Nick Sharratt

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.

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 the 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 also sat on the judging panel for the 2022 BookTrust Storytime Prize. 

“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!”