Meet the author

Emily Sutton.

Illustrator · United Kingdom · b. 1983

Emily Sutton: the North Yorkshire illustrator whose richly detailed, vintage-feel watercolours bring Nicola Davies's nature books to life — a Kate Greenaway-longlisted, prize-winning eye for the beautiful and the factual.

Emily Sutton is an English illustrator from North Yorkshire, born in 1983, whose detailed, vintage-inflected watercolours have made her a distinctive voice in nature-led picture books. She is a frequent collaborator with zoologist and author Nicola Davies, illustrating A First Book of the Sea, a lavish poetry-and-nature collection carrying young readers from rockpools out to whales and polar waters, as well as Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes, Lots and Grow. Her spreads reward slow browsing: every page is dense with things to notice, pairing scientific texture with real artistic charm. Sutton's work bridges art-led non-fiction and picture book, and suits curious children who love beautiful facts. Her illustrations for Tiny won a major American science-book prize, and her titles have been widely honoured.