Whether you’re a writer or aspiring author, join us for insights into the world of children’s books – from pitching to agents to working with illustrators and crafting a story for literature’s most demanding readers. 

Our panellists include award-winning author and illustrator Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, whose work ranges across picture books, middle grade fiction and titles for young adults; literary agent Molly Ker Hawn, director of David Higham Associates, and Babita Sharma, author of the acclaimed picture book series The Adventures of Priya Mistry. 

Meet the panelists

Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick is an Irish writer and illustrator whose work stretches from wordless picture books for toddlers all the way to middle grade fiction and YA. Her most recent novels are the Carnegie-shortlisted On Midnight Beach, the Carnegie-longlisted Sisters of the Moon, and The Museum of Lost Umbrellas, all published by Faber. Some of her best-loved picture books include Owl Bat Bat Owl, There and I’m a Tiger Too. Marie-Louise has worked with numerous publishers in the UK and US, including Faber, Walker, Neal Porter Books, Orion, Harper Collins and Random House, and been co-editioned in many languages around the world. Her books have won multiple awards and accolades, including four CBI Children’s Book of the Year Awards. She has twice been Ireland’s nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren awards.

Molly Ker Hawn is a literary agent and director at David Higham Associates, and believes that reading is one of the best ways to learn to be empathetic, courageous, open-minded and funny – and loves finding books that she thinks children or teenagers will devour. Her clients’ books have been New York Times, Sunday Times and international bestsellers and have won and been shortlisted for the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award and William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Barnes & Noble Children’s Book Award, the Costa Book Award, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal, the Children’s Books Ireland Book Award, the An Post Irish Book Awards, the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and more. With a primary focus on books for children and teenagers, her client list includes Angie Thomas, Frances Hardinge, Louie Stowell, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick and Peadar Ó Guilín. 

Babita Sharma is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster who spent over 15 years as a BBC Chief News presenter covering major global events, including COP summits, Black Lives Matter protests, and the BBC 100 Women series. Babita is the author of the critically acclaimed non-fiction book The Corner Shop and the children’s series The Adventures of Priya Mistry. A leading voice on multicultural Britain, she has delivered a TED Talk on immigration and presented the acclaimed Dangerous Borders series, retracing her family’s journey 70 years after the Partition of India. She has received the Asian Achievement Award and an Honorary Fellowship for Services to Journalism from Cardiff University.