Background
Satoshi Kitamura was born on June 11, 1956, in Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of Testuo and Fusae (Sadanaga) Kitamura.
2018
Satoshi Kitamura in 2018.
2018
Satoshi Kitamura in 2018.
Satoshi Kitamura at a conference of illustrators in Spain.
Satoshi Kitamura
Satoshi Kitamura
Satoshi Kitamura with Rodrigo Morlesin.
Satoshi Kitamura
95 Portsdown Rd, Singapore 139299, Singapore
Satoshi Kitamura in Tanglin Trust School.
95 Portsdown Rd, Singapore 139299, Singapore
Satoshi Kitamura in Tanglin Trust School.
Satoshi Kitamura with other writers and editors.
258 Yamate-cho, Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Kanagawa 231-0862, Japan
Satoshi Kitamura in Yokohama International School.
258 Yamate-cho, Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Kanagawa 231-0862, Japan
Satoshi Kitamura in Yokohama International School.
(When Wooly the sheep suffers from insomnia, he goes for a...)
When Wooly the sheep suffers from insomnia, he goes for a walk and gets into just about everything. Each illustration features objects for children to count.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374483590/?tag=2022091-20
1986
(When Georgina, Hubert, and Gogol - three sheep - have the...)
When Georgina, Hubert, and Gogol - three sheep - have their fleecy coats stolen from the beach while they are swimming, they suspect that some wily wolves have pulled the wool over their eyes. To catch the thieves, the sheep enlist the help of Elliott Baa, a private detective. But will Elliott's street smarts, combined with the help of a gang of rugby-loving cats, be enough to crack this baffling case? Satoshi Kitamura's colorful, antic illustrations bring this comic mystery to life.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374367809/?tag=2022091-20
1995
(This book recounts the modest tribulations of Duck during...)
This book recounts the modest tribulations of Duck during a potentially pleasant stroll. It starts raining, he gets his feet muddy, is buffeted by winds, papered by leaves, and takes a header into the muck. A dip in the pond and Duck is good as new.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374318859/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(When Goldfish cannot find Heidi, his hide-and-seek partne...)
When Goldfish cannot find Heidi, his hide-and-seek partner, he ventures into the perilous world beyond his fishbowl, where he encounters a hungry Cat and is forced to come up with an ingenious scheme to escape and return safely home.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374327076/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(Boots the cat, a spunky new board book hero, definitely s...)
Boots the cat, a spunky new board book hero, definitely sees the world through a child's eyes. In Bathtime Boots, Boots plays a game of hide-and-seek with his young owner in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid getting a bath.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374305323/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(Late one night, an old lady in a pointed hat climbs throu...)
Late one night, an old lady in a pointed hat climbs through the window into Nicholas' bedroom. She brandishes her broom, fires out some words, and then leaves as abruptly as she came. It's puzzling at the time, but not nearly as puzzling as what happens the next day.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1842707752/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(Three hilarious stories are told in graphic style in this...)
Three hilarious stories are told in graphic style in this book destined for multiple readings. The first episode finds the charismatic Boots without a place to nap on his usual wall. A bit of ingenuity and some fish biscuits are all he needs to get some room, though his scheme is certain to backfire.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374314551/?tag=2022091-20
2002
(Everybody has a song. Igor has been looking forward to sp...)
Everybody has a song. Igor has been looking forward to spring when he will sing for the first time in his life. But when the Dawn Chorus begins, the other birds laugh at the notes coming out of his beak. After unsuccessful voice lessons, Igor decides never to sing again and sets off to find a place where there is no music. He roams the globe, which is surprisingly abundant in song, until, at last, he finds a lonely, empty plain where it is quiet. Heartbroken, Igor roosts on a rock until a splendid sunset moves him so much that he breaks his vow of symphonic silence.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374335583/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(Pablo the elephant has a problem. His art club is holding...)
Pablo the elephant has a problem. His art club is holding an exhibition, and all he has is an empty canvas. Plagued by artist's block, Pablo sets out for the country, in hopes of finding fresh ideas. But when he finishes his landscape, Pablo still isn't satisfied. It may just take the ingenuity of some friendly woodland strangers to help Pablo realize his full artistic potential.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N9MY8UI/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(Travel 20,000 years into the past and discover what life ...)
Travel 20,000 years into the past and discover what life as a caveman was like in this prehistoric picture book by a prodigiously talented artist. One day a little boy is walking along when he trips, stumbles and falls into the Stone Age! He meets a girl his own age and her tribe and learns all about their way of life. He watches them make tools, clothes, and weapons. He sees how they hunt, fish, cook, celebrate - and even how they paint on the walls of caves. But when a furious cave bear attacks, he wakes up back in his own time where everyone tells him it was only a dream. But was it?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1406312193/?tag=2022091-20
2007
(Lionel is going to a party today, so he must do something...)
Lionel is going to a party today, so he must do something about his hair. He finds a barber who has lots of suggestions for hairstyles, from dandelion hair to octopus hair! Will Lionel find a style that suits him?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547239343/?tag=2022091-20
2007
(Millie loves hats, but she can't afford to buy any of the...)
