Children's book author
Anna McQuinn
  • Home
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Events, talks and workshops for Adults
  • Events and Workshops for children
  • Appreciation Page
  • Prizes
  • Bespoke Projects
  • illustrators / co-authors
  • The Publishers
  • Working with Under Fives
  • Working with older children
  • About me
  • Links - other
  • Booky Girl
  • Contact me
ABOUT

I feel lucky to have a life 100% dedicated to books - I write, edit, publish and work directly with young children and their families.

I'm best known as the author of the Lulu/Lola books, though I've written over 25 picture books.
Picture
I'm also Editor at large at AlannaMax.
PUBLISHERS

In the UK, the Lulu and Zeki books are books are published by AlannaMax.


In the US, Lola and Leo books are published by Charlesbridge Publishing.

The Lulu & Zeki books are also published in Denmark by Forlaget Arvids, in Netherlands by Luister, in Brazil by Pallas in Sweden by EPIX and in Korea by Glburri.


My books are also published by Chicken-House/Scholastic, Barefoot Books, Little Tiger, Annick Press and O'Brien Press.

As well as writing, I am Editor at Large at AlannaMax (I founded Alanna Books in 2006 and the new, more exciting list has Ken Wilson-Max as Publisher.
Alanna Max publishes Lulu (illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw), her little brother Zeki (illustrated by Ruth Hearson), Suzanne Bloom, Jakob Martin Strid, Margaret Bateson-Hill (illustrated by Francesca Pelizzoli and Anne Wilson) and a few more
beautiful, select titles.
Click here to visit the website.

Picture
Alanna Books was shortlisted for the Independent Publishers Guild's
The Alison Morrison Diversity Award
For more see the Alanna Max website





NEWS

It's been a busy Summer!
Lulu Gets a Cat was selected for their Recommended List by Empathy Lab;
And it's on the North Somerset Teacher's Book Award longlist.
Reviews are here.
Links to blogs are on the right.
Picture

Zeki Can Swim has been nominated by IBBY UK for the International IBBY's List of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2019. Reviews of both the US and UK editions are here.
Picture
Picture


LINKS

Picture
Lulu/Lola now has a (small but ambitious) website of her own
called Booky Girl  with
information and activities.
She also has her own Goodreads page:
click to visit or get recommendations.


MEDIA

Click to visit my Facebook page
Click to follow me on Twitter
Click to visit my Goodreads page

I blog and write about gender, diversity and inclusion. Read my blog or click on the links below to read more.

Why inclusive picture books need
to think about class and poverty

blog for BookTrust

Blog post as part of the blog Tour for
Empathy Day 2018
kindly hosted by
Mr Davies Reads

An interview with Alex Strick on the
BookTrust website about stories for everyone and naturally including
childen with disabilities. 2017

Picture a Story - an author's story about letting go for The Federation of Children's Book Groups National Share A Story Month 2017

Author Interview on Lola & Leo,
Must-have Children's Books, Literacy Rituals and things parents can do to support children's reading with the wonderful site Here Wee Read 2017

Author Spotlight - 2017 interview for
KidLit 411 a
one stop information shop for children's writers and illustrators

An Inadvertent Publisher - Alanna Books 10 Year anniversary interview with
Books for Keeps 2016

Random Ramblings of a Small Independent Publisher interview for
The Letterpress Project 2016

If I were in charge of the World
10 Rules for Inclusive Publishing
blog for Barrington Stoke 2015


Ebb and flow: The advances and retreats in the battle to make children’s books more inclusive and diverse
IBBY Conference, key note speech 2015

or read on my blog here

On reviewing books which are marketed in a very gendered way - a response to an article in the Independent newspaper

Interview with speech-language pathologist Jeanette W Stickel and her kindergarten students on her blog SpeakWell, ReadWell

Gendered Marketing of children's books
It's NOT what kids want!

In Books for Keeps
No. 203 - Nov 2013

Who gets to Purple Plastic Purse? Beyond inclusion in children's books
In Write4Children, Vol IV, Issue II
Winchester University Press

Storytelling in a multi-lingual setting
In Books for Keeps No 180 - Jan 2010


Sales of the Lola and Leo books
hit $1million in the USA in 2016.
Read all about it in the Bookseller
by clicking here.
TWITTER
Tweets by @AnnaMMcQuinn

Picture




I write, edit and publish books for young children.
I believe that all children should see themselves
in the stories they read, so I try to include a wide range of children and experiences in my stories.
I also believe that books should broaden children's horizons and imaginations; introduce them to new things and worlds and feelings, and help them to open up to possibilities beyond their immediate circumstances –
as the #We Need Diverse Books campaign says,
books need to be a mirror and a window...

#WeNeedDiverseBooks

Proudly powered by Weebly