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More About Audrey Perrott (She/Her)
Languages: English
Audrey Perrott studied English, children’s literature, and marketing at the University of Florida and after an award-winning career in communications is now living her lifelong dream as a full-time author. She is a mom, bird nerd, foodie, cancer survivor, baker, sewist, and all-around recovering Type-A perfectionist people-pleaser. She wears her heart on her sleeve and frosting in her hair.
She is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books for kids, as well as the beloved picture books A HAT FOR HOUSE (illustrated by Druscilla Santiago), BAA HAA and MOO HOO (illustrated by Ross Burach), which was named a 2025 Favorite Children’s Book by the Children’s Book Council and the featured title on the 2025 reboot of Reading Rainbow. She is over the moon to be launching her first early reader graphic novel series, Once Upon a Tail, with award-winning illustrator Charlene Chua in April 2026.
Audrey is a 2023 PB Rising Stars Mentor Alumnus, SCBWI Rising Kite Honorable Mention, the 2019 National Picture Book Manuscript Award winner, and a member of ALA. She signed with her incredible agent James McGowan of BookEnds Literary Agency in 2019, telling him she was “more excited than Jessie Spano on caffeine pills.”
She loves stories that make her feel deeply, firmly believing that funny books are just as important as serious books, and writes both for kids and adults in her North Carolina home.
You can find Audrey online at:
Audrey’s strengths include…
Increasing tension/drama/humor
Finding the perfect pacing and pagination
Choosing the juiciest words
Amplifying the heart of the story
Adding themes/layers without bulking up the text
Teaching tried-and-true revision techniques from her copywriting career
What Audrey is looking for…
Audrey is looking for a mentee who has a clear vision for their publishing career and is excited to dive into the joyful though sometimes tedious work of honing their craft.
She hopes to find someone who takes their work seriously but themselves less so -- a partner in whimsy. She wants someone who is receptive to feedback, open to brainstorming, and loves the push and pull of making a manuscript the best it can be.
Audrey's ideal mentee has multiple manuscripts-in-progress and a backlog of ideas, and understands the honor, privilege, and responsibility we have as creators of quality literature for children.
A Note from Audrey:
“I have a saying: ‘Not everything you write will be published, but everything you write will have a purpose.’ Being an author means keeping your heart and mind open to ideas, feedback, pivots, and having a lot of projects in the hopper at the same time. There are a lot of roadblocks in this industry -- don't let yourself be one of them. Be true to yourself and your stories while remaining flexible enough to make any necessary changes so it can be the best story possible.
I am thrilled to come back as a 2026 PB Rising Stars mentor for its final year! I have learned even more about the industry and life as an author since my first time mentoring for the program in 2023 now that I have launched three picture books into the world. I'm excited to share this additional experience with my 2026 mentee, and I'm forever grateful to be a part of this program!”
Audrey’s Picture Books
Please note that Audrey writes for additional markets. For her full body of work, visit her website.
Moo Hoo, written by Audrey Perrott, illustrated by Ross Burach
Baa Haa, written by Audrey Perrott, illustrated by Ross Burach
A Hat for House: One Storm, Many Helpers, written by Audrey Perrott, illustrated by Druscilla Santiago
If Audrey created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…
*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.
Touch the Sky, written by Stephanie Lucianovic, illustrated by Chris Park
The Wolf Suit, written and illustrated by Sid Sharp
Made for More, written by Chloe Ito Ward, illustrated by Gael Abary
Marley's Pride, written by Kam Asanyi, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley
Forts, written by Katie Venit, illustrated by Kenard Pak
The First Cat in Space, written by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris
Real to Me, written by Minh Lê, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
Who Ate Steve? written by Susannah Lloyd, illustrated by Kate Hindley
Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence, written by Maisha Oso, illustrated by Candice Bradley
Big Bike, Little Bike, written by Kellie DuBay Gillis, illustrated by Jacob Souva
Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan
Snarky, quirky humor in animated TV shows like:
We Bare Bears
Boss Baby
Gravity Falls
Offbeat humor from Instagram accounts like:
Sweetness from Instagram accounts like:
Poetry like:
Audrey is a good fit for…
Humor with heart
Lyrical picture books
Whimsical themes and modern-day fables
Authors who are not only open to but are excited to envision their story in different ways
Stories that invoke strong emotions (joy, bittersweet, righteous rage, hope, etc.)
Anthropomorphic characters
Human characters
Creative nonfiction
Stories thwarting toxic masculinity, binary roles, etc.
Inclusive stories by authors who share the lived experiences of their characters
Audrey is not a good fit for…
Authors who exclusively write in rhyme
STEM
🚫 Please do NOT send manuscripts including loss of a loved one, abuse, or cancer
Who can apply to Audrey?
Unagented Text-Only Authors