Millie loves hats, but she can't afford to buy any of the beautiful ones in the hat shop. But the shopkeeper has an idea. He produces a box containing an amazing hat with the most perfect shape and color imaginable - if Millie dares to imagine it. Millie does dare, and soon she sees not only her own marvellous hat but everyone else's hats as well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNXBYAC/?tag=2022091-20
2009
(Meet Pot-san, a tubby little teapot who loves to pour tea...)
Meet Pot-san, a tubby little teapot who loves to pour tea. He and his tabletop friends - Teacup, Milk Jug, Sugar Bowl, and Spoon - have lots of adventures, and they'd like their readers to join them too! Illustrated in Satoshi's quirky style, he demonstrates how far the imagination can flow even about the seemingly mundane.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849393788/?tag=2022091-20
2012
Satoshi Kitamura was born on June 11, 1956, in Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of Testuo and Fusae (Sadanaga) Kitamura.
Satoshi Kitamura attended schools in Japan. At school, he drew caricatures of the teachers. After dropping out of school to pursue art, Kitamura decided not to attempt a 10-year apprenticeship as a potter. He began reading comics when he was young.
Satoshi Kitamura began his career at the age of nineteen as a commercial artist working as an illustrator for adverts and magazines. He held this position from 1976 till 1979. Then he moved to London and worked there at greeting cards designing. He started illustrating for Andersen Press in 1981 after he had an exhibition of his work at the Neal Street Gallery in Covent Garden. His first work was illustrating the book Angry Arthur by Hiawyn Oram (1983). In 1985 Kitamura issued What’s Inside: The Alphabet Book, the first of his many solo children’s book projects. It is full of visual clues to help lead children through alphabetically ordered pairs of lower-case letters.
In his books, Kitamura interweaves Japanese and Western visual traditions in illustrations. His work includes over 20 of his own books and he has contributed as an illustrator for other books. Satoshi translates all his own work into Japanese and his books have been published in many languages, including Spanish and Korean. One of his finest books is Sheep in Wolves' Clothing (1995). Here the full range of Kitamura's skills is on display - crazy plot, thoughtful characters, luscious landscapes and crepuscular urban scenes bristling with architectural detail. Sheep in Wolves' Clothing was adapted into an animation series that screened on the BBC and also sold to overseas markets.
His other famous books are When Sheep Cannot Sleep (1986), UFO diary (1989), Me and My Cat? (1999). Stone Age Boy (2007), and more other. In 2009 he moved back to Japan and continues to travel and work for publishers across the globe. In addition to books, his credits include designing posters for Tokyo Underground and signage at Birmingham Children's Hospital in the United Kingdom and one of his signature cats, this one called Browser, is a logo for the Seven Stories in Newcastle, United Kingdom.
(When Goldfish cannot find Heidi, his hide-and-seek partne...)
1997(When Georgina, Hubert, and Gogol - three sheep - have the...)
1995(Travel 20,000 years into the past and discover what life ...)
2007(Where can Squirrel hide his walnut? By the time he finds ...)
1997(Lily enjoys walks with her dog Nicky, not realizing he is...)
1991(Dog is thirsty, but every time he finds some water it tur...)
1997(When Wooly the sheep suffers from insomnia, he goes for a...)
1986(Late one night, an old lady in a pointed hat climbs throu...)
1999(Three hilarious stories are told in graphic style in this...)
2002(Boots the cat, a spunky new board book hero, definitely s...)
1998(Millie loves hats, but she can't afford to buy any of the...)
2009(This book recounts the modest tribulations of Duck during...)
1997(From Acorn to Zoo is the alphabet book in which the every...)
1992(Lionel is going to a party today, so he must do something...)
2007(Cat wants to take a nap but he has trouble finding a suit...)
1997(Meet Pot-san, a tubby little teapot who loves to pour tea...)
2012(Pablo the elephant has a problem. His art club is holding...)
2005(Everybody has a song. Igor has been looking forward to sp...)
2005Satoshi Kitamura draws with ink, but instead of a springy, steel nib, he uses a Japanese glass pen, with tiny grooves to accommodate the ink. This creates a distinctive line that blobs now and then as it glides, giving an unmistakable character to everything he draws. He was influenced by comics and by anything visual from a tin of sardines to the fine art of the East and the West. Kamishibai was his early influence.
Quotations:
"I am interested in different angles of looking at things. I find great Potential in picture books where visual and verbal fuse to experience and I also experiment with these angles. Also, there is an advantage of universality of expression in this medium due to the clarity required for young readers."
"Like all Japanese children, I drew all over the pavement - and on the road when there weren't so many cars. At school, I drew caricatures of the teachers."
"I’m very influenced by music, and I like musical instruments. My approach to illustrating music is spontaneous. Music and painting come from the same source. They are just different aspects of the same thing."
"The children are wonderful and fun."
Satoshi Kitamura is not a good performer in front of an audience.
He studies Spanish in his spare time.
Quotes from others about the person
"A superb draftsman and colorist, he uses pen and brush to create remarkably lush and textured illustrations." - David Wiesner
"One of our finest and most versatile illustrators." - Joanna Carey
"Satoshi Kitamura has produced some of the most delightful picture books of the last dozen years."
Satoshi Kitamura married Yoko Sugisaki on December 15, 1987.