Chris went to art school at the age of sixteen. During this time, he did various jobs, from delivering papers to washing-up. He has won the Nottingham Children’s Book Award and been commended for the Sheffield. He loves his work and likes to write and draw the kind of books that he would have liked to have on his shelf as a boy. He is married with two children and lives in Yorkshire.

Rachel Cloyne has always loved drawing. Since completing her illustration degree in 2004 she has illustrated book jackets, colouring books, children’s fiction and a pop up book for several publishers over the last eight years.

Her latest work for Nosy Crow, inspired by objects from the British Museum, utilises her ability to incorporate a wide range of classic and historical design into a contemporary style all of her own.

She lives in Brighton with her husband and two cats. In her spare time she likes to swim in the Brighton ocean, tend to her many plants and cook up recipes for her friends and family.

Elli spent a lot of her childhood with her nose in a book, much to the annoyance of the lampposts she used to bump into when reading and walking at the same time. When she wasn’t reading she was playing the piano, and for a long time she considered a career in music, before taking the obvious step of studying Social Anthropology at university. Armed with a fun by not very practical MA degree, she then travelled to Thailand and lived there for six years, teaching herself Thai and working as a Thai – English translator. She now lives in London with her husband and so many children (four of them) that she can’t remember their birthdays and regularly muddles their names. She now divides her time between writing and translation work, and when she’s not doing either she can often be found singing in a chamber choir or joining in with Renaissance polyphony in the local pub.

Lerryn was brought up around artists, performers and filmmakers, and she started to make books as soon as she could. She worked in the film business before doing an MA in illustration at Kingston University. She has been published by Walker Books and Scholastic and now joins Nosy Crow. Her favourite things are being in the sea with her children, social history, particularly London, and her garden. She lives in London with her partner, three children and studio companion, Bilbo the cat.

Irene gained her first degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from Glasgow School of Art, and has been designing all sorts of things ever since, from corporate identity, marketing and websites to interior graphics and stained glass, as well as creating her own range of bespoke wedding stationery.

She’s now enjoying a new path creating picture books, having recently gained an MA in Children’s Book Illustration with distinction from Cambridge School of Art.

She lives in the beautiful rural county of Herefordshire, with her family and very old cat.

Rebecca Jones is an English illustrator living in Australia. She grew up in a creative, if slightly eccentric, family. Her days were spent roaming the English countryside collecting wild flowers and leaves, chasing butterflies and birds, and drawing tiny pictures of everything she could.

After graduating from art school in Winchester, she moved to London where she worked as a textile designer. She worked there for a few years, until her restlessness had her flying off to Australia in search of adventure.

Now she has replaced the countryside with concrete, and lives slap-bang in the middle of a big city. But she is to be found most days in her studio, drinking endless cups of tea, staring out of the window at a bunch of imaginary critters, and trying to draw them.

Ali Pye had wanted to be an illustrator ever since she was little, and used to draw stories and stick the pages together to make little books. But it took her a few years and a stint as a copy editor to start drawing professionally. She graduated from the Kingston MA in Illustration in 2010 and is now a full-time illustrator.

Simon Puttock had a peripatetic childhood, and he now likes to sit tight. He lives in Edinburgh, so there are mountains of things to see and do on his doorstep. Simon studied English Literature at Newcastle University, has written several picture books, and hopes to write ‘just the right number . . . Whatever that turns out to be.’ He has won the Highland Book Award and the Royal Mail Scottish Children’s Book Award.

Barry and Emma Tranter are the creators of the Rounds series – Barry creates the artwork, and Emma is responsible for the texts. Barry has been working in the creative industries since he left university with a degree in Graphic Communication. He has worked at some of the UK’s top design agencies and is passionate about the power design and ideas have to change things for the better. Emma works for an international top 10 design agency and specialises in helping to develop effective brands and communication for multinational clients. Barry and Emma are firm believers in education through play. Their original vision was to forge a new genre of children’s literature that would bridge the gap between fact and fiction. They are really pleased with the in-roads that Rounds is making into this area. They live in London with their young son.

Barry and Emma Tranter are the creators of the Rounds series – Barry creates the artwork, and Emma is responsible for the texts. Barry has been working in the creative industries since he left university with a degree in Graphic Communication. He has worked at some of the UK’s top design agencies and is passionate about the power design and ideas have to change things for the better. Emma works for an international top 10 design agency and specialises in helping to develop effective brands and communication for multinational clients. Barry and Emma are firm believers in education through play. Their original vision was to forge a new genre of children’s literature that would bridge the gap between fact and fiction. They are really pleased with the in-roads that Rounds is making into this area. They live in London with their young son.

Tara Lilly is an artist and illustrator living in northern California with her husband Charles and daughter June. Tara’s whimsical illustrations are found on fabric, children’s products, home and garden decor, and a variety of paper goods. Tara grew up on family farmland in rural northern California surrounded by the redwood forest, open meadows and the sweet sounds of birds singing. She has always had a love for nature, and it is one of her biggest inspirations. She is also inspired by old picture books, folk art, antique textiles and mid-century design. Her illustration portfolio can be found at taralillystudio.com.