Laura Hambleton author page

Laura Hambleton biography

Laura Hambleton is a British children’s book author, illustrator and designer. She graduated from Norwich School of Art in 2000 with first-class honours in Visual Studies. She has worked as a designer and art director for children’s publishers, alongside writing and illustrating more than 20 published works.

Her final degree project became a published picture book and received a commendation in the 2002 V&A Illustration Awards. In 2008, she was longlisted for the Booktrust Big Picture Best New Illustrator award. She has also served on the D&AD Book Design Jury in 2022 and 2023.

Hambleton has illustrated several books in the Hide and Peek series, including Hide and Peek: Creepy Crawlies and Hide and Peek: On the Farm, published by Hachette’s Pat-a-Cake imprint in 2021. These board books feature peek-through pages, counting activities and opportunities to identify colours and animals. Her professional work also includes running children’s book workshops in schools and activity centres.

She wrote and illustrated Bud: The Story of How a Plant Grows … Up!, a picture book about a small rosebud growing in a greenhouse before being planted outdoors. The story introduces young readers to plant life cycles through Bud’s encounters with the natural world. The 32-page book was published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books on 14 March 2024.