Our authors and illustrators

We publish contemporary, award winning creators, as well as rediscovered, cherished authors of the past.

Erin Brown

Illustrator

Erin is a Northern Irish illustrator who lives and works on the beautiful island of Jersey in the Channel Islands. After graduating university with a bachelors degree in Fine Art, a passion for stories and children’s books took hold and she jumped in with both feet. She combines her love for hand drawn lines and traditional techniques with the flexibility and freedom of adding colour digitally. Her love of stories comes from her Grandad who lived by the sea and was always ready with a tale or two (and a tea cake!). When she’s not working in her tiny studio, she can be found baking something overly sweet, exploring the forests and cliff paths of Jersey or down at the sea shore, watching the tide roll in.

Beatriz Castro

Illustrator

Beatriz Castro is a professional illustrator. Growing up in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain, she was inspired by the natural world around her to draw and write stories. She is passionate about animals and books, classic stories and fairy tales and enjoys listening to rock and punk music. Her beautiful artwork has been published by numerous international publishing houses.

 

Elizabeth Clark

Author

Annette Elizabeth Clark was born in 1875, the eldest daughter of a vicar. With pioneering courage she left home for London, determined to make her gift for storytelling her life’s work. She narrated her stories to great acclaim at events and gatherings of children, and became a very successful, much published author. She was also sought after as a lecturer on the art of storytelling. In her lifetime she wrote over a hundred stories and broadcast on the BBC’s affectionately remembered ‘Children’s Hour’ in the 1920s.

Elizabeth Clark: ‘a forgotten star of storytelling’ The Observer, (October 2016)

Margarida Esteves

Illustrator

Margarida is a London based illustrator. Her work is colourful, layered, textured and detailed. She has worked on many illustration projects, including children’s books, puzzle/activity books and editorial illustrations. When she is not busy working you will find her watching films, drawing on her sketchbook and learning about our world history.

Raoul Follereau

Author

Raoul Follereau  (1903-1977) was a French writer and humanitarian. He established World Leprosy Day (the last Sunday in January each year), and worked tirelessly for the dignity of the poor and marginalised, touring the world thirty-two times with his wife Madeleine. In France, his name is found on schools, streets and squares. Today, in seventeen countries, you can find associations that bear the name ‘Raoul Follereau’, and continue his work. His ever popular poem ‘A Smile’ has been translated into many languages, and is valued for its simple, uplifting message. 

Hoda Hadadi

Author and illustrator

Hoda Hadadi was born in 1977, and lives in Tehran.  A multi-award winning illustrator with some sixty books to her name, Hoda is also a poet and author.  Her list of accolades speaks to her immense creativity.

Gold Medal for Best Picture Book – International Book Award 2018 USA
Gold Medal for Best Illustrator – Literary Classics Award USA 2017 for ‘Drummer Girl’
Gold Medal for Best Illustrator – Moonbeam Award USA 2017 for ‘Drummer Girl’
Best Arabic Books: Award For Children – 2015 Bahrain
Nominated For Astrid Lindgren Awards – 2012 Sweden
Winner, New Horizons, Writing and Illustrating – Bologna, Italy 2010
Third Prize, Teatro Festival – Italy 2008
Noma, Encouragement Prize  – Japan 2002 & 2008
Grand Prix  – Belgrade, Serbia 2009
Golden Plaque BIB – Bratislava, Slovakia 2007

Instagram:
Hodahadadi_artpage

Sahar Haghgoo

Illustrator

I am Sahar Haghgoo, a children’s book illustrator from Iran (based in London now). I have illustrated books both in Iran and in the UK.  I’m in my third decade but my feelings tell me I’m ten!  I love nature and it always inspires me.

My seven year old daughter also inspires me a lot and with her I remember my own childhood.

Mikko Kunnas

Author and illustrator

Mikko is a man of many talents! A successful Finnish children’s book author and illustrator, he is also a celebrated animation artist and director. With author Markus Majaluoma, he has created the internationally successful ‘Albi the Snowman’ animation, which can be viewed in over 25 countries. He has made over 150 animated films since 1980. He has two children and in his free time enjoys going for walks with his dog in the forest.

 

Rachel Lawston

Author and illustrator

Rachel Lawston is a children’s author, book designer and natural history enthusiast. She is a keen amateur orchid hunter, birdwatcher and bat detector! Growing up in the countryside gave her a deep connection to nature, which she is passionate about sharing. Living in London now, she knows that there is a world of nature waiting for children – even in the town or city.

