colourful illustrations and the need for space to help make early identification of characters and objects as the building blocks for story easier. “Together we have ensured the illustrations in Let’s Play are bold and colourful with plenty of white space in between the characters and objects – this can make the different items easier to recognise, whether by sight or touch or both. It’s important that the pages are not cluttered or confusing, and that there is lots of space to ‘breathe’. “We also included lots of faces because we know how much these can attract babies and young children. We also chose a subject that we know is universally relatable – play! Because that’s something we all love, and hopefully this theme makes for a fun book.”
The multiple faces and clear expressions help provide a guide to recognising different emotions.
Author and illustrator Sharon King-Chai won the Shadowers’ Choice, Carnegie Medal for illustration for her fairytale-like The Starbird. Sharon has been working on a series of board books called, Mirror Magic. Sharon naturally gravitates towards creating bold and bright illustrations which capture attention. This supports early visual development as she explains.
“I start with simple shapes and clear composition, then use high contrast colour palettes to ensure accessibility for babies with a range of learning needs. I add layers of texture and detail to create different levels of engagement as a child grows. I also focus on expressive, relatable characters to support early emotional recognition and provide a sense of familiarity and comfort.”
Sharon has a clear sense of the type of illustration she aims to create and the impact she hopes these will stimulate. “Overall, I aim to design illustrations that are inclusive, developmentally supportive, and engaging at different stages – so every child can find a way to connect with the work in their own time and in their own way.” The inclusivity that Sharon describes is a
Spring-Summer 2026 Sharon King-Chai.
core element of the work that both Sharon and Alex create. Sharon’s connection with this isn’t formal as she explains. “It’s part of my everyday life. As a mother, I regularly engage with teachers of deaf children, Special Educational Needs Coordinators, educational psychologists, and early years specialists, and I’m part of a community of parents raising children with additional needs. Because of this, inclusion is a way of being and feels natural in my work. It shapes how I illustrate and tell stories – encouraging me to represent a wide range of children in ways that feel authentic and thoughtful, through both character choices and small, meaningful details.”
Alex takes a different approach, stating: “I really wanted to make Let’s Play as accessible as possible for all children and their families and in as many ways as possible. So, we sought lots of help on this too. We took advice to help us finalise the choice of words. We all know that lots of repetition is great, and working with experts showed us that it can be especially so for children who have any kind of
impairment that affects their language development.”
The messaging of the stories can also be key as Alex points out: “A clear ‘call to action’ can help really engage children. So the ‘story’ in this book involves inviting the child to find different toys and the text includes repeated refrains.” One of the unusual features in Let’s Play is that it features key words in Braille and also British Sign Language. “We worked to ensure the text was as accessible as possible by featuring they key words on the back cover in BSL and taking advice from experts (including Cath Smith of Let’s Sign), to ensure the images of all signs were correct. We’ve also included a QR code on the back cover to link to more resources including videos of the BSL signs, because we know seeing real people signing can be easier to follow.” The level of detail given to authenticity feels really impressive, particularly given the sparsity of text. Alex explains why this is important. “We feel it’s important to include a diverse range of children’s faces, even in a simple board book. One of the keys
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