A KARATE champ is winning fresh plaudits for her first picture book, a humorous look at what not to do with a baby.

Sunderland-born illustrator Holly Sterling, a design graduate from the University of Sunderland, drew on her own experiences as a child living in an ethnically diverse family with a black father and white mother.

Having received rave reviews for ‘15 Things Not To Do With a Baby’ – which is written by Margaret McAllister – she now has several new projects lined up including being an illustrator and author of new book Hiccups!

The 27-year-old, who has her own karate club in Durham and is a world and national champion in the sport, said: “15 Things is a representation of my own family.

“Subconsciously you draw on your own experiences and, whether you’re writing or illustrating, that’s what makes it real. For me, representing different ethnicities should be a natural thing.”

She added: “We have had quite a lot of amazing reviews, which is totally overwhelming at this point in my career, but the diversity element has been picked up on. It is quite a forward step because it’s just a family - it doesn’t matter which country they are in, this is just normal life, especially in today’s society.”