Mick Manning (born in Yorkshire, England, 1959) and Brita Granstrm (born in Eskilstuna, Sweden, 1969) work together as a team sharing the illustration and text. They have been producing award-winning non-fiction picture books for almost twenty years. They show that the best non-fiction for children can be scholarly, albeit with a light touch, and can have some of the imagination-stretching qualities of fiction.
They are well known for their exciting performances involving readings and live drawing using overhead camera projection (often involving participation from members of the audience) all mixed with an audio-visual presentation. They appear on a regular basis at major UK book festival venues such as Bath, Cheltenham and Edinburgh International Book Festival. They have appeared at The Royal Society Science Festival and have celebrated The Big Draw at various venues including The Imperial War Museum.
They have worked closely to support libraries and schools, performing voluntarily to school classes in the UK and Sweden and have also attended the American Library Conference and visited US schools.
Many of Manning & Granstrm's books are translated into a number of languages, including Chinese, German, Greek, Danish, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish and Slovakian.
For the last 12 years Mick & Brita have created, written and illustrated a monthly 5-page gentle pre-school series called 'Max and Kate' for the critically acclaimed US children's magazine Ladybug.
http://www.mickandbrita.com
Selection of Franklin Watts books:
The World Is Full of Babies! (Smarties Silver Award Winner); What's under the Bed? (TES Award Winner); Wash, Scrub, and Brush (English Association Award KS1 Winner); Stone Age, Bone Age and many other Wonderwise titles; How Did I Begin? (Rhone Poulenc Science prize winner); How Should I Behave?; Seaside Scientist; My Body Book; My Uncle's Dunkirk; Charlie's War Illustrated (English Association Award KS2 Winner); The Story of Britain; The Bronts - Children of the Moors .
Draws young readers into a fascinating personal story while passing on a great deal of information.
Sheffield Star
The illustrations are particularly involving. They are a mixture of drawings, letters, silk cards, photographs and cigarette cards. This is a most interesting book for young children... told accurately, but in a suitable and sensitive way.
Carousel
An original take on the war, using a graphic novel type of format to recount the experiences of a grandfather and a great uncle.
School Librarian
English 4-11
Currently selling like hot cakes at London's Imperial War Museum.
The Star
The art work in the book is varied, informative and perfectly complements the written text.
Books for Keeps
The authors have an amazing gift for bringing history to life... factual and highly readable. A truly exceptional book which has appeal for all ages.
Parents in Touch
32 thoughtfully and attractively designed pages include appealing bite-sized chunks of text, photographs, cartoons, cigarette cards and good full colour illustrations... highly recommended.
English Association
Lively and compelling.
Carousel
Full of pictures, photographs, maps and ephemera... this is an excellent introduction to, and moving account of, the Great War as it affected one family through generations.
The Scotsman
Moving and informative... interspersed with real ephemera, photos and postcards, adding authenticity to the account.
WRD Magazine