Helen Cooper
Helen Sonia Cooper (born 1963 in London) is a British illustrator and an author of children's literature. She grew up in Cumbria, where she practiced literature and piano playing. She currently lives in Oxford.
Also recorded as Helen F. Cooper · Helen Sonia Cooper
Helen Cooper
- Name
- Helen Cooper
- Born
- 1963
- Birthplace
- London, UK
- Occupation
- Freelance author and illustrator
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Fields
- children's literature, design and children's book illustration.
- Honours
- Kate Greenaway Medal.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Helen Sonia Cooper (born 1963 in London) is a British illustrator and an author of children's literature. She grew up in Cumbria, where she practiced literature and piano playing. She currently lives in Oxford.
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Note VALÉORINE
Helen Cooper (born 1963) is a British illustrator, music teacher and writer. The illustrator was born in London. Helen Cooper is active in children's book illustration, children's literature and design.
Genres include children's and juvenile fantasy. Languages used include English. The illustrator received Kate Greenaway Medal.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q3784504
In this article
Biography
Biography
According to the author's website, her books have been translated into 30 languages worldwide. Cooper has twice been awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. She won for The Baby Who Wouldn't Go To Bed in 1996, which she wrote and illustrated. In 1998 she won for Pumpkin Soup, which she also wrote and illustrated. They were consecutive projects for her. Beside winning the two Greenaway Medals (no one has won three), Cooper made the shortlist for The Bear Under the Stairs (Doubleday, 1993) and Tatty Ratty (Doubleday, 2001).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Helen Cooper • Born — 1963 • Birthplace — London, UK • Occupation — Freelance author and illustrator • Years Active — 1987–present • Children — Pandora • Website — helencooperbooks.co.uk
Personal life
Personal life
Cooper was married to Ted Dewan, a fellow children's book author and illustrator and they have one daughter. They are now divorced.
Works
Works
Cooper is both the writer and the illustrator of many published picture books and a set of four "mini-books" about toy animals (1994), later packaged in English, Spanish, and Catalan languages as Toy Tales (1999). She has illustrated a few books by other writers and written one book with another illustrator, as noted. • Kit and the Magic Kite (1987) • Lucy and the Eggwitch (1989), by Moira Miller • Solomon's Secret (1989), by Saviour Pirotta • Ella and the Rabbit (1990) • Christmas Stories for the Very Young (1990), a collection edited by Sally Grindley • The Owl and the Pussycat (1991), an edition of the classic by Edward Lear • Chestnut Grey (1993) • The Bear Under the Stairs (1993) • The House Cat (1993) • Toy Tales (1994; 1999 omnibus under one title) • The tale of bear • The tale of frog • The tale of duck • The tale of pig • Little Monster Did It! (1995) • The Boy Who Wouldn't Go To Bed (1996) • Pumpkin Soup (1998) • Tatty Ratty (2001) • Sandmare (Corgi, 2001), written by Cooper and illustrated by Ted Dewan • A Pipkin of Pepper (2003 or 2004) – sequel to Pumpkin Soup • Delicious (2006) – sequel to Pumpkin Soup • Dog Biscuit (2008) • The Hippo at the end of the Hall (2017) - a children's illustrated middle grade novel. • Saving The Butterfly (2022) - Written by Cooper and illustrated by Gill Smith. • 'The Taming of the Cat' - a children's illustrated middle grade novel, written and illustrated by Cooper.
Identity
Identity
Helen Cooper is recorded as writer, illustrator and music teacher.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1963
Helen Cooper born at London.
Literature
Literature
Literature
A Bibliography of Helen Cooper’s Published Works, Medieval into Renaissance, 2016.
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."About", helencooperbooks.co.uk.
- 2.Brennan, Geraldine. Drawing on Memories of Vegas. TES: Times Educational Supplement. 4229. 9. 1997.
- 3.The Random House Group. Helen Cooper. Authors: A–Z.
- 4.Rockman, Connie. Helen Cooper. Ninth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators. 2004.
- 5.Walker Books - Saving the Butterfly. www.walker.co.uk.
- 6.Helen Cooper - Macmillan.
- 7.(Greenaway Winner 1996). Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- 8.(Greenaway Winner 1998). Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- 9.Press Desk (directory). CILIP. Retrieved 16 July 2012. Quote: "media releases relating to the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards in date order." (2002 to 2006 releases concern 2001 to 2005 awards.)
- 10."Carnegie Medal Award". 2007(?). Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library. Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- 11."Picture Books Main Page" . Helen Cooper. Retrieved 3 September 2012. (See also the left menu.)
- 12."Cooper, Helen (Helen F.)". WorldCat. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3784504: Helen CooperWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the headings Helen F. Cooper and Helen Sonia Cooper. Her recorded language was English. She married Ted Dewan.
Identity and origins
Digitised editions and texts
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Helen AllinghamIllustrator
- Helen BannermanIllustrator
- Helen BinyonIllustrator
- Helen BortenIllustrator
- Helen Damrosch Tee-VanIllustrator
- Helen Grace Culverwell Marsh-LambertIllustrator
- Helen HaywoodIllustrator
- Helen Hoppner CoodeIllustrator
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