Kanako Usui

I was born in Japan in 1978. As a child, I loved doodling on every piece of paper I could find at home. I would draw on the back of flyers, school notebooks and even receipts! I also enjoyed knitting and sewing stuffed characters of my own. My interest in picture books was developed in an after-school book making club. I wrote, illustrated and bound my first original book when I was 10. I found it really fun to share my stories with my classmates.

When it came for me to step out into the world, I decided that I wanted to pursue my love of drawing in a different country, so I chose the UK. I studied illustration and animation at Kingston University. It was great to make friends with people from all over the world and share new stories. After publishing several books in the UK, I moved back to Japan in 2008. Now, I work with both domestic and international publishers. I love visiting bookshops and libraries for book reading events. Meeting kids and seeing their reactions to my books are some of my absolute favourite things to do.