Charlotte Manning author page

Charlotte Manning biography

Charlotte Manning is a British author-illustrator from Northumberland whose work focuses on picture books for young children. She grew up watching her father write stories and, from an early age, set her sights on creating books of her own, developing both her writing and drawing alongside a strong interest in storytelling.

Manning studied at Cambridge School of Art, where she completed the MA in Children’s Book Illustration. After graduating she began working full-time as an author-illustrator, building a practice that brings together mixed media techniques with a particular emphasis on animal characters and natural landscapes.

Her debut as both writer and illustrator came with the picture book The Lost Horse: Forced from Home and All Alone, published by Hachette Children’s Group. The story follows a wild mustang separated from her sister and is used in schools and homes to prompt discussion about empathy and displacement. Manning has also illustrated I Built a Cabin, written by Sara Jewell and published by Running the Goat, which showcases her detailed, nature-based artwork.

Alongside these titles, her forthcoming picture book The Brave Little Whale continues her focus on emotionally rich animal stories for young readers. The Lost Horse was first published in the UK in 2022.