Elaine was born and grew up in central London but now calls Wellington home.

 

She has a BA Hons degree in English Literature from Bristol University.

 

Elaine had a long career in advertising and publishing but after the birth of her third child she left the corporate world behind and picked up her pencil and finally began doing what she’d always wanted to do – write picture books for children. 

 

Success followed quite quickly with a shortlist for the Joy Cowley award in 2017 finally winning it in 2018. The winning book, The Little Ghost who Lost her Boo! went on to travel the world. In addition to New Zealand and Australia it has also been published in the USA and Canada and was a New York Times bestseller in 2020. It has also been translated into French and German and published in those markets. 

 

In 2021 Starfish the Star was published by Scholastic NZ and in 2024 a companion book to The Little Ghost, The Little Witch who lost her Broom! was published in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada and Germany.

 

Next up is a humorous picture book series ‘Keith vs Queenie’ about a rivalrous sibling relationship between a chihuahua and a cat. Keith and the Kitten published in 2025 is the first in this series with book two due July 2026.

 

Elaine loves visiting schools and has taken part in two Storylines Story Tours so far.

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Website: www.elainebickell.com