Authors and illustrators

Beth Hamilton

Beth is from the sunny Isle of Wight and works in children’s publishing. She loves windy seaside walks, drinking coffee and daydreaming cool stories (preferably all at once!)

Bee Chuck

Bee Chuck grew up in Yorkshire and graduated from Falmouth School of Art and in 2020 with a first class degree in Illustration. Bee identifies as non-binary and their preferred pronouns are they/them. Their main inspirations are children’s drawings, nature and their desire to make the world a better place through art. Bee loves being outdoors and filling their sketchbooks with drawings of all sorts of flowers, birds, insects and plants which inspire and populate their narrative illustration. Bee’s biggest influence growing up was their grandma Mary, who is a poet and an artist and encouraged Bee to create, draw and paint in all sorts of different mediums and styles.

Clare Helen Welsh

Clare is a former primary school teacher, turned children’s writer, and is a passionate advocate for mental health. She is delighted that her books mean she can continue to inspire children to love language, themselves and the world around them. Clare teaches picture book writing for WriteMentor and City Lit, and enjoys inspiring writers to achieve their dreams. She lives in Devon with her husband and two children.

Claire Freedman

Claire Freedman lives on the Essex coast close to Southend-on-Sea. She is the author of many books for children, including Who’s For Dinner, Cuddle Bear and Bedtime, Little Ones! When not writing, Claire spends her time sailing and walking in the countryside.

Ciara Gavin

Ciara Gavin writes and illustrates picture books for children. She graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland. Her work appears in the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History there and has been exhibited at galleries throughout Ireland. She lives in Dublin with her son.

Cee Biscoe

Cee Biscoe studied Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, gaining an MA in 2007. She lives in Suffolk with her husband and a small garden full of wildlife, many of which creep and crawl their way into her illustrations.

Catherine Walters

After many years of living in the north of England, Catherine Walters relocated to New Zealand where she now lives with her family and two meddlesome Siamese cats. She is part of a collective running an art gallery in Nelson where she finds plenty to inspire her in the unaccustomed sunshine.

Catherine Rayner

Award-winning author and illustrator, Catherine Rayner, was born in Harrogate and now lives in Edinburgh. She has a BA Hons in Visual Communication and Illustration from Leeds College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art. Much of the inspiration for her illustration comes from her pets.