ABOUT MY BOOKS
With my love of books, poetry, and children's literature, it is unsurprising that I have always been drawn toward Fine Art Illustration. In 2009, I was asked to create a series of paintings in response to Carol Ann Duffy's fairytale, The Princess's Blankets. Being asked to respond to a text in this way added another depth to my work and led to collaborations with Jackie Morris, Saviour Pirotta and Lauren St John, giving me the confidence to start working on four books of my own.
Darkling, The Owl's Song (Apollo, 2024)
Shortlisted for the Holyer an Gof Award for Poetry 2025
'Darkling is a magnificent praise song that honours both the darkness and the owl. Lyrical in both word and image, it is a wild triumph.' — Jackie Morris
'Pairing stunning art with lyrical poetry, this ode to the owl is deeply compelling on multiple levels.' — Barnes & Noble
I turn
to the old orchard
where she hunts:
a ghost glimmering
sweet heart of the moon.
Swooping between trees,
a beating clock of claw and feather,
hush winged, in half light
The Bee and the Sun (Zephyr, 2021)
Winner of the Holyer an Gof Award for Poetry 2022
Catherine Hyde follows the journey of the bee and the sun in a calendar of glorious full colour paintings that celebrate the sensory delights of herbs, seasoned with bee and plant lore. From the rising and setting of the Pleiades, from sunrise to sunset, the bee and the sun work in harmony — a miracle of nature, growth and new life. Beneath the shifting constellations, equinoxes and solstice markers, snippets of ancient bee beliefs and plant folklore are complemented by paintings of wild thyme, saffron, meadow sweet, basil, mallow, lavender and many more delights.
'Blending beautifully vibrant paintings with the written word, this gorgeous calendar of art celebrates the magic of nature, as well as the sensory delights and etymology of herbs.' — Daily Mail
The Hare and the Moon (Zephyr)
'This is a treasure by Catherine Hyde. It is a thing of beauty that traps time… Such a celebration of the wheel of the year.' — Jackie Morris, CILIP Kate Greenaway winner of The Lost Words
'Share the joy of leafing through the beautiful book, which contains a treasure trove of visual and oral language… Atmospheric, entrancing and sparing enough to act as stepping stones into endless daydreams.' — Cornwall Today
'It is the vibrant and atmospheric paintings and the way they bring to life the flora and fauna of the British countryside that make this book one that resonates… A book to treasure.' — The Field
'An absolutely exquisite calendar of paintings… A celebration of flora, fauna and country life, this simply stunning tome would make the perfect gift or coffee table book.' — The Countryside
The Star Tree (Frances Lincoln)
Shortlisted for the 2017 Cambridgeshire Children's Picture Book Award
Nominated for The Kate Greenaway Award
Little Evie in the Wild Wood (Frances Lincoln)
Written by Jackie Morris — Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award
Firebird (Templar)
Written by Saviour Pirotta — Awarded an Aesop Accolade by the American Folklore Society
Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award
The Princess's Blankets (Templar)
Written by Carol Ann Duffy, former Poet Laureate — Winner of the English Association Best Illustrated Book Key Stage 2
Nominated for UKLA and The Kate Greenaway Award
The Snow Angel
Cover art and interior illustrations for Lauren St John's The Snow Angel.
Editions 1–5: Elementum Journal
You can find fine art prints of some of the illustrations from my books here.