Nursery World - Next children's laureate is Anthony Browne

The sixth Children's Laureate is illustrator and author Anthony Browne. He has written more than 40 books, which often feature gorillas and chimpanzees, using surreal touches and ingenious visual puns.

Mr Browne was named Children's Laureate 2009-2011 on Tuesday. He succeeds Michael Rosen, author of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

The role of Children's Laureate, sponsored by Waterstones, is awarded every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement.

One of Anthony Browne's best-loved characters is the chimp Willy, who has appeared in a series of books including Willy the Wimp and Willy and the Wizard.

Explaining his predilection with apes, Mr Browne has said, 'I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent - their huge strength and gentleness. They're thought of as being very fierce creatures, and they're not.'

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