Book of the Month: Much Ado About Shakespeare by Donovan Bixley
Shakespeare’s life, told in his own words and beautifully illustrated by a great fan! Within these pages you’ll find a new interpretation of Shakespeare, which sheds light on his colourful and exuberant life and times. You won’t find the sainted genius – solemn with quill and ink-stained hand. High of brow he may have been, but never high-brow; never the snooty artist, locked away from the world – Shakespeare was in the thick of it.
Much Ado About Shakespeare brings you the highs and lows, the tongue in cheek, the truth and imagination . . . the fantastical world of William Shakespeare in his own words and through the magnificent art of Donovan Bixley.
Donovan Bixley is an award-winning illustrator and book designer based in Taupo.
He has illustrated over 80 books across a broad range of genres, from his best-selling preschool books The Wheels on the Bus (2010) andOld MacDonald’s Farm (2011), to his wordless book about extreme climate change, The Weather Machine, his hybrid comic/novelMonkey Boy, and his illustrated biography Faithfully Mozart, which was a finalist in the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
Donovan has also worked with top New Zealand authors: recreating Dashing Dog by New Zealand’s world famous Margaret Mahy; illustrating two of Barry Crump’s Pungapeople books, co-creating the internationally acclaimed Dinosaur Rescue series with Kyle Mewburn, and illustrating The Three Bears Sort Of by Yvonne Morrison, which won the coveted Children’s Choice Award at the 2014 NZ Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
When he’s not immersed in the world of picture books, Donovan plays guitar, piano and saxophone, and is front-man for Hot Tub, a 13 piece funk/jazz band. He has also been involved with the Taupo Theatre Company, both on stage and behind the scenes as a designer.
You can visit his website for his books, BixPics, here, his graphic design company, Magma Design, here, or follow him on Facebook.
Check out these beautiful excerpts! Click on the images to zoom:
