Shireen has an MA In Children’s Literature from the National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL) at Roehampton University, and has been a teacher, a librarian and an assistant headteacher. Sharing books with the children she has taught and filling her schools with books has been Shireen’s favourite part of her career!

She loves to write books that reflect the diverse lives and experiences of all kinds of children and families.

Shireen won joint second place on the Faber and Faber FAB Prize in 2022, and was longlisted for the Write Mentor Picture Book Prize 2022 and the Hachette Mo Siewcharran Prize 2023.

Her debut picture book, So Devin Wore a Skirt (illustrated by Lucy Fleming) was published by Frances Lincoln in May 2025.

Having spent 20+ years in Education as a teacher and Literacy Specialist, Shireen is very comfortable with school visits at all levels of Primary School, class workshops or leading teacher CPD with her author hat or her educational leadership hat or both!

Shireen lives in London with her partner and her two brilliant teenagers and one very gorgeous bunny rabbit who always needs to be read a bedtime story.