Escape to wonderland

Snow queens and Peter Pan, kings, cats and fiddles, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All characters and images that bring youth rushing back. But while we can probably name the authors of our favourite titles, it's harder to say who illustrated them.

It’s with this in mind that the British Library is launching its first art exhibition Magic Pencil - to showcase 300 of the best illustrations in children’s books today.

For grown-ups, the show claims to dispel the myth that illustration is fine art’s poor relation. For everyone of any age, it’s an escapist trip through wonderlands, galaxies and time - though it also gives weight to the darker subjects not considered to be of children's books, such as Michael Foreman's War Boy and When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, a visual parable against nuclear war.

For further visual stimulation, the animated work of artists will also be shown in a small cinema including Raymond Briggs’ The Bear and Father Christmas; Michael Foreman’s War Games; Tony Ross’s Towser and Posy Simmond’s Fred.