William Grill

One of Waterstones favourite new voices in children’s literature and design, William Grill is a contemporary author and illustrator whose main interest lies in narrative illustration and printmaking. Grill began his career illustrating for a variety of newspapers and retailers, including Harrods, The New York Times and the FT. His distinct style, combining relief print work with small, intricately drawn watercolour images, particularly of the natural world and people, gives him an instantly recognisable style.

At 25, Grill was the youngest recipient of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for children’s illustration when he was awarded the prize in 2015 for his first book Shackleton’s Journey; charting Shackleton’s ambitious and dangerous attempt to cross Antarctica, becoming trapped in ice along the way.

An exciting pioneer in children’s narrative non-fiction, Grill is passionate in his assertion that image is an asset in communicating ideas lucidly and engagingly: "In simple terms illustration is all about communication. Speaking with images. Whether used independently, or combined with words it offers a huge breadth of storytelling possibilities. This is what really interests me, the different ways we can tell a story. How the medium, colour, design, layout, composition, weight of line all play a part in our effort to communicate.”