David Roberts is a British children’s illustrator born on 8 May 1970, known for his distinctive work in both black-and-white line drawings for older readers and full-colour picture books for younger audiences.
Roberts has illustrated more than a hundred titles in collaboration with notable authors including Julia Donaldson (Children’s Laureate 2011–2013), with whom he created Tyrannosaurus Drip, The Troll and Jack and the Flum Flum Tree. His black-and-white work appears in series by Philip Ardagh, G.P. Taylor and Chris Priestley, among others. Mouse Noses on Toast, illustrated by Roberts and written by Daren King, won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 2006. He created the Dirty Bertie character in 2002 and later developed it into a series with writer Alan MacDonald. His collaborations with his sister Lynn Roberts on fairy-tale retellings, including Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale and Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn, earned shortlistings for the Blue Peter Book Award and Kate Greenaway Medal respectively. From 2015 he has illustrated The Bolds series by Julian Clary, continuing his range across humour, adventure and imaginative storytelling for children.
