Mark Burgess

Mark Burgess (born 26 April 1957; pen name Simon Goswell for two books) is best known as an English author and illustrator of children's literature. He has illustrated books by Tony Bradman and Martin Waddell. Among his most recent assignments, he illustrated Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, the authorized sequel of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Burgess also designs greeting cards and is a computer programmer. Additionally, Burgess has colored and adapted the newer editions of various classic children's books that were drawn by the late E. H. Shepard on 26 April 1957 to John Frederick Orchard Burgess and Mona Goswell. He was the third child among his four siblings. He attended boarding school at Christ's Hospital in Sussex, England

In 1975, Burgess began studying at the Slade School of Fine Art of the University College London. Graduating from there with a B.A. in Fine Art in 1979, he began working as a freelance author and illustrator of children's books, magazines and greetings cards (of which he has designed over 500). He also briefly worked at the London Zoo as well as in a library in Cambridge. and is married to Malawi-born artist Rosemary Benson, who is his senior by 9 years and who also attended the Slade School of Art from 1977 to 1979.

Burgess also illustrated Return to the Hundred Acre Wood in the style of E. H. Shepard, whose work he admired. When speaking of his work on that book, Burgess said:

Reception

As a writer Chloe Spooner from The Bookbag praised Burgess' Where Teddy Bears Come From (illustrated by Russell Ayto) writing, "The author Mark Burgess has created a wonderful world for children here in this book, and the extra dash of Christmas magic just makes an already lovely story all the more charming."

As an illustrator Burgess shared a 2002 Blue Hen Book Award in the Picture Book Winner category for his and Allan Curless' illustrations in Dogs' Night.

Burgess' illustration of Return to the Hundred Acre Wood in particular received good reviews in The Sunday Times as well as in Fantasy Book Review and Kidsreads.com. Jana Siciliano of Kidsreads.com, wrote:

However, Susan Perren, children's book columnist of The Globe and Mail, had reservations on the drawings found in Return to the Hundred Acre Wood. Perren wrote, "This bad-tempered donkey might say, too, that Mark Burgess, as good an illustrator as he might be, is no Ernest Shepherd, and anyway, where are all those lovely line drawings we enjoyed so much in the original?"

Burgess also illustrated the 2016 authorized sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh, The Best Bear in All the World and the 90th anniversary special Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the Queen.