As a book designer, she has worked with many publishers including Walker Books, Penguin Random House, and Scholastic, to name a few. In her free time, Rachel loves being involved as an education volunteer at WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes, helping children to discover nature. Her husband, Paul, is the Learning Manager at the London Wetland Centre, and Environmental Education Consultant to publishers. He brings his expert natural history knowledge to Finn’s Garden Friends.

 

Markus Majaluoma

Author and illustrator

Award winning Markus Majaluoma was born in 1961 in Pori, Finland. A graduate in art and design, he has created both his own children’s books, and illustrated many others. With his distinctive pallet of colours, emphasis on detail and gentle humour, his endearing books have been translated into several languages, including Chinese, French, Danish and Swedish.

Elena Mannion

Author

Raised in rural Hertfordshire, Elena Mannion spent most of her childhood outdoors, playing in the fields, making dens, and fishing in the village pond! After many years in London, she returned to Hertfordshire.
Years of reading stories to her children and a desire to celebrate the wonder of childhood has led to her debut picture book, The Happy Hedgerow. Her dream is for all children to spend lots of time exploring nature, enjoying the sense of freedom and connection to all things wild that it gives.

Nicholas Oldland

Author and illustrator

Before Canadian based Nicholas became a hugely successful children’s author, he was a commercial artist. Today he combines the role of Creative Director at Hatley, the famous children’s clothing company, with writing and illustrating.

How did he become an author?
Nicholas had always wanted to write a book that you could take to bed with a pair of Hatley pyjamas, but he quickly discovered writing a book was a lot harder than he imagined. This changed one sleepless night when he blindly scratched out the story for Big Bear Hug. In the morning when he looked at his sketchpad he knew he had something. He spent the next few weeks sketching frantically and took it to a Canadian publisher. This was his first book so he did not know what to expect, but luckily they liked it. So began the series LIFE IN THE WILD which has been translated into more than 20 languages.

William Papas

Author and illustrator

Runner up for the Kate Greenaway Medals three times in the 1960s, and awarded six commendations, William Papas (1927-2000) was a renowned children’s author, cartoonist and illustrator. Born in South Africa, he ran away from home at the age of fifteen to join the Air Force, flying coastal missions as a tail gunner during the war. He studied at Johannesburg Art School, Beckenham School of Art and at St Martin’s in London, and worked for The Guardian newspaper as well as producing cartoons for the Sunday Times and Punch. As a children’s author and illustrator he preferred to work mostly in pen and ink, and his work is included in many collections around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Vorres Museum in Athens. Alan Coren, former editor of Punch, described Papas as ‘a highly distinguished original artist, whose work, I firmly believe, is not only of significance of its time, but will make an important contribution to the journalistic history of that time’.

Wafa’ Tarnowska

Author

Wafa’ is a children’s author whose books include the ARABIAN NIGHTS (Barefoot Books, 2010), which won two awards (American Folklore Society Aesop Accolade and Moonbeam Awards Gold Medal Winner) and has been translated into French, Spanish and Arabic. Born in the Lebanon, Wafa’ sees herself as providing a bridge between cultures. A passionate storyteller, she is also a busy translator and subtitler. She is a dual British Australian national, happily settled for many years in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, from where she does most of her writing.

 

Lia Visirin

Illustrator

Lia Visirin was born in a small town in beautiful Transylvania, surrounded by mountains, fortresses and castles. Her passion for drawing was there from childhood: Lia would draw on everything she could! What inspires her most is nature, old photographs, childhood memories and the little things that she observes. She likes using both traditional and digital media in her artwork. She graduated in Art and Design at the University of Cluj-Napoca, while working with local printing houses on children’s books and magazines. 

 

Where to buy

Our books are available from all good independent bookshops, Hive, Amazon, Waterstones and now Bookshop.org

Waterstones link
Link to Hive
Link to amazon
Waterstones link
Pikku Publishing

7 High Street
Barkway
Herts
SG8 8EA

E: info@pikkupublishing.com

UK Trade & International Representation

SALTWAY
33 Hatherop
Cirencester
Gloucs
GL7 3NA

E: chris.mclaren@saltway.co.uk
T: +44 (0)1285 750212
M: +44 (0)7850 760537
S: cml1958
www.saltway.co.uk

See 'Contact' for full details