Rob Hodgson was born in a seaside town in the south of England in 1988. Today he lives in Bristol where he spends his days making a mess and turning it into quality illustration projects and books.
He cites Yoko Ono, Spike Jonze, John Cage, Corita Kent, Vic & Bob, Alexander Girard, Ed Templeton, Arthur Russell, Brian Wilson and the Imagineers among his influences.
His work often explores play, texture, character design, interactivity, and the hidden world of nature.
Lauren Fairgrieve is a children’s book writer and editor who grew up in East Lothian, Scotland, and now lives in North London. She can often be found roaming Hampstead Heath or exploring a new part of the city, and is very proud and grateful to be able to edit and write fascinating children’s non-fiction for a living.
Poppy O’Neill writes books for children about understanding their emotions. The Pumpkin Seed is her debut picture book. She lives in Sussex, England, with her wife, children and pets.
Brizida Magro has illustrated several picture books, among them Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O’Neill. Originally from Portugal, she now lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her partner and two cats.
Margery Winifred Williams was born in London in 1881. During her lifetime she lived in England, America and Italy and wrote numerous books for adults and children. Her most famous book, The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real, was published in1922.
Daniela Sosa graduated from the Cambridge School of Art with an MA in children’s book illustration. When not illustrating, she enjoys nature walks, old pubs, and crafty projects. Originally from Romania, Daniela Sosa now lives in Cambridge, England.
Ebony Glenn has illustrated many popular picture books, including Not Quite Snow White written by Ashley Franklin. She lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.
Based in Vietnam, Xuan Le was born in Ho Chi Minh City. She studied fashion and graphic design and has many years of experience working in children’s publishing. Xuan enjoys travelling, exploring nature, reading, and creating miniature models or moulding clay with her niece. The joyful reactions and curious questions from her niece about her surroundings inspire Xuan to illustrate how things work in her books, engaging other young readers and nurturing their sense of exploration. One of her favourite activities is sharing hot chocolate while reading stories with the children in her family.
Tim has been working as an illustrator for over forty years. He graduated from Kingston Polytechnic in 1983 and soon after joined the art department at i-D magazine. With a strong sense of design and a love of mark-making, texture and colour his bold illustrative work led to regular magazine commissions. His career in children’s publishing started in 2006, with the publication of Our Big Blue Sofa, which won the Cambridgeshire Book Award. In 2008 he won the Booktrust Best Emerging Illustrator Award, for his book Here Comes Frankie. This was followed in 2009 by WOW! Said the Owl which has become an international pre-school favourite.
He has since combined his love of art and music by illustrating classic songs. These include What a Wonderful World, Singing in the Rain, Moon River and Winter Wonderland all of which have been sung by Gregory Porter for CBeebies, Book at Bedtime. Amazing Frogs illustrated by Tim and written by Martin Jenkins won the School Library Association Information Book Award in 2016 and more recently, Tim’s picture book Hope is the Thing with Feathers based on the poem by Emily Dickinson won him the Best Illustrator Moonbeam Award, 2024 (US).
When not at his desk you’ll find him in the garden, in the kitchen or on the dancefloor!
Frances Stickley grew up in Nottingham and Norwich, where she spent much of her time making up poems and dressing up her dog. She is a trained children’s literacy specialist and a primary school teacher who is happiest when she is covered in paint or stuck in a book. In 2017, Frances was the winner of the Bloomsbury and National literacy trust short story prize 2017. She lives with her family and a big-eared dog called Babbage. When she is not writing, you’ll probably find her in a forest playing dragons with her daughters.