Karen Swann author page

Karen Swann biography

Karen Swann is a British picture-book author. Before publishing for children, she trained and worked as a physiotherapist.

Her debut picture book, The Tale of the Whale, illustrated by Padmacandra, was published in the UK by Scallywag Press, with editions also issued internationally. The story follows a child and a whale on an ocean journey and introduces themes of care for the natural world.

The Tale of the Whale gained wide recognition. It was shortlisted for the North Somerset Teacher’s Book Award (2021), the Spark! School Book Awards (2022), the Klaus Flugge Prize (2022), and the Singapore ISLN Red Dot Book Award. It also won the Derby Book Festival Children’s Picture Book Award in 2022.

Swann won the Writing Magazine Picture Book Prize in 2018.

In 2022, The Tale of the Whale won the Derby Book Festival Children’s Picture Book Award.