I’m Cara Rooney, an illustrator, plaything maker and workshop facilitator based in Dundee, Scotland. I combine painted shapes, handmade textures and bright colours to create bold illustrations with playful words. In my work, I hope to encourage people to look playfully at the places and little worlds around them, and to inspire fascination and empathy for all the creatures we share our world with.

My debut children’s book, A Little World of Ants, was released in April 2024, after I was awarded the Macmillan prize for Illustration 2021. The book explores the tiny world of ants through interactive elements that replicate the feelings of exploring outside in the garden. A Little World of Ants, and lots of the work I create, is inspired by nature trails I went on as a child, learning about insects and imagining the life growing in tiny parts of the garden.

I work on a variety of illustration projects, including activity trails and children’s books, alongside facilitating workshops inspired by A Little World of Ants, and in my role as Freelance Design Educator at V&A Dundee.

For literary enquiries, please email my agent, Lucy Juckes, at lucy@jennybrownassociates.com

If you’d like to book me for reading related events and workshops, I am now part of the Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature Directory. My profile is linked here.

For other enquiries, email me at caralouiserooney@gmail.com

My CV is available to view in full here.

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