Meet the illustrator Cate James

I borrowed some winter books from the library this week. Books filled with snow and winter animals. When I picked up Go Home, Little One! (see below for more details) I was surprised to see the name Cate James. I briefly met Cate in my local bookshop (Beachside Bookshop) a few years ago when her book Echidna had just been published. I was curious to discover more about this illustrator. 

Cate James is originally from Scotland but she came to live in Australia in 2015. I love the way her change of country is so beautifully reflected in her work. Here is an extract from her website:

Cate is an award-winning illustrator and artist based in the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. She moved from Edinburgh, Scotland in 2015 and recently became an Australian citizen. She has been working as a full-time freelance illustrator since 2010, and has a background in printmaking.

Here is an interview with Cate James where she shares the inside of her studio.

Here are two of her early books:

And here are her more recent titles:

Here is a review from Kids' Book Review

Read more here

Cate has also worked on book covers for Barrington Stoke and for this series by Vivian French:

In Go Home, Little One we meet young Florence the hedgehog. It is time to snuggle inside and hibernate but Florence wants to play outside with her friends. Their game takes Florence and the twin squirrels, Harry and Barry, deep into the forest. Every animal they meet advises the trio to head home but they want to continue their game and that is fine until they meet Mr Fox! This links nicely with Cate's own favourite childhood book - Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins.