iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 21/07/2026

Flicking through my sketchbooks to see if anything jumps out at me. #kidlitart #💙📚 #illustration #sketchbook #kidlitthreads

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 05/05/2026

dancing out of my head this morning. 🎶 #kidlitart #💙📚 #sketch

An open sketchbook with a pen lying on the page and a sketch by Emma Quay of a girl dancing with her skirt twirling out.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 01/05/2026

Two pages of play from the sketchbook I just finished. 🎈🎈 🎈🎈It’s fun to flick through an old sketchbook, but I loooove starting a new one! ✍🏻🎉 #kidlitart #💙📚

A page from illustrator Emma Quay’s sketchbook, showing a pen sketch of a girl kicking a balloon.

A page from illustrator Emma Quay’s sketchbook, showing a pen sketch of a girl catching a balloon.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 24/04/2026

The first U.S. review I’ve read. Thank you, The Horn Book. 💕🌈💦 I’ve popped a couple of children in this post to illustrate how I might look on the outside and how I’ll be feeling on the inside, as I go on my walk this morning! @littlebrown.bsky.social @thehornbook.bsky.social #kidlitart #💙📚

The U.S. edition of HAPPY ALL OVER, a picture book by Emma Quay, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The cover illustration shows an arc of colourful raindrops falling and a small child sticking out their tongue to catch one. A puppy follows behind, also sticking its tongue out.
Below is a quote from a review of HAPPY ALL OVER from The Horn Book: “A gem of a picture book that can be both energetic for storytime and calming for bedtime read-alouds.”

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 26/03/2026

Happy to say that our family in America will soon be able to walk down the road and see HAPPY ALL OVER in their local bookshop. 🌈 Thank you, @littlebrownyr.bsky.social The U.S. edition is out on 5 May, but available to preorder. 🌈 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/emma-... #kidlitart #💙📚

The U.S. edition of HAPPY ALL OVER, a picture book by Emma Quay. The cover illustration shows an arc of colourful raindrops falling and a small child sticking out their tongue to catch one. A puppy follows behind, also sticking its tongue out.

A photograph of books on shelves in the Hachette Group offices in New York.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 20/03/2026

It’s World Happiness Day, and here are some children filling their cups… then one emptying hers (and yet still filling it!). 🌈💦 I’ve been illustrating our new book all day, and it has definitely filled mine. ☺️ #worldhappinessday #kidlitart #💙📚

Illustration by Emma Quay from her picture book HAPPY ALL OVER showing children filling their cups with colourful droplets.

Illustration by Emma Quay from her picture book HAPPY ALL OVER showing a gurl in the bath ripping water over her head.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 09/03/2026

Flicking through my sketchbook… #kidltart #💙📚#sketchbook

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 04/03/2026

So happy to hear that the little girl I painted for the Paper Bird Illustration Exhibition and Thames & Hudson Illustration Award is on the short list. Thank you, Paper Bird Children’s Books & Arts and Thames & Hudson Australia. paperbird.com.au/illustration...

An illustration by Emma Quay of a girl with brown skin and brown hair in a purple tracksuit running along holding a home-made paper bird aloft. The branding for the Paper Bird Illustration Exhibition and Thames & Hudson Illustration Award rubs across the bottom of the image.

The branding for the Paper Bird Illustration Exhibition and Thames & Hudson Illustration Award.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 27/02/2026

I’ve stuck at this job for a long time and there have been ups and downs, but making books still makes me happy. 😊 A thing like this is a lovely surprise. Thanks so much, @scbwi.bsky.social, and all who voted for HAPPY ALL OVER in the Crystal Kite Awards. I feel honoured… and very happy! #kidlitart

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 17/02/2026

Shame I only had one colour with me! 🌈🧦🧦 excited girl trying flavours at the ice cream stand. 🥄🍦 #sketchbook #💙📚#picturebookillustration #kidlitart

Sketch in turquoise brush pen by illustrator Emma Quay of a girl jumping up and down holding a littke plastic spoon. A note on the page says, “rainbow tutu socks”.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 14/02/2026

If sketchbooks had Photoshop… #kidlitart #💙📚#picturebookillustration #sketchingpeople

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 14/02/2026

Quicksticks. (Does anyone say that any more?) ✍🏻 One of the speediest sketches I’ve done (not sure about the ‘third eye’ fringe line.) A boy at the park drawing in the sandpit. #emmaquaysketchbook #walktosee #kidlitart #illustrationart

A pen and coloured pencil sketch by illustrator Emma Quay of a boy in a stripy jumper drawing in the sand with a stick.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 09/02/2026

Tiny sketch. How tiny? This tiny! ✏️ #💙📚 #kidlitart

Tiny pen and coloured pencil sketch by children’s picture book illustrator Emma Quay of a girl with a brown bob, yellow jumper and blue shorts, spearing to hold a real pencil behind her back, thus showing her scale.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 09/08/2025

A circle of sun on this rainy day: the paperbacks have arrived! MY SUNBEAM BABY in a new format, and I've always had a soft spot for a paperback. 💛 #kidlitart #💙📚 #PictureBook

Author-illustrator Emma Quay reading the new paperback edition of her picture book MY SUNBEAM BABY. The cover illustration shows a mother bouncing her baby on her knee, sitting on a hilltop with the sun behind them.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 07/08/2025

My first ever #KidLitArtPostcard. 💙 I told myself I’d post it on the very next first Thursday after watching @brianlarossa.com’s entertaining and enlightening talk for @scbwi.bsky.social Mid-Atlantic last month (saved up for while I was on my solo residency). Fun to join in… at last! 😊 #PictureBooks

An illustration by Emma Quay from the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER. In it, a woman with grey hair sits in an armchair reading to four children who are on her lap and on the arms of the chair. A toddler on the rug at their feet lifts a flap in a board book.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 07/08/2025

I'm back in my own studio in Sydney, with piles of pencil illustrations going on the scanner, one by one. ✏️✏️✏️ I’m finding rather a lot of tiny pen people in the margins (you'll see how tiny in the 2nd pic). Maybe they’re trying to sneak into the book… #💙📚 #picturebooks #KidLitArt #emmaquaysketchbook

Tiny pen and coloured pencil illustration by Emma Quay of a girl carrying a stack of paper. A pen lies on the page nearby.

Tiny pen and coloured pencil illustration by Emma Quay of a girl. A pen lies on the page nearby.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 29/07/2025

I’m thrilled to discover "Happy All Over" has won the 2025 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. They are voted on by our community, which makes it feel extra special. 😊 Thank you to all who voted for "Happy All Over" and to SCBWI HQ. 🙏🏻🙏🏻 www.scbwi.org/crystal-kite... #kidlitart #SCBWI25CK #CrystalKiteAward #💙📚

The cover of the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER by Emma Quay with the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award medallion.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 28/07/2025

This little person is going in the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust journal, as I finish my month-long residency. 🧡 🌱 #💙📚 #kidlitart

Photograph of a coloured pencil sketch by illustrator Emma Quay of a young girl in an orange jumper and green rain boots watering some young plants with a hose. The page lies on a green painted table with a pair of child’s scissors next to it.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 28/07/2025

A third baby has joined this little family — the paperback of MY SUNBEAM BABY. ☀️☀️☀️ I think there’ll be a few copies at home when I return, so I’ll look forward to taking some pics then. 💛 #💙📚 #kidlitart

Two copies of the picture book MY SUNBEAM BABY by Emma Quay — the hardback and the board book. Cover of the picture book MY SUBEAM BABY by Emma Quay, in hardback. The cover illustration shows a mother bouncing her baby on her knee, sitting on a hilltop with the sun behind them.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 09/05/2025

Look where you’re going, little doggy. #💙📚#kidlitart

Brush and ink sketch by Emma Quay of a dog walking along a paintbrush, looking back over its shoulder.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 31/03/2025

I loved our first day at Bologna Children’s Book Fair! Wonderful company (old friends and new)… and so much to take in. I can’t wait for more, tomorrow. 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚 @crosby-fairall.bsky.social

Author-illustrators standing in front of Bologna Children’s Book Fair signage.

Emma Quay taping her posters to the Illustrators Wall at Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Emma Quay holding her picture book HAPPY ALL OVER, in the Australian stand at Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 30/03/2025

Can you tell I’m happy to be in Bologna! 🎶 The children’s book fair starts tomorrow. ✏️✏️✏️🎉🎉🎉 #💙📚 #emmaquaysketchbook #illustrationart #kidlitart

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 29/03/2025

Bye-bye, Florence. 🛤️ Heading to Bologna today, for the Children’s Book Fair next week. 🎉 #💙📚 #kidlitart #emmaquaysketchbook #illustration

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 28/03/2025

You’ll have to take my word for it that there was something quite spectacular behind her, but I was more drawn to the baby. Sorry! #emmaquaysketchbook #walktosee #sketchbookpage #sketchillustration #💙📚

Open sketchbook with a drawing in pen and coloured pencil by illustrator Emma Quay of a baby of Kenyan descent holding a baby bottle and wearing a woollen hat, sitting on a bench in the Piazza Di Santa Maria Novella.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 28/02/2025

What’s on the trolley in my studio? Not just ✂️. Also, a ticket to something I’ve always wanted to attend… and it’s finally happening this month! 🇮🇹📚📚📚 Is anyone else going to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this year? I know a couple of my brilliant friends are, and maybe we’ll see you there. #💙📚

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 26/02/2025

Early childhood is very much where my heart sits, and to see HAPPY ALL OVER sharing the shelf with such beautifully child-centred picture books makes me, well… very happy. Congratulations, all! I’m thrilled and honoured to find my book amongst the CBCA Book of the Year Award Notables. #💙📚 #kidlitart

A copy of Emma Quay’s children picture book with a CBCA Notable Book sticker.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 23/02/2025

Happier sketching than swimming! The view from the shade, Clovelly Beach, Sydney. ✍🏻 Loved doing the Coastal Walk with our overseas visitors today. 🌊 #pensketch #sketchbook #illustration #emmaquaysketchbook

Illustrator Emma Quay’s hand holding up a small sketchbook and brush pen. On the page are drawings of two girls in bikinis, and we see a view of rocks, Clovelly Beach and the ocean with sunbathers and swimmers in the background.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 14/02/2025

Oh my goodness. These images of play and picture books really filled my cup. Thank you, Emma from Pages and Paint: “Today we squished sundaes and read one of the sweetest books we own. Nothing fancy to say about it, just sharing a genuine play snippet that made us happy.” #kidlitart #happyallover

The picture book “Happy All Over”, open to a colourful illustration by Emma Quay and with ice-cream sundae toys and confetti scattered around.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 01/02/2025

What a lovely surprise! If you browse the Books Merit Awards of the just-announced 2024 iJungle Illustration Awards, you’ll spot some of my Happy All Over children amongst the throng. Thank you, iJungle 2024! I really enjoyed looking at the winner galleries: www.ijungleawards.com/c%C3%B3pia-2... 💙📚

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 03/01/2025

I wish Christmas lights stayed up all year. I think that might be why I put them in my books!✨✨✨ #HappyAllOver 💙📚#picturebook #kidlitart #australianillustrator #picturebookillustration

Open page from the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER by Emma Quay showing the detail of an illustration of trees with strings of coloured lights in them.

Open page from the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER by Emma Quay showing part of an illustration of children playing in a playground with a slide and sandpit. In the background are trees with strings of coloured lights in them.

Open page from the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER by Emma Quay showing part of an illustration of children playing in a playground with a trampoline. In the background are trees with strings of coloured lights in them.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 18/12/2024

A dad at the park this morning. It looks really like him… apart from one or two things! 💙💙 #draweveryday #pensketch #illustrationart

Pen sketch by Emma Quay of the head and shoulders of a man. He has blue eyebrows. A pen lies on the page.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 12/12/2024

“Cheese!” 🧀 The second of my two new A4 limited edition prints — both illustrations from “Happy All Over”. Hope you like them! emmaquay.com/prints-shop/... 💙📚 #kidlitart #illustration

A framed print on a white wall. The image shows an illustration by Emma Quay from her picture book HAPPY ALL OVER of a young girl with an orange bow on her head peeping through a hole in a slice of Swiss cheese.

An illustration by Emma Quay from her picture book HAPPY ALL OVER, showing of a young girl with an orange bow on her head peeping through a hole in a slice of Swiss cheese.

The surface of a limited edition print lying on a table. The image shows a detail from an illustration by Emma Quay of a young girl with an orange bow on her head peeping through a hole in a slice of Swiss cheese.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 12/12/2024

"Sticky-tape heaven" (a little girl lost in the art of making). Introducing no. 1 of my 2 new A4 limited edition prints — illustrations from "Happy All Over". I'll show you the 2nd tomorrow... but there might be a sneak peek (literally) in the last pic! emmaquay.com/prints-shop/... #kidlitart 💙📚

A framed print of an illustration by Emma Quay showing a young girl building with cardboard tubes and boxes.

