Background
David Armitage was born in 1943 in Tasmania, Australia. He moved to England in 1974.
David Armitage attended Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
David Armitage attended Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
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1979
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1992
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2007
David Armitage was born in 1943 in Tasmania, Australia. He moved to England in 1974.
David Armitage attended Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Comprising one half of the husband-and-wife team of David and Ronda Armitage, his wife Ronda uses her talent for language to spin the stories her artist husband brings to life with his illustrations. The Armitages' picture-book partnership got its start in New Zealand, where Ronda was born and raised. Married in 1966, the couple moved to England eight years later, where David exhibited his work as an abstract expressionist painter and illustrated several books. Their first picture-book collaboration, "The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch", was published in 1977 and received praise from several critics. Despite the fact that they no longer lived in their native country, New Zealand also honored the Armitages' accomplishments; "The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch" earned the New Zealand Library Association's Esther Glen award for the year's most distinguished contribution to that country's children's literature.
"The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch" finds lighthouse keeper Mr. Grinling and his cat, Hamish, in a quandary. A series of delicious lunches packed by Mrs. Grinling and cabled over the water separating the Grinling cottage from the island lighthouse have found their way into the stomachs of a group of wily seagulls rather than to the hungry inhabitants of the lighthouse. With growling tummies and growing frustration at not being able to outsmart the clever birds — who have by now set up a permanent roost at the lighthouse due to the daily arrival of delicious food — Mr. Grinling and his long-tailed companion are eventually saved from starving when Mrs. Grinling packs a series of meals so awful that the gulls quickly lose interest and depart in search of more edible fare.
"The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch" has been followed by several more stories featuring Mr. Grinling and Hamish. In "The Lighthouse Keeper's Catastrophe" Hamish decides to handle lunch for himself when Mr. Grinling's catch from a morning spent fishing is left within paw's reach. Unfortunately, while trying to keep the hungry cat from eating his fish, the lighthouse keeper locks himself out of the lighthouse, an event that starts a chain of humorous mishaps. Graham Nutbrown had praise for "The Lighthouse Keeper's Catastrophe" in School Librarian, particularly noting "the unusual viewpoints" incorporated into David Armitage's illustrations.
The book's artwork was also praised by a Publishers Weekly critic, who cited "the sun-filled watercolors of beaches and atmospheric depictions of storm-tossed seas" as adding to the book's appeal. Other tales featuring the irascible Hamish and his ocean-dwelling owner include "The Lighthouse Keeper's Picnic", "The Lighthouse Keeper's Rescue", and "The Lighthouse Keeper's Christmas", the last of which finds the couple planning to spend their final Christmas Eve at the lighthouse before Mr. Grinling retires. Three of the most popular "Lighthouse Keeper" stories have also been bound together as "The Lighthouse Keeper's Favourite Stories."
The Armitages' sense of fun has extended to numerous other picture books for young children, all with text by Ronda and illustrations by David. In their picture book "The Bossing of Josie", a young girl who is always told what to do by older members of her family imagines that a witch costume she receives for her birthday will give her special powers. She casts a practice spell on her stubborn little brother and he winds up missing for part of the day, resulting in a frantic search and Josie's growing tolerance for being bossed by her elders. "There is a splendid relish and humour in this entirely satisfying glimpse of family life," according to Margery Fisher in Growing Point, while Mary B. Nickerson opined in School Library Journal that David Armitage's "deep drenched water-colors" give The Bossing of Josie "a mild sense of mysteriousness" to Ronda's tale.
The warm humor of family life finds its way throughout the Armitages' work for young children. In "When Dad Did the Washing", events unfold in a way many young children can relate to: Dad man-handles the housework and ends up causing more mess than he cleans up. "Queen of the Night" is geared for young listeners who have a fear of the dark. Like them, Tatty Brown cannot go to sleep at night because of all the scary things she imagines are lurking outside. A story told by Tatty's mother makes the young girl more comfortable with the darkness; in the tale Tatty travels with the queen and learns to understand and appreciate nighttime sounds.
Another young child is lucky enough to have more lives than a cat in the Armitages' "Watch the Baby, Daisy", as Dad takes Mom's directive to "watch the baby" literally: he watches disasters in the making but does nothing to prevent them. Noting that the story serves as an excellent way to alert readers to the dangers to young children that lurk around the house, a Junior Bookshelf critic also praised the illustrations in Watch the Baby, Daisy as "striking" and "full of color and movement."
David Armitage's illustrations are also central to "Grandma Goes Shopping", as a young-at-heart grandma indulges in a wild shopping spree "rendered in bold wash and ink with … a plentiful allowance of humour," according to Growing Point critic Fisher. The flip-side of shopping serves as the focus of "A Quarrel of Koalas" — published in the United States as "Harry Hates Shopping!" — as a mother koala turns the tables on her bored and unruly youngsters during an arduous but necessary excursion to the mall by finding ways to embarrass them into obedience. Perhaps the most important ingredient in the Armitages' success has been their enthusiasm for their craft.
David married the author Ronda Minnitt in1966. The couple has two children, Joss and Kate.
