Please tell us a little about you:

I studied creative short story writing at Cambridge University ICE. I originally trained as a knitwear designer at The Royal College of Art and am now an artist and children's book author.

I love children's picture books with sumptuous illustrations that encourage positivity.

Please tell us a little about your book

Emma watches as a greedy crow scares away a little family of Finches. She misses them but Mother Nature ensures that they finally return in a surprising way.

Why did you write the book?

I wrote the book for my daughter, Emma having written Rupert's Snowman for my son Rupert.

Who is this book for?

Emma's Sunflower is for early readers with a love of nature.

What is YOUR favorite part of the book?

Of course, my favorite part is when the Finches return to the garden to Emma's delight on her birthday. I also love the slightly menacing crow zooming down into the garden! The front cover illustrated by Grace Ward is great too!

When did you start writing books?

I have written short stories for the last ten years. I write ghost stories at Christmas to entertain the family!

How is this book different from other books in your genre or niche?

Emma's Sunflower is written using Dyslexic friendly font so it's for all young readers. It differs from other children's books also by managing to describe the seasons in few words due in part to the joyful illustrations. Playful use of the text and fun activities at the back of the book fully engage the reader! 

What challenges did you face writing your book during a pandemic? 

The pandemic meant that I couldn't do a ' live' launch of my book which was instead shared remotely from my home. It did make the book possible though because time usually spent at school teaching my extracurricular design club for children was spent delivering the book instead. We also had a lot more time to witness Mother Nature at her best! 

Do you have any other books? Where can they be found?

Emma's Sunflower and Rupert's Snowman are available from all good bookshops bookshop.org and Amazon.

Where is the best place for readers to connect with you? (Think website, social media, email list, etc)

I can be found at @phillipas_illustration on Instagram and under the name Phillipa Warden on Facebook.