An illustration by Emma Quay showing a young girl building with cardboard tubes and boxes.

The surface of a print from an illustration by Emma Quay showing a young girl building with cardboard tubes and boxes.

Detail from an illustration by Emma Quay of a young girl with an orange bow on her head peeping through a hole in a slice of Swiss cheese.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 04/12/2024

Picture books in the paper! Bravo, Angie Schiavone, for this wonderful piece in today’s @australia.theguardian.com, and thank you for including ‘Happy All Over’ in your lists. amp.theguardian.com/books/2024/d... 💙📚 #kidlit #picturebooks

A snapshot from an article by Angie Schiavone in the Guardian Australia. The headline reads, “These picture books make the perfect gifts – for adults (and their inner children)” The image shows an illustration by Sean Tab.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 29/11/2024

Adding the finishing touches to my end-of-year newsletter. 💌 If you’d like to be added to the mailbag, I’ll pop a link below. 📮 There’s a code for free shipping within Australia, and a 1st look at my new A4 prints. ❤️Emma x emmaquay.com/news-subscri... #illustrationsky #kidlitart #kidlitsky

A brush and ink illustration of a girl holding an open envelope with a heart in it. Illustrator Emma Quay’s hand is adding red paint with a brush.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 24/11/2024

Sunday sketching by a stream. The locals are checking out the boy’s find and my drawing! 🍃 #illustrationsky #sketchbook #kidlitart

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 21/11/2024

Spot the difference! 🔍 This girl changed a bit between paper and page in HAPPY ALL OVER. My ‘Nitpicker’ critique/friend group suggested the edit, and pic 4 is a screenshot from one of our Zoom sessions. My expression — ha ha. ❤️📚 #kidlitart #illustrationsky

Brush and ink illustration by Emma Quay of a girl in a tracksuit. An inky tissue and a paintbrush lie on the page.

Brush and ink illustration by Emma Quay of a girl in a tracksuit watering a climbing plant with a teapot from a dolls’ tea set, a boy filling a watering can from a water butt and a girl holding a mixing bowl and licking a wooden spoon. Detail from a page in the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER by Emma Quay.

Brush and ink illustration by Emma Quay of a girl in a tracksuit watering a climbing plant with a teapot from a dolls’ tea set.

Screenshot from a Zoom session showing the person sharing their screen in the corner.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 19/11/2024

I’ve just stocked up on my favourite paper & sketchbooks. Half price — woo! Art supply sales are on. 🎨 I’ll be all set to not get too precious about making the first mark on a sheet of paper, as there’ll be plenty again. 🤍 My favourite art materials: emmaquay.com/illustrating... ❤️🎨 #kidlitart

Swatched colours of acrylic paints on a sheet of watercolour paper, with handwritten labels.

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Reposted by Emma Quay — illustrator & author

Judith Ridge @msmisrule.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

OK, #kidlit #yalit #childrensbook people, I made a starter pack. It’s far from perfect but it might kick things off a bit. Very Aus-US centric at the moment so please nominate yourself to be added to it! go.bsky.app/JRd4zpq

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 13/11/2024

I'm talking about the way I capture movement in my illustrations over at Joy Lawn’s wonderful children’s books blog, Paperbark Words. paperbarkwords.blog/2024/11/11/s... I get questions about this subject every week, so I hope this response is helpful. 😊

Detail of an illustration from the picture book HAPPY ALL OVER by Emma Quay, showing a girl in fairy wings and wellies jumping from one stepping stone to another.

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Emma Quay — illustrator & author @emmaquay.com · 08/09/2024

Mum pointing to her favourite little person in ‘Happy All Over’. She doesn’t know why, but he makes her smile. 🧡 I waved bye-bye to Mum today, as my sister drove me down the lane to head back to Sydney. 🥲 On a happier note, I’ll see my elder daughter and little dog very soon. 💕 #kidlitart

An open copy of Emma Quay’s picture book “Happy All Over” showing children playing in a park. A woman’s finger points to a toddler in a romper suit and white sunhat, with an ice lolly in his hand.

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