If you’d like to say hello, you can contact me at:

alicecourtley@btinternet.com

About

Hi, I’m Alice, a children’s book author, illustrator and part-time art lecturer based in Cambridge UK. I love making art of ALL kinds, listening to music, reading books and being surrounded by nature and animals!

I could never pick between making art and reading books so I originally studied a joint-honours BA in Fine Art and English Literature at Abersywtyth University in Wales, surrounded by mountains and sea. After graduating, travelling and twiddling my thumbs, I realised that there was a perfect job that combined my love of pictures and words… book illustration! So I moved to Cambridge and studied an MA in Children’s Book Illustration part-time while working in a library. I graduated in 2020 and have been very lucky to have been working on picturebooks with a variety of fantastic publishers ever since.

I love my job and getting the chance to get lost in stories and magical worlds all while sitting at my desk with a cup of tea, a selection of paints and pencils and my naughty orange cat, Oskar, trying to distract me.


Published books:

Daddy Doesn’t Believe in Dragons, publishing May 2026.

The Best Garden in the World, publishing April 2025.

Penguin’s Egg, Puffin Books, published May 2024

Waiting for Froggo, Orchard Books, published September 2023

Home is Where my Heart is, written by Smriti Halls, Andersen Press, published June 2023

Lost in the City, Orchard Books, published August 2022

Everything Under the Sun, written by Molly Oldfield, Ladybird Books, published 2021

Clients include: Andersen Press, Bloomsbury, Break Charity, Cambridge Arts Council, Hachette Children’s Group, Ivy (Quarto group), Ladybird Books (Penguin Random House), Puffin Books (Penguin Random House)


Awards

Indie Book of the Month, January 2024: Waiting for Froggo

Klaus Flugge Prize 2023: Shortlisted

Inclusive Books for Children Awards 2023: Longlisted

Derby Children’s Picture Book Prize 2023: longlisted

Cheltenham Illustration Awards 2020: Featured artist

Templar Illustration Awards 2020: Longlisted

Picture Hooks From Seed to Table: Winner

World Illustration Awards 2020: Longlisted artist

Zealous Stories: Illustration: Shortlisted

Batsford Prize 2019: Runner up, Children’s Illustration category/ Shortlisted, Illustration category