Lauren is an award-winning artist and writer. She is the creator of many much-loved characters, including Clarice Bean, Hubert Horatio and Ruby Redfort. Her first two books were published in 1999 – I Want a Pet and Clarice Bean, That’s Me, and she won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 2000 for I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, the first of her Charlie and Lola picture books, and published her first Clarice Bean novel in 2002 – Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. Her books have sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Her latest book is Hubert Horatio: How to Raise Your Grown-Ups.
Lauren is an international ambassador for the excellence of illustration. She is a trustee of the House of Illustration, founded by Sir Quentin Blake and the first gallery dedicated to illustration and graphic art. Lauren has been at the forefront of innovation for more than 15 years and has raised the profile of illustration as an art form for all ages. She collaborates with artists across different fields and is a passionate advocate for visual literacy and the importance of quality picture books for children. In 2010, Lauren Child was awarded an MBE for Services to Literature. She was the 10th Waterstones’ Children’s Laureate, 2017-2019.