Sue Heap facts for kids
Sue Heap is a talented British artist who draws pictures for children's books. She has illustrated more than 30 books, and she even wrote some of them herself! One of her books, Cowboy Baby, won a big award called the Smarties Prize Gold Award in 1998.
Sue often works with other amazing authors and illustrators like Nick Sharratt, Sally Lloyd-Jones, and Teresa Heapy. Many of her picture books have been nominated for the Greenaway Medal, which is a very important award for children's book illustrations. Her book with Sally Lloyd-Jones, How To Be A Baby... By Me, the Big Sister, was even a New York Times bestseller in 2007!
Early Life and Education
Sue Heap was born in 1954 in Hampshire, England. When she was a child, she lived in many different countries, including Singapore, Germany, and Egypt. Moving around a lot inspired her to write and draw. She even created her first picture book when she was just twelve years old!
Later, Sue studied art at Hull College of Art. After college, she worked for a company that made animated films. She also worked as a designer for children's book publishers in Oxford and London. Eventually, she settled in Oxfordshire to become a full-time author and illustrator.
Illustrated Books
Besides her own picture books, Sue Heap is also well-known for her illustrations in books by the popular author Jacqueline Wilson. For example, she illustrated How to Survive Summer Camp (ISBN: 978-0192727046). She also co-illustrated Double Act (ISBN: 978-0440413745) with Nick Sharratt.
Awards and Recognitions
Sue Heap's work has received many awards and special mentions:
- 1998: Her book Cowboy Baby won the Smarties Prize Gold Award. This award is now known as the Nestlé Children's Book Prize.
- 2007: How To Be A Baby... By Me, the Big Sister, which she created with Sally Lloyd-Jones, was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book. This means it was one of the best children's books of the year.
- 2008: She was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize.
- 2013: Very Little Red Riding Hood, a book she made with Teresa Heapy, was named The Times Children's Book of the Week in November.
- 2015: Very Little Red Riding Hood won two awards: Best Picture Book in the Oxfordshire Children’s Book Award and the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards.
Her books have also been nominated for the Greenaway Medal several times. These nominations include Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly (with Nick Sharratt) and Very Little Red Riding Hood (with Teresa Heapy).
