Pavilion Books signs debut illustrator Emma Lazell

Pavilion Books has signed Emma Lazell, who was featured in The Bookseller’s Bologna 2018 Illustrator’s Showcase.

Lazell’s first picture book, Big Cat, is about a girl who finds a very large cat in the garden whilst looking for her grandmother’s lost glasses.

Pavilion bought world rights in a two-book deal, directly from the author and illustrator, and will publish in April 2019 in paperback.

Publisher Neil Dunnicliffe said of Lazell: “Her illustrations are dynamic and have a wonderful classic feel, and her writing is laugh out loud funny, with a very strong narrative drive. I am overjoyed to have signed Emma for our list.”

The Bookseller launched the illustrator showcase for the first time this year to highlight work by up and coming illustrators in its Bologna show dailies. The initiative was supported by the Association of Illustrators.

Lazell graduated with distinction from the Children’s Book Illustration MA course at Cambridge School of Art earlier this year.