Enjoy travel without leaving home, says artist

Thea Lu created her award-winning book as part of her masters course at Anglia Ruskin University

A university student hopes her award-winning book will enable readers to realise they can reap the benefits of travel without necessarily having to do so physically.

Thea Lu wrote and drew 90% of pictures for her children's tale called Here and There, while studying for her MA in children's book illustration at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge.

Lu, who now lives in Shanghai, was chosen as a winner of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books for 2024.

The author said the ARU course allowed her to fulfil a dream to complete a book, adding she felt "very, very lucky" to choose it.

Lu's illustration of cafe owner, Dan, and sailor Aki, for her book Here and There

"Also because the course is very practical, it's not like very experimental courses. It's really focused on publishing," she said.

"Not only teaching me how to create a books, but also teaching me how to get into the industry."

She said she had no idea her publishers had entered her book for the award, and was "totally shocked" when she received an email informing her of the prize.

Lu is unusual in that she both wrote and created the pictures for her story.

The two characters were inspired by real people Lu met on her travels.

She said it is a story about how we stay connected. It centres on a sailor who travels the world and a cafe owner, who although never leaves his cafe feels the world comes to him through customers and their stories, which meant he never felt isolated or lacking.

The book embraces the topics of home, travel, friendships and the similarities between people from very different backgrounds.

While essentially a children's book, its philosophical outlook may appeal to adults too, Lu hoped.

Shelley Jackson, the associate professor of MA in children's book illustration at ARU, said the department was "thrilled" by Lu's success, describing her as a "fearlessly adventurous artist and a passionate storyteller".

Another of Lu's stories, Dive Dive Into the Night Sea, has been nominated for a 2025 Carnegie Medal for Illustration.