FAMED illustrator and Mornington Peninsula resident Terry Denton died surrounded by his family on Monday 21 September, aged 76.
Terry was the author and illustrator of over 30 of his own books including his Gasp! Series which was adapted for television in 2011.
He also illustrated for authors such as Mem Fox, Paul Jennings and Gillian Rubinstein.
His long-term collaboration with Andy Griffiths began in 1997 with the publication of Just Tricking!, the first of nine books in the Just! series, which was followed by the hugely successful Treehouse series – 13 books of 13 treehouse stories – which helped generations of children fall in love with books and writing.
Parents who grew up reading the Treehouse books later accompanied their children to events and signings with their own children.
The much-beloved series sold into 35 translation territories, and totals over 13 million sales in English language alone.
Andy Griffiths said: “Working – and playing – with Terry over three decades has been an incredible honour and a pure delight. Jill and I will miss him greatly.”
Denton will be remembered for his sense of fun, kindness and generosity. He will be greatly missed but leaves a massive legacy in his cherished books and illustrations.
He is survived by his wife Kristen, his children Max, Imogen and Eve and his grandchildren Georgia, Lucy, Charlie, Alfie and Felix.
A statement from the Denton family said: “Dad gave joy to millions of children around the world and after all those stories and all those lives he touched, he always came home to us”.
“We are so grateful that his stories will continue to live on, bringing wonder, laughter and comfort to generations yet to come – and most especially to his beloved grandchildren, who will grow up knowing him through the magic he left behind.”
Artist had an eye for every occasion
THE sparkle that would appear in Terry Denton’s eye was a clue to his often offbeat reaction to everyday events or circumstances that provided an endless source of fodder for his art and books.
To say that he had an interesting way of looking at things is selling his creative capabilities short.
When asked by this writer 46 years ago to design a wedding invitation for me and my wife to be, Grada, Denton came up with something way beyond what I expected.
Having given him the appropriate names, dates, times and location, within days he was back with a hand drawn invite that can only be described as a cartoon. It was perfect.
The result illustrated just how unique Denton’s approach was to even the most mundane of requests.
His approach to what is one of life’s most important events involved a mix of his own typography and cartoon characters erecting a billboard announcing the upcoming wedding – “a very small [backyard] celebration … followed by a very large celebration”.
The little characters were busily climbing ladders and hauling on ropes to fix the letters to the billboard. The yet-to-be-married couple – described as having “decided to get together on a permanent basis” – were characterised as sitting to one side in a starlit night looking at a full moon. The moon’s face was staring back through a magnifying glass while smoking what appeared to be a hand-rolled cigarette.
Denton’s unique, humorous drawing set the stage for what was indeed a memorable celebration.
Keith Platt
