Emily Rand is an illustrator living in London, UK.

Emily grew up immersed in books, from picture books to poetry and novels. As a child she always studied the illustrations in picture books for tiny details, trying to make sense of the world through the illustrations. Books by Shirley Hughes and Janet and Allan Ahlberg were her favourites with their familiar depictions of slightly chaotic, everyday family life.

Emily studied illustration at Camberwell College of Arts and the London College of Communication. After graduating Emily worked with children and young people teaching art and running creative workshops in schools, galleries and museums.

Inspired by the beautiful and unusual books in the children’s bookshop Chantelivre in Paris, Emily was inspired to start creating picture books in her free time.

In 2012 she entered her illustrations to the illustrator’s exhibition at Bologna Children’s Book Fair, her work was selected and nominated for the prestigious Bologna Illustrator’s Award. The selected illustrations became her first picture book, A Dog Day, which was published in 2014 by Tate Publishing.

Since then she has written and illustrated six books published by Tate Publishing, Thames & Hudson and Flying Eye in the UK, her books have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world (including in the Chantelivre bookshop in Paris!).

In 2019 Emily was selected by the Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child, to be featured in Drawing Words, an exhibition of contemporary UK children’s book illustration.

Emily lives in east London with her husband and two children. She works from a studio nearby in an old carpentry factory.