustrator was a traditional retelling of Grimms' ''Rapunzel'', published by HarperCollins in 2011. In a NYT review, Pamela Paul drew attention to Gibb's dramatic silhouettes and "curlicued flourishes".<ref name="Paul"/> Two more retellings followed: ''Sleeping Beauty'' and ''Cinderella'', all published by HarperCollins.<ref name="Hennessy">{{cite news |last1=Hennessy |first1=Claire |title=Children's books: imaginary friends and real-life enemies |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/children-s-books-imaginary-friends-and-real-life-enemies-1.2427279 |access-date=12 June 2021 |work=The Irish Times |date=14 Nov 2015 |archive-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804104915/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/children-s-books-imaginary-friends-and-real-life-enemies-1.2427279 |url-status=live }}</ref>
She's illustrated a number of other authors' books, including the Emily Windsnap Series by Liz Kessler, and ''The Last Duchess'' by Laura Powell.<ref>{{cite web |title=Emily Windsnapp author Liz Kessler |url=https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2019/may/how-books-can-hold-hidden-messages---that-even-the-authors-dont-know-about/ |website=BookTrust |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604212907/https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2019/may/how-books-can-hold-hidden-messages---that-even-the-authors-dont-know-about/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Russell Williams">{{cite news |last1=Russell Williams |first1=Imogen |title=The best children's books of 2017 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/dec/02/the-best-childrens-books-2017 |access-date=12 June 2021 |issue=The Guardian |date=2 December 2017}}</ref> <!--see Ext link-->
Turning again to fairytales, in 2017 Gibb illustrated Hilary McKay's ''Fairy Tales'', which was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.<ref name="Eyre">{{cite news |last1=Eyre |first1=Charlotte |title=Poetry looms large on Carnegie and Kate Greenaway longlists |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/poetry-looms-large-carnegie-and-kate-greenaway-longlists-954156 |access-date=12 June 2021 |date=19 February 2019 |archive-date=20 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620015949/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/poetry-looms-large-carnegie-and-kate-greenaway-longlists-954156 |url-status=live }}</ref> A sequel, ''Straw into Gold: Fairy Tales Re-Spun'', followed in 2018. Both were published by Macmillan.
==See also== {{Portal bar |Children's literature |Visual arts}} <!-- delete the word "bar" if there are enough ordinary See also -->
==References== {{Reflist |25em }}
==External links== * {{official website |http://www.sarahgibb.com}} * [http://www.theartworksinc.com/portfolio/sarah-gibb/ Sarah Gibb portfolio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150808155304/http://www.theartworksinc.com/portfolio/sarah-gibb/ |date=8 August 2015 }} at The Artworks Illustration Agency (theartworksinc.com) – with short biography * {{isfdb name|29900}} * {{LCAuth|n98063442|Sarah Gibb|24|ue}} (2001–2014) <!-- presumably the 1999 written by another Sarah Gibb-->
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibb, Sarah}} Category:English illustrators Category:British children's book illustrators Category:British women children's book illustrators Category:Living people Category:Artists from London Category:Alumni of the University of Brighton Category:Writers who illustrated their own writing Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
{{UK-illustrator-stub}}