Melanie Walsh has written more than forty children’s books, including 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World, My Green Day, Living with Mom and Living with Dad, and Trick or Treat? She is known for her distinctive, child-friendly style, creating flap books and picture books for the very young.

As a child I used to spend a lot of time making things. Sometimes when I was very little my mum would go into the kitchen only to find the contents of cereal packets poured into various bowls around the room as I had decided that I needed them for one of my projects. She didn’t mind this though as she thought it was really creative! I won my only art competition at school when I was nine. It was a picture about pollution.

About My Work:

I did my foundation at Harrow School of Art and then went on to do the illustration course there. Afterward I went on to do the MA in illustration course at the Royal College of Art. When I left the RCA I worked as a textile designer and sold my first six designs to Agnes b for babywear. I soon found myself designing quite a lot of textiles for the children’s market. A few years later I tried my hand at writing and illustrating a children’s book, which was published in 1996 just after the birth of my twin sons.

I love working at home in my studio. It looks out onto the garden and I can see our guinea pig hutch just outside the window.

Three Things You Might Not Know About Me:

At home we have a guinea pig named Snowball. He has very long hair and we have to cut it in the summer to keep him cool.

I hate dusting, vacuuming, and tipping the kitchen waste bin into the compost. I try and avoid these things as much as possible. It also means that my partner does them quite a lot.

I enjoy making and decorating cupcakes.