Sue Heap facts for kids

Sue Heap, born in 1954, is a British artist. She draws pictures for children's books. She has drawn pictures for more than 30 books. She also wrote some of them. Her book Cowboy Baby won a big award in 1998. It was called the Smarties Prize Gold Award.

Sue often works with other talented people. She has worked with Nick Sharratt, Sally Lloyd-Jones, and Teresa Heapy. Many of her picture books have been nominated for the Greenaway Medal. One book, How To Be A Baby... By Me, the Big Sister, was very popular. It became a New York Times bestseller in 2007.

Early Life of Sue Heap

Sue Heap was born in 1954. Her birthplace was Hampshire, England. As a child, she lived in many different places. These included Singapore, Germany, and Egypt. She used writing and drawing to show her feelings. She made 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 an animation company. Then, she became a designer for children's book publishers. She worked in Oxford and London. Eventually, she settled in Oxfordshire. There, she became a full-time author and illustrator.

Books Illustrated by Sue Heap

Besides her own picture books, Sue Heap is known for her drawings. She illustrated books by the famous author Jacqueline Wilson. These include How to Survive Summer Camp and Double Act. For Double Act, she worked with Nick Sharratt.

Awards and Recognitions

Sue Heap has won several awards for her work.

Smarties Prize Gold Award

Her book Cowboy Baby won the Smarties Prize Gold Award in 1998. This award is now known as the Nestlé Children's Book Prize.

Greenaway Medal Nominations

Several of her books have been nominated for the Greenaway Medal. This is a very important award for children's book illustrations.

• Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly was nominated. She worked with Nick Sharratt on this book.
• Very Little Red Riding Hood was also nominated. She created this book with Teresa Heapy.

New York Times Notable Book

In 2007, How To Be A Baby... By Me, the Big Sister was recognized. It was named one of six children's books. The New York Times called it a Notable Book. Sally Lloyd-Jones wrote this book with Sue Heap.

Other Awards

• In 2008, Sue was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize.
• In November 2013, Very Little Red Riding Hood was named The Times Children's Book of the Week.
• In 2015, Very Little Red Riding Hood won two more awards. It won Best Picture Book in the Oxfordshire Children’s Book Award. It also won in the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards.