Gill McLean

Gill was brought up in rural Lancashire, England, spending her childhood drawing, raising poultry, and exploring the hills and streams in wellies. To this day she maintains an interest in all things wiggly.

Natural history became the basis upon which she developed her illustrations, which developed into character designs for greetings cards and children's books.

Through illustration, Gill discovered graphic design, and spent time working with Templar Publishing as an inhouse designer, where she made every type of children's book: from colourful pop-ups to renowned classics.

After years spent in the wilderness (consisting of Oxford, Cambridge, Guildford and Melbourne, Australia) she finally returned to Northern England in 2006, moving to Richmond with her Yorkshire-born husband and two infant children.

Gill has written, illustrated and designed children's books with many publishers, including Templar, Oxford University Press, QED, Parragon, and Harper Collins. Her books have also featured on CBeebies (BBC) as a read-aloud bedtime story.

Her titles include: Building Books, I-Go Robot, Jack the Runaway Terrier, Detective Zebra and the Mystery of the Missing Tarts, Winter Wonderland, Thank You for Being My Friend, and The Short-Sighted Giraffe.