Imagining a Turtle Named Franklin by Brenda Clark

Photo credit: Lee Higginson.

Join the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books for our 19th Annual Sybille Pantazzi Memorial Lecture: Imagining a Turtle Named Franklin by Brenda Clark.

Award winning picture book illustrator, Brenda Clark is the original illustrator of the beloved Franklin the Turtle book series, by author Paulette Bourgeois. In this lecture, she will share how she became an artist and how Franklin was created. Brenda’s illustrations have played a key role in Franklin’s worldwide popularity, leading to the inspiration of the animated TV series, merchandise, spin-off books, a children’s garden on Toronto Island and a Canadian postage stamp. She will walk us through the process of designing and painting the art and explain how it takes some amazing teamwork to meet the challenges of Franklin’s success.

For the past 40 years, Brenda Clark has delighted children as the illustrator of the hugely successful Franklin the Turtle children’s book series. Over 70 million Franklin books have been sold in more than 30 languages worldwide, making it the single most successful picture book series in the history of Canadian publishing. In 2011, the archives of Brenda Clark were donated to the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books, and recognized by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board as cultural property for its “Outstanding Significance and National Importance”. In 2014, Brenda was named a Member of the Order of Canada. She lives in Port Hope, Ontario.