Eileen Browne

Original picture book artwork by Eileen Browne is available for purchase from Children’s Book Illustration.

Eileen worked as a school teacher and a youth worker before becoming an author and illustrator. Her first book was published in 1977.

Eileen believes “Certain groups of people are not well represented in books. For example, females only feature as main characters in around 30% of children’s books. Because of this, I give them priority. Where’s That Bus? (1994) was one of the first animal picture books with all female characters.”

Eileen is the author of the picture book classic, Handa’s Surprise, which was shortlisted for the 1995 Sheffield Children’s Book Award. The Little Angel Theatre puppet-theatre production of Handa’s Surprise toured London theatres in 2004 and was performed at the Unicorn Theatre, London in 2007-8. Handa’s Surprise and the sequel, Handa’s Hen, 2002, are now available in more than 20 dual-language editions. She has written and illustrated books with amongst others, Kit Wright and Floella Benjamin. Through my Window, written in collaboration with Tony Bradman, was shortlisted for the 1986 Smarties Book Prize. No Problem was shortlisted for the 1994 Nottinghamshire Children’s Book Award.