Biography
Jeannie Baker was born in England in 1950. After finishing Art College in England she moved to Australia. She does collage artwork which she then makes into picture books. Her collages are made from a combination of natural and artificial materials. Many of her collages are part of art collections in London, New York and Australia. She also makes short films.
(Jeannie Baker, n.d)
Famous books by Jeannie Baker include:
Short films by Jeannie Baker include:
- Mirror
- Belonging
- Home
- The story of Rosy Dock
- Window
- Where the Forest Meets the Sea
- Home in the Sky
- The Hidden Forest
- One Hungry Spider
- Millicent
- Grandmother
- Grandfather
- Polar
Short films by Jeannie Baker include:
- The Story of Rosy Dock
- Where the Forest Meets the Sea
About the Books
Belonging is about families living on a city street who make the street their own again by planting trees and painting over graffiti. The message of the book is that children and families can empower themselves and create their own living environment.
Grandfather is about a girl who visits her grandfather’s junk shop which has many things for her to play.
Grandmother is about a small girl who visits her grandmother. Her gandmother's garden is so
overgrown it is almost a jungle. The most treasured thing is the affection between the girl and her grandmother.
overgrown it is almost a jungle. The most treasured thing is the affection between the girl and her grandmother.
Home in the Sky is about a homing pigeon that lives in New York. The pigeon strays from his home and goes on a journey through New York. The pigeon’s instinct leads him back home.
Millicent is a woman who walks through the park everyday to speak to the pigeons which expect her. She collects feathers to make into a feather coat, hat, bag and shoes.
Mirror is two books which are combined and designed to be read simultaneously. It is about two boys and their families- one from the city in Sydney and one from a small village in Morocco. Throughout this book we can see the difference in lifestyles and landscapes. Even though the lives of the boys are so different they still share some parallels.
The Hidden Forest is about a boy who discovers an entire world living under the sea. When his fishnet gets caught he goes underwater and discovers the kelp forest and its inhabitants.
The story of Rosy Dock is about the Australian desert which has had little change over thousands of years. Then people from Europe come along and plant seeds from the other side of the world. An unexpected flowering happens for some of these plants.
Where the Forest Meets the Sea is about a father and son who visit a tropical rainforest. The boy walks along the forest and imagines what the forest was like in the past. He imagines what creatures or people would have lived there. The father and son wonder what will happen to the forest in the future. The message Jeannie expresses in this book is how forests are disappearing from Australia and around the world rapidly.
Window is about a mother looking out the window of her house and is able to see the natural wilderness and the sky. As her child grows older she sees the wilderness disappearing and becoming a city.