Meet the author

Nadia Shireen.

Writer & illustrator · United Kingdom

Nadia Shireen: a British author-illustrator whose bright, giggly Billy and the Beast picture books and Grimwood chapter books champion clever, brave, diverse heroes and read aloud with real gusto.

Nadia Shireen is a British author-illustrator with a flair for bright, funny picture books and chapter books led by resourceful, diverse heroes. She writes and illustrates her own work, and is best known for the Billy and the Beast series, in which quick-thinking Billy, whose magnificent frizzy beehive is stuffed with useful things, and her loyal cat Fatcat outwit a soup-making Beast, a fire-breathing dragon and a pesky pirate captain, celebrating cleverness and bravery over brawn. Her many other titles include the picture book Barbara Throws a Wobbler, The Bumblebear and the hit chapter-book series Grimwood. Her stories are joyful, giggly and warm, packed with comic detail to pore over, and they read aloud with real gusto, making her a much-loved fixture on the shelves for 3-7s.