Lucy Cousins

Elizabeth "Lucy" Cousins (born on 10 February 1964) is a British author and illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her books featuring the character Maisy Mouse (referred to by Penguin Random House as the Maisy Series ) published from the 1990s onwards, from which the TV series Maisy was created in 1999. A new animated adaptation My Friend Maisy is currently in the works and was slated to be released in 2025 but has since delayed to 2026.

Early life and education Cousins, whose parents were also artists, was interested in children's books from an early age. But it took until the end of six years in art college for her to decide that she wanted to create children's books. Cousins received BA Honours in graphic design from the Faculty of Arts and Architecture at Brighton Polytechnic. She then attended the Royal College of Art, where she met artist Quentin Blake, who encouraged her work.

Work Cousins' books are aimed at preschool-aged children and younger or older.

Apart from the Maisy books, Cousins has also published other children's books, such as Jazzy in the Jungle (2002) and one about Noah's Ark.

Recognition Her board books, designed especially for toddlers, are considered among the best, according to Horn Book Magazine.

The Carnegie Library listed Maisy's First Colors as a 2013 pick for their Best Books for Babies list.

Cousins' character, Maisy, was featured on a postage stamp published by the U.S. Postal Service in their 2006 Favorite Children's Book Animals Series.

Cousins won a Booktrust Best Book Award in 2014 for Peck, Peck, Peck.

She received Mathical Honors for Count with Maisy, Cheep, Cheep, Cheep!.