Morag Hood (author) facts for kids

Morag Hood is a talented Scottish writer and illustrator who creates wonderful books for children. She was born in 1986. Morag often uses a special art method called lino printing for her pictures. This is where you carve a design into a piece of linoleum, then ink it and press it onto paper.

Her stories are special because the words and pictures work together. They leave room for young readers to imagine and fill in parts of the story themselves. Many of Morag's books are about important ideas like friendship, including everyone, and understanding differences.

Morag studied children's book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She has won several awards for her books. She won the UKLA book awards in 2018 for Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea. She won again in 2019 for I am Bat. Her books have also been nominated for other big awards, like the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Morag Hood's Books

Morag Hood's books are mostly published by Two Hoots, which is part of Macmillan Publishers. Her "Sophie Johnson" series is published by Simon & Schuster.

Books Written and Illustrated by Morag Hood

• Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea was Morag's first book, published in 2017. This story is about a pea and a carrot who are best friends. They have different strengths and things they find tricky. Reviewers said the book was funny and showed how important it is to accept and celebrate differences. This book won the 2018 UKLA Book Awards for young children. It has also been translated into German, Spanish, and Chinese.

• I am Bat, published in 2017, tells the story of a fruit bat who loves cherries. When the cherries are all gone, the bat is happy to find a pear instead. People liked how the bat learned to be flexible. This book was chosen for the 2019 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. It was also given to many young students in Scotland in November 2018 by the Scottish Book Trust. Like her first book, I am Bat won the 2019 UKLA Book Awards.

• The Steves, published in 2018, is about two puffins who are both named Steve. Neither Steve wants to change his name to be different from the other. One reviewer said the book uses simple, kid-like words and has funny parts that make young readers giggle. The Guardian newspaper listed it as one of the best new picture books in spring 2018.

• When Grandad was a Penguin, published in 2018, is a funny story about a grandfather who starts acting a bit strange. His clothes don't fit, he loves fish, and he sleeps in odd places. It turns out there was a mix-up at the zoo! The grandfather was living with penguins, and a penguin was living in his house. A reviewer said the book has many clever visual jokes that children will love.

• Aalfred and Aalbert, published in 2019, is about two aardvarks. They have different sleep schedules, so they never seem to meet. A helpful bird tries to bring them together, which is a big challenge! Finally, the two aardvarks meet and become great friends. Reviewers found the book very funny and sweet.

• Brenda is a Sheep, published in 2019, is about a very unusual sheep named Brenda. Brenda has sleek gray fur, long teeth, and doesn't like grass. The other sheep in the flock really like Brenda. But Brenda starts getting very hungry and plans a big feast that needs a lot of mint sauce. Reviewers said the book was full of clever fun and imagination.

Books Written by Morag Hood

• Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert, published in 2018, has pictures by Ella Okstad. This book is about a young girl, Sophie Johnson, who thinks she knows everything about unicorns. But she doesn't even notice a real unicorn when it walks into her house! Reviewers said the words and pictures work well together, letting readers imagine parts of the story. This book was chosen for the Bookbug Picture Book Prize 2020. It was also part of a book package given to young students in Scotland in 2020 by the Scottish Book Trust.

• Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius is the next book in the series, published in 2019. It also has pictures by Ella Okstad. In this story, Sophie decides to become a detective. She tries to teach her toys, younger sibling, and pets how to be detectives. While Sophie talks about her amazing detective skills, her dog quietly solves some mysteries without her even noticing! Reviewers loved how the words and pictures showed the funny difference between what Sophie said and what was really happening.

About Morag Hood's Life

Morag Hood first studied costume design at Wimbledon College of Arts. Later, she earned her master's degree in children's book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. While she was an art student, she entered a competition called the Macmillan Prize, and two of her entries were chosen as finalists.

Before she started writing books, Morag worked as a costume designer for several theater companies, including the Young Vic. But she soon realized that her true passion was creating children's books. Today, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her husband, who is a writer named Snorri Kristjánsson.