We Are Four

Children’s Books North
We Are Four!



Children's Books North is four today! We have grown so much since our first social event in Manchester, and it has been an incredible journey – connecting publishing professionals in the North and Scotland, promoting regional diversity and championing the creativity of our members. Take a look at some of our highlights from last year!


Launching Looking North: the CBN Directory



In 2023 we successfully launched our Directory of Members, which lists published children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals based in the North and Scotland. Including CBN members’ details and recent works, the Directory is a valuable resource for members to forge new networks with each other, as well as for booksellers, festivals and other organisations to easily get in touch. We will be updating the Directory annually as the network grows.


You can download a PDF of Looking North: Children's Books North Directory of Members here.


Hosting our Edinburgh social



We had a great time meeting members at our annual Summer Social, held in June in Edinburgh – it was also CBN’s first event in Scotland! We were thrilled with the turnout of around 50 people, authors, illustrators and publishing professionals alike, and some current and previous mentees as well.



It was such a wonderful opportunity to hear what everyone is up to and celebrate what we’ve achieved through the network. We can’t wait for the next social!


Panel discussion at The Children’s Bookseller Conference



On 2 October 2023, Children’s Books North participated in a panel event at The Bookseller Children’s Conference – “Northern Networking: Creating Connections through Children's Books North”.


Tilda Johnson, Ashley Thorpe, Hiba Noor Khan and Penny Neville-Lee spoke about the conception and growth of the CBN network, how it fills a gap in Northern networking opportunities, and the beneficial outcomes of engaging with a regional network. 


A storytelling day at Just So Festival



We were back at the ‘Just So’ Family Arts Festival, with CBN members Andy Ruffell, Gabrielle Kent, Hiba Noor Khan and Rachel Morrisroe holding interactive, no-tech events at this intimate, weekend-long festival. CBN co-founder Emma Layfield also went there to support and enjoy the imaginative events filled with snowballs, dragons, fruit and a dodo!


To be continued in 2024…


We’ve got exciting plans for 2024 and many more opportunities for our members to get involved – keep an eye out!


And lastly, a big thank you to all CBN members for your support the last few years. We’re looking forward to another great year with you all!


The CBN committee x





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