Helen Stephens

Helen Stephens is an award winning author and illustrator, best known for her 'How to Hide a Lion' series.

She is Co-founder of The Good Ship Illustration who offer no nonsense advice for illustrators navigating a creative career.

Her last book: Salty Dog was co-written with her pal Katie Chappell and illustrated by Helen. There are four individual stories exploring the warm, funny friendship dynamic between Salty, Kitty and Bernard who live together in a little upside down boat house. This is the perfect book for children just graduating from picture books and becoming newly independent readers.

'How to Hide a Lion' was nominated for The Kate Greenaway Medal and The Redhouse Book Awards. It has been adapted for stage by The Polka Theatre in London, then toured the UK.

It was reviewed in The New Yorker, 'Using a nostalgic style and subdued palette reminiscent of midcentury Little Golden Books masters like Richard Scarry.' And by Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, 'Funny and warmhearted'. It was featured in an article about Helen and her partner, fellow illustrator, Gerry Turley in this article by The Guardian Weekend Feb 2018.

Julia Donaldson named 'Fleabag' as one of her favourite bedtime stories in The Guardian and on the BookTrust website.