We Can!

Steve is an award-winning writer and illustrator of 20 picture books and best known for his ongoing Mr Panda series which has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. His other books include the award-winning modern classic The Queen’s Hat, Unplugged, Amazing and Green Lizards Vs Red Rectangles. Steve also illustrated the all-new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (adapted by Peter Bently), Tim Minchin’s When I Grow Up and a 70th anniversary cover of The Famous Five. He has contributed work towards LGBTQ+ anthology Proud, Drawing Europe Together and Kind. Steve is Swindon Libraries Patron to Children’s Reading Services, an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and a committee member of The Society of Author’s Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group. He lives in South West England with his husband and cat.

Alexandra has a passion for ensuring children have a real voice and genuine representation. Having worked both with young people and in children’s books (including managing the national Bookstart programme), she now devotes her time to writing and consulting on great books that include all children. She’s co-author ofMax the Champion (with Sean Stockdale and Ros Asquith). She’s co-founder of Outside In World (supporting children’s books in translation) and consultant to BookTrust. And as co-founder of Inclusive Minds, she’s particularly proud to have set up a network of Inclusion Ambassadors – young people with lived experience who share their knowledge with book creators.