Nick Sharratt
Author and illustrator Nick Sharratt was our Writer-Illustrator in Residence from September 2022 to March 2023. During his time in the role, he celebrated the extraordinary power of pictures and visual images in children’s books and the crucial role they play in enriching a child’s experience when it comes to reading.
Nick Sharratt has created illustrations for over two hundred and fifty books during his illustrious career. He has produced over sixty of his own titles, including much-loved favourites Ketchup on Your Cornflakes and Shark in the Park. He has worked with celebrated writers including Julia Donaldson, Kes Gray and Michael Rosen and is well known for his collaboration with Jacqueline Wilson, for whom he’s illustrated more than fifty novels.
BookTrust Storytime Prize
He has been the official illustrator for World Book Day and together with Katrina Charman, was awarded the 2021 BookTrust Storytime Prize, which recognises the best book for sharing with babies and young children, for The Whales on Bus. The award formed an integral part of the charity’s new national library experience BookTrust Storytime which was piloted together with libraries and aimed at encouraging more families with young children, especially those who are disadvantaged, to share stories together and make visiting their local public library a regular part of family life. Sharratt will now sit on the judging panel for the 2022 BookTrust Storytime Prize.
With a new strategy which has a strong focus on supporting the most disadvantaged children to build a reading habit, the BookTrust residency provides a platform for writers and illustrators to explore issues that they are passionate about and use their creativity to inspire more children and families to read together.
Nick Sharratt said, “My six months as BookTrust’s Writer-Illustrator in Residence is going to be one long picture party! I’ll be celebrating the extraordinary power of the visual image on the page and the enormous impact pictures have on us, right from the very first books we encounter. I’m passionate about how pictures and images encourage and enrich children’s reading experiences and how frequently they can take us on wonderful journeys independent of the words.
Pictures can be incredibly freeing and empowering, particularly for those children who aren’t big readers.
So many children enjoy sharing books by focusing on the imagery rather than the text so look out on the BookTrust website for tips on how to get the most out of illustrations in picture books and find out how you can take part in fun, easy drawalongs I’ll be hosting. No matter how young or old we are, we can all create wonderful pictures too!”
Check out our favourite Nick Sharratt books in our booklist
Draw along with Nick and create a marvellous minibeast!
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But wait it's only a cat. He looks again and there's another shark! Phew, only a crow, and the next time, it's just his dad. But as he sets off for home, is he really sure it's a shark-free park?
Some of the fun of this book lies in the sheer incongruity of spotting a shark in this spick-and-span, candy-bright park full of smiling people. Part of the fun com…
Nick Sharratt’s Super Silly Museums
Nick Sharratt uses his unique and fun style to show you every kind of museum you could imagine and even leaves space at the end for you to draw your own.
Pirate Pete: A Change-the-Story Book
As Pirate Pete sails the sea in his pirate ship, he meets One-eyed Wanda and Captain Stubble, who guide him to a treasure chest containing... whatever the reader wants!
Shark in the Park on a Windy Day!
Timothy Pope spots all sorts of things through his telescope, but are they really sharks? A delightful Sharratt peep-hole picturebook for toddlers and pre-schoolers to explore the action and join in.
When the royal castle is destroyed in an Unfortunate Incident involving a fire-breathing dragon, the King and his best friend, the cat, are forced to find an alternative home.
With flaps to lift and a rhythmic text that’s really fun to read aloud, this glorious, colourful book will delight young children. It’s perfect for sharing – and for laughing along with.
