A Falmouth author and illustrator has won an award for the best picture book at the the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.
Rebecca Cobb said she was surprised to win the award for her book Lunchtime about a little girl persuaded to eat her lunch by a crocodile, a bear and a wolf .
"Lunchtime is based on my own memories of being little and not eating my meals.
"All the other shortlisted books are really beautiful and I felt very honoured to be included in the shortlist, so delighted to have won."
She was up against five other titles in the picture book and won £2,000.
Waterstones children's new titles buyer Melissa Cox said: "Full of originality, our shortlist was rich and exciting, but Rebecca's book shone through, with its wonderfully expressive young girl and beautifully realised animals looming large on the pages.
"The illustrations skilfully evoke the wonder of a child's imagination and the story is great fun to read aloud with small children. Rebecca is definitely one to watch."
Ms Cobb graduated from Falmouth College of Art in 2004 and has worked with Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrated for Richard Curtis.
Cutting her teeth on magazine illustration, she got her big break when Falmouth publisher Ron Johns asked her to illustrate Helen Dunmore's words for picture book The Ferry Birds about two turnstones who hitch a ride across the River Fal.
Ms Cobb was then taken on by Macmillan, who published her first self-penned, poignant picture book Missing Mummy, for bereaved children.
