Oceans of Praise for Bethan

Congratulations to BA (Hons) Illustration alumni Bethan Woollvin, whose new picturebook has been awarded a Book of the Year prize by Books for Topics.

Meet the Oceans, written by Caryl Hart and illustrated by Bethan, won ‘Best Curriculum Support’ in the EYFS category, for ages 3-5.

The judging panel said of the book: "This delightful, illustrated adventure is the perfect introduction to the sheer variety of habitats beneath the waves. Little ones are introduced to sea creatures, ocean climates and the importance of caring for our seas through a rhyming story that sees the different oceans gently personified. Fun and original, this is a great choice for curious minds in EYFS classrooms."

Bethan graduated from our BA (Hons) Illustration with a First Class degree, and currently lives and works in Brighton as a freelance illustrator. In 2014, she won the Macmillan Children’s Book Competition with her debut picture book Little Red, which also received The New York Times' award for Best Illustrated Children's Book in 2016. In 2017, she won the World Illustration Awards' 'new talent' category.

Since winning the Macmillan book prize, Bethan has worked closely with her publishers Two Hoots to create new and exciting children’s books, including Rapunzel (2017), and Meet The Planets (2020), which was also written by Caryl Hart.

You can find out more about Bethan's work on her website.

Cover of Meet The Planets reproduced by kind permission of Bloomsbury