Mick Manning and Brita Granström
Mick Manning and Brita Granström have been collaborating on both illustration and text for twenty-five years and in 2020 won the SLA/Hachette award for Outstanding Contribution to Information Books. They have pioneered Picture Book Non-Fiction since 1995 and their first book together, ‘The World Is Full of Babies’ (Watts), was the first non-fiction title to win the Smarties Silver Prize in 1996 launching their (at the time) ground-breaking series Wonderwise. Since then they have won the Times Education Supplement Award for What’s Under The Bed? (Watts), received five Royal Society Junior Science Book prizes and won the English Association Award for the fifth time with ‘Charlie’s War Illustrated’ (Watts) in 2014. Tail-End Charlie (Frances Lincoln) and Books! Books! Books! (Otter Barry books) were nominated for Carnegie Medals and they have been nominated twice for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award the world’s largest literary award. At their recent SLA award Paul Rockett, Publisher for Franklin Watts and Wayland, said ‘…Their extensive work is warm, charming, beautiful, moving, often bringing in their own personal insights and experiences to topics which adds a big dose of humanity and makes the reader understand the tangible heritage and impact events and science have on us all. The relationship between the artwork and the text is impeccable, and feels inseparable…’
Web: http://www.mickandbrita.com/
Twitter: @MickandBrita
Mick Manning and Brita Granström are represented by Lucy at Jenny Brown Associates. For all enquiries, contact lucy@jennybrownassociates.com
Books by Mick and Brita
The Seal on the Beach
Walker Books, July 2024
An inspiring story of hope and survival written and illustrated with lyricism, empathy and warmth.
Maggie is on holiday with her aunt and uncle. Meanwhile her mum waits for Maggie’s baby brother to come home from hospital. On a walk across the wild Norfolk shoreline, Maggie finds a seal pup stranded on the beach, all alone. She is the sweetest thing Maggie has ever seen. But without her mum, how will the seal survive? Who will rescue her and will she ever be returned to the sea, and find her family again? Expressed through her vivid dreams and thoughtful actions, Maggie longs for the rescue and survival of this dear little seal pup. And, all the while, she hopes with all her heart to be reunited with her own mum and baby brother again.
Praise for The Seal on the Beach
‘A story to remember, to treasure, to dream of’ Michael Morpurgo
Women Who Led The Way: Great Explorers and Adventurers
Otter-Barry Books, March 2022
From Aud the Deep-Minded, an early voyager to Iceland, and Sacagawea, who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition across the USA, to Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space and Arunima Sinha, the first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest, this diverse and inclusive book shows the incredible courage, determination and power of women explorers over the last 1,200 years. These women have led the way exploring lands, oceans, mountains, skies, and space, but have also made pioneering discoveries in the fields of science, nature, archaeology, ecology, and more. The lives of these women, told as personal stories, are an inspiration to us all.
Praise for Women Who Led The Way: Great Explorers and Adventurers
‘Packed with amazing real-life stories and fascinating facts about trail-blazing women through history, this is a book to truly treasure. Sumptuous artistry, filled with brilliant brushstrokes and colour, depict the fantastic women and their feats who have become such icons to people everywhere… a truly motivational read for all children. This book is a wonderful resource to read from cover to cover or to dip in and out of.’ Mini Travellers
The History of Prehistory:
An adventure through 4 billion years of life on earth!
Otter-Barry Books, September 2019
Paddle down the river of time on an amazing prehistoric journey – all you need to bring is your imagination! Witness the fiery beginnings of our Earth, and the explosion of life on our planet. Fly with a pterosaur! Hang out with apes! Ride a mammoth! Help to make an amazing cave painting and witness the first ever writing – a hymn to the Moon Goddess! An exciting, action-packed introduction to prehistory, from first life on Earth to the beginning of recorded history.
Praise for The History of Prehistory:
An adventure through 4 billion years of life on earth!
‘Takes readers on a time-travelling adventure through four billion years of history.’ The Bookseller
‘A fast-paced time travelling adventure.’ Edspire
The Wordsworths
Watts, May 2020
Celebrate William Wordsworth’s 250th birthday with this beautiful retelling of his life. Lush Lake District and London landscapes and carefully researched costumes bring the era to life, while extracts from longer works such as The Prelude tie into the national curriculum.
The Story of Music
Watts. October 2020
A friendly, personal and inspiring introduction to music history, telling the stories of the world’s greatest musicians from Bach to Beyonce.
Near the Bear, North
Design For Today, 2019
Near The Bear, North is an alphabet book of the animals, fish, birds and fauna of the North. It has been illustrated by Mick Manning, using the craft process of pochoir, illustrating by means of building up layers through stencils. This is a large-format book, with stunning illustrations, for adults and children.
The Story of Paintings
Published by Franklin Watts, 2017
The Story of Paintings begins with the cave paintings of our Stone Age ancestors and continues through to the modern-day. Mick Manning and Brita Granström take your on a tour of their personally selected gallery which showcases the work of some of the world’s most famous artists and few a less well-known ones
Books, Books, Books
Published by OtterBarry Boss, 2017
Explore the amazing collection of the British Library. Peek inside the world’s greatest library and get the inside story on some of the rarest, oddest, most valuable, and best-loved books in its vaunted collection.
Follow the adventures of the Five Flamingoes and their friends, written by Jonnie Wild and illustrated by Brita Granstrom. Royalties from the sales go towards Jonnie Wilde’s wildlife habitat conservation projects in Africa.
The jungle animals find that an extremely carnivorous crocodile has claimed their water hole for himself! Not even the elephant wants to tangle with those terrible teeth until the five flamingos show that by being cunning and brave the crocodile can be made to share his waterhole. The first in the Five Flamingos series. Follow the adventures of the Five Flamingoes and their friends. Royalties from the sales go towards Jonnie Wilde’s wildlife habitat conservation projects in Africa.
All published by OtterBarry Books
Other recent publications include: The Brontes; Children of the Moors, The Story of Britain, William Shakespeare, and Wild Adventures. Mick and Brita have also produced stunning merchandise to accompany some of their books.
‘Mick Manning and Brita Granström’s approach to non-fiction for younger children has revolutionised our bookshelves.‘ Lindsey Fraser, The Scotsman
