Simon Basher

Simon Basher, is an English artist, illustrator and author based in Amsterdam. He is best known for his illustrated children's reference books, particularly the Basher Science series, which includes The Periodic Table, Physics and Chemistry.

Simon Basher
Born
Simon Coleman

London, England, U.K.
OccupationWriter, illustrator
Years active2000–present
Spouse(s)Claire Rollet

Life and career

Basher was born in London, England. He studied illustration at both the Epsom School of Art and Design (which merged with Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College in 1994) and Lincoln College, Lincolnshire. After graduating in 1992, he was a member of the rock / hip-hop band Boasti who enjoyed Indie rock chart success and toured with Senser, Chumbawamba and Dub War. From 1995, he worked as a session musician for various record labels including EMI, Rhythm King and Talkin' Loud both in London and New York City. He toured the UK extensively with different acts and was a performer with the band Posh at the Songs & Visions Carlsberg Concert Tour at Wembley Stadium in 1997. From 1998, he ran a musician and artist management company and along with record producer Paul Epworth was one of the founding members of the 93 Feet East music venue.

In 2000, Simon returned to art and illustration. Working under the name Basher, he created his manga character style exhibiting and selling original artwork and limited edition prints both internationally and in the U.K. In 2002 and 2006, he exhibited at two solo shows 'look how bright and brave they are' and 'Hello Oddbod' in The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. In 2004, the Basher clothing range was launched in Selfridges. In 2007, the first book in the Basher Science series, The Periodic Table was published by Kingfisher to critical and commercial acclaim. He has since published over 50 books across eight series including Basher Science, History, Basics and Go!Go! BoBo. His books are available in over twenty countries and have sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide. In 2017, the Basher Science toy line was launched in the US in partnership with Mattel.

Work

Basher received a Graphic Design HND from Lincoln College of Art in 1992,[1] with contemporaries such as Lydia Monks (see Julia Donaldson).

Starting in 2007, Basher began writing and illustrating a series of books aimed at making science relevant and interesting. His first work, on the Periodic Table, invited the reader to enjoy "Elements with Style!". It was subsequently reviewed by Publishers Weekly[2] and the Royal Society of Chemistry.[3]

"Artist and designer Simon Basher has fun playing in the world of contemporary character design. Inspired by a love of simple line work and a rich color palette, his characters fill the gap between edgy manga and the cuteness of Hello Kitty. He lives in England."[4]

Personal life

Basher is married to the French illustrator Claire Rollet. They have two children and live and work in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Bibliography

All titles were published by Kingfisher, a division of Macmillan Publishers, except as indicated.

Basics Series
  • Maths: A book you can count on!
  • Punctuation: the write stuff!
  • Grammar: the bill of writes!
  • Music: hit the right note!
  • Dinosaurs: the bare bones! [5]
  • Weather: whipping up a storm!
  • Creative Writing: the plot thickens! [6]
  • Space Exploration: it IS rocket science!

Science Series
  • The Periodic Table: elements with style!
  • Biology: life as we know it!
  • Physics: why matter matters!
  • Planet Earth: what planet are you on?
  • Chemistry: getting a big reaction!
  • Astronomy: out of this world!
  • Algebra and Geometry: anything but square!
  • Human Body: a book with guts!
  • Rocks and Minerals: a gem of a read!
  • Oceans: making waves!
  • Technology: a bite-sized world!
  • Extreme Physics: take a quantum leap...to the edge of science
  • Extreme Biology: from superbugs to clones...get to the edge of science
  • Climate Change: a hot topic!
  • Microbiology: it's a small world!
  • Engineering: The Riveting World of Buildings and Machines
  • A to Z of Science

Basher STEM Junior Series
  • STEM Science
  • STEM Technology
  • STEM Engineering
  • STEM Math

Individual Titles
  • Basher ABC [7]
  • Basher 123 [8]
  • Basher Science Sticker Book

Superstars Series

History Series
  • US Presidents: Oval Office all-stars
  • Mythology: the stuff of legends!
  • States And Capitals: United we Stand!
  • Civics
  • Legendary Creatures
  • Money

Geography Series
  • Countries of the World: an atlas with attitude!

Mini Series
  • Pandemic

Go!Go! Bobo Series
  • Colors (US)
  • Colours (UK)
  • Shapes [9]
  • Time
  • Opposites

Coding Series
  • Code your own Website, with Hansel Lynn and Wayne Teng of theCoderSchool
  • Coding with Scratch, with Hansel Lynn and Wayne Teng of theCoderSchool

References
  1. "Lydia Monk Blogspot".
  2. "Publishers Weekly review".
  3. Pitt, Wendy (1 November 2007). "Cartoon chemistry". Education in Chemistry. Vol. 44 no. 6. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 189.
  4. "LoveReading4kids".
  5. "Publisher's Weekly review".
  6. "Publisher's Weekly review".
  7. "Publisher's Weekly review".
  8. "Publisher's Weekly review".
  9. "Publisher's Weekly review".
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