Kęstutis Kasparavičius

Kęstutis Kasparavičius
Kęstutis Kasparavičius
Born	(1954-06-02) June 2, 1954 Trakų rajonas, Lithuania
Occupation	Author, Illustrator
Nationality	Lithuanian
Genre	Children, Family, Fantasy, Humor, Animals
Notable works	Strawberry Day: Mysterious Stories, The Missing Picture, & Rabbit Marcus the Great
Children	four children and one grandson
Website
www.kestutiskasparavicius.com

Kęstutis Kasparavičius (born June 2, 1954 in Aukštadvaris) is a Lithuanian author and book illustrator of over 60 children's books.^[1] His books have been translated into 26 different languages, including Chinese, Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Korean. Kasparavičius is known for his short feel-good stories about various comic characters. Bears, pigs, rabbits, and turtles find themselves trapped in puzzling and thought-provoking situations. Kasparavičius draws children's attention with detailed, colorful, and bright watercolor illustrations that are accompanied by humorous and witty stories.

Kasparavičius studied choir conducting at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art (1962–1972). He transitioned from music to visual arts and worked on his degree in graphic design at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts (1972–1981).^[2] He started as a graphic designer at a publishing house where his talent for illustrating was noticed. In 1984, Kasparavičius published his first book. He has four children and one grandson. He lives in Vilnius, Lithuania.^[3]

Latest books

• 2010: Mažoji žiema (The Little Winter, ISBN 978-609-441-001-7)
• 2009: Baltasis Dramblys: Tolimų kraštų istorijos (The White Elephant, ISBN 978-9955-683-81-0)
• 2008: Kiškis Morkus Didysis (Rabbit Marcus the Great, ISBN 978-9955-683-66-7). Voted the best Lithuanian children's book in 2009.^[4]
• 2007: Sodininkas Florencijus (Florencius the Gardener, ISBN 978-9955-683-33-9). Voted the best Lithuanian children's book in 2008.^[5]
• 2007: Dingęs paveikslas (The Missing Picture, ISBN 978-9955-683-29-2) "In this mysterious and intriguing tale, a group of animals introduces children to the world of art through the analysis of a painting. The animals have gathered to celebrate the arrival of a work of art, but while they are gone, the painting is stolen. As they search for the culprit and attempt to recover the missing painting, the delightful tale unfolds, allowing young readers to investigate and form their own theories about art." - Barnes & Noble^[6]
• 2006: Braškių diena: paslaptingos istorijos (Strawberry Day: Mysterious Stories, ISBN 978-9955-683-21-6)
• 2006: Trumpos istorijos (The Short Stories, ISBN 9955-683-04-X)
• 2005: Kvailos istorijos (The Silly Stories, ISBN 9955-9543-4-5)

Awards and nominations

• Golden Pen Award, Belgrade, 1990
• UNICEF award “Illustrator of the Year”, Bologna Children's Book Fair, 1994^[7]
• II Diploma “Premi International Catalonia d'Illustracio”, Barcelona, 1994
• Illustrations selected at The Society of Illustrators Children's Book Show, New York, 2002
• Award for Excellence, Bologna Children's Book Fair, 2003
• Nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, 2005 and 2006
• Diploma, Tallinn Illustrations Triennial, 2006
• Diploma for illustrations, Vilnius Book Fair, 2007
• Nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, 2008 and 2010
• Children Literature 'Atrapallibres' Award, Catalan Council for Children's and Young Adults' Books, Spain, 2010^[8]
• Honored Illustrator, International Board on Books for Young People, IBBY Honor List 2012, 2012^[9]

References

External links

• Kamanė - Interview with Kestutis Kasparavicius
• Biographies of the Bologna Book Fair Participants: Kestutis Kasparavicius
• Sample illustrations
• Official Facebook Page
• Barnes & Noble - Book Review
• Lietuvos Rytas - K. Kasparavičius: gimęs piešti pasakas vaikams
• Official Website - kestutiskasparavicius.com