PJ Lynch was born in Belfast, and became interested in art at an early age. He has worked as a children’s book illustrator since leaving Brighton College of Art in England in 1984, and has illustrated dozens of books, including modern editions of classic books such as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. PJ has been awarded the Christopher Medal three times, and he also won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal on two occasions, first for The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, and again for When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest. His first illustrated book was A Bag of Moonshine by Alan Garner, a collection of folklore tales from England and Wales, which was published in 1986. For that work he won the Mother Goose Award given to the most exciting newcomer to British children’s book illustration. Since then folklore – traditional stories, legends, and fairy tales – have been a recurring subject of his work. PJ illustrated the anthology Once Upon a Place, which was compiled by Eoin Colfer as Laureate na nÓg. In 2015, PJ published The Boy who Fell off the Mayflower, which was the first picture book he also authored. Since then, he has illustrated books including Eoin Colfer’s The Dog Who Lost His Bark and Patrick and the President, by Ryan Tubridy. The most recent book authored and illustrated by PJ, The Haunted Lake, was the winner of the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Honour Award for Illustration 2021. PJ Lynch was Ireland’s fourth Laureate na nÓg (2016-2018).
Rugadh PJ Lynch i mBéal Feirste agus chuir sé suim san ealaín nuair a bhí sé an-óg. Tá sé ag obair mar mhaisitheoir do leabhair do pháistí ó d’fhág sé an Brighton College of Art i Sasana in 1984 agus tá os cionn scór leabhar maisithe aige, lena n-áirítear eagráin nua-aimseartha de leabhair chlasaiceacha ar nós A Christmas Carol le Charles Dickens agus The Snow Queen le Hans Christian Andersen. Bronnadh an Christopher Medal ar PJ trí huaire agus bhuaigh sé an gradam mór le rá, an Kate Greenaway Medal, faoi dhó – i dtosach báire as The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey le Susan Wojciechowski, agus arís as When Jessie Came Across the Sea le Amy Hest. Ba é A Bag of Moonshine le Alan Garner an chéad leabhar a mhaisigh Lynch. Cnuasach de scéalta béaloidis as Sasana agus as an mBreatain Bheag atá ann, a foilsíodh in 1986. Bhain sé an Mother Goose Award as an gcnuasach sin sa rannóg don duine nua is fearr i maisiú leabhar do pháistí sa Bhreatain. Ón am sin i leith tá an béaloideas – scéalta traidisiúnta, finscéalta agus síscéalta – ina ábhar arís is arís eile ina shaothar. Ba é PJ a mhaisigh an duanaire Once Upon a Place, a chuir Eoin Colfer le chéile mar Laureate na nÓg. In 2015, d’fhoilsigh PJ The Boy who Fell off the Mayflower, an chéad phictiúrleabhar a chum sé. Tá leabhair éagsúla maisithe aige ó shin, The Dog Who Lost His Bark le hEoin Colfer agus Patrick and the President, le Ryan Tubridy, ina measc. Bronnadh Gradam Onórach don Mhaisiú KPMG CBI 2021 ar an leabhar is déanaí atá cumtha agus maisithe ag PJ, The Haunted Lake. Ba é PJ Lynch ceathrú Laureate na nÓg (2016-2018).