Mariajo Illustrajo is a Spanish designer, printmaker and illustrator living in the UK. After studying at the art school in Madrid, she moved to Bath, where she completed a degree in Graphic Communication.  Later she graduated from the Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University with an MA in Children's Book Illustration. In 2020 she was the overall winner of the World Illustration Awards.

To date, Mariajo has produced two children's books: Flooded and Lost, published by Frances Lincoln.

In this episode, she joined Nikki Gamble to talk about her journey to children's book illustration and how her picturebooks were conceived.

Read  our review of Flooded on the Just Imagine website

 Purchase Flooded from our bookselling partner Best Books for Schools.

Flooded is a funny and beautifully illustrated tale of animals living in a city that is slowly flooding. The flood comes gradually at first. All the animals ignore the obvious and go about their busy lives, disjointed from one another and preoccupied with their own problems.

Eventually, the flood water reaches a height they can no longer ignore, and they must work together to save their city. All the animals join together in a line and pull out the plug drowning the city. This exceptionally illustrated story teaches a message not to let problems fester, and with a little teamwork and community spirit, no problem is insurmountable.

About Lost
Lost is the story of a polar bear who finds himself lost and alone in the big, cold city until a young girl takes him under her wing, showing him that there is love, friendship, and help to be found even in the loneliest of places...

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In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. It is produced by Alison Hughes.

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