Biography
Joseph Kelly is the illustrator of the popular Kids Can Press Martin Bridge book series. He came to children’s illustration along a roundabout route that threaded through industrial design and concept animation.#He has always drawn, and in high school he used charcoal and brown paper to people the walls of his room with life-sized portraits of characters from The Lord of the Rings, something he would certainly do again if he were sure his wife wouldn’t mind living with a houseful of goblins. Though his drawings for the Martin Bridge books are somewhat smaller than life-sized, the number of shaded graphite drawings and acrylic paintings comes to over 650 pieces of art.#When he isn’t illustrating, Joseph uses a homemade lens and plumber’s pipe viewer to explore tide pools at the shore near his home in Sonoma, California, and is known for painting very large portraits of very small beach puddle residents.
Awards
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Martin Bridge: Onwards and Upwards!
2010 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Starred Selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
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Martin Bridge: In High Gear!
2009 - Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
2009 - Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award, , Short-listed
2007 - Junior Library Guild Premier Selection, , Winner
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Martin Bridge: The Sky’s the Limit!
2009 - Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
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Martin Bridge: Blazing Ahead!
2007 - Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, , Short-listed
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A Paddling of Ducks
2011 - Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Winner
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Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff!
2007 - Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award, American Library Association, Short-listed
2006 - Notable Children’s Book, , Winner
Early Chapter Books
Martin Bridge: On the Lookout!, Picture Books
A Paddling of Ducks, 2010
Martin Bridge: Out of Orbit!, 2007
Martin Bridge: Onwards and Upwards!, 2009
Martin Bridge: In High Gear!, 2008
Martin Bridge: The Sky’s the Limit!, 2008
Martin Bridge: Sound the Alarm!, 2007
Martin Bridge: Blazing Ahead!, 2006
Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff!, 2005