Chris Tougas was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and moved to southern California when he was five years old. Chris practically grew up in his father’s art studio. He was enamored with his dad’s sculptures and would often sneak into the studio so that he could run his fingers over the latest masterpiece. But Chris’s early talent was drawing. He drew every day and on everything (including on his sleeping sister!).#After high school, Chris majored in playwriting at the University of Alberta, before moving to Seattle to study fine arts and acting. These interests eventually led Chris back to California, where he studied character animation at the California Institute of the Arts.#Chris’s first job out of college was with Disney Publishing in Burbank, where he was easily the least talented drawer on the floor. But Chris learned a lot from the experience, including the fact that he was a lousy employee. After leaving Disney, Chris worked as a freelance character designer and began pitching TV shows and movies around Hollywood. It was at this time that an idea for a children’s book popped into his noggin, where it would lie dormant for two decades. 20 years after first writing the words Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star, Chris finally decided to revisit the idea, and he’s happy he did!#Chris is also the author and illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including Mechanimals, Art’s Supplies, and the Dojo Daycare series.

Thomas Gibault was born in Paris and studied illustration in Strasbourg, France, before moving to Canada.#His passion for travel, adventure and mysteries led him to invent his own stories. He now lives in Montreal, Quebec, where he spends his time creating illustrations and characters for children’s books and interactive shows. Diversity and discovery are what make him want to write and draw every day.#Don’t tell anyone, but he and his cats are part of a secret society that fights huge monsters and ancient ghosts. Sometimes they also make friends with creatures from other dimensions; it turns out we have a lot to learn from them.~Instagram: @tomagibo

Kelly Collier studied illustration at Sheridan College in Ontario. She writes and draws in a humorous style and loves to illustrate characters with quirky sensibilities. She is the author-illustrator of the Steve the Horse series and the illustrator of the Sloth and Squirrel series and the Izzy series.#She lives in an old house in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and daughter.

Akiko Miyakoshi was born in Saitama, on the island of Honshu in Japan. She began creating picture books while studying visual communication design at Musashino Art University. Her first picture book, The Storm, won the Nissan Children’s Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix.~In 2009, after living in Berlin, Germany, she launched her career creating picture books for young children. Her anticipated follow-up, The Tea Party in the Woods, was her first book translated into English and was received with critical acclaim. She has since been featured in solo exhibitions in Tokyo and has published numerous picture books, which have been translated into French, Spanish and Chinese. She currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan.

Benoit Tardif started illustrating professionally after he completed his studies in graphic design at Université du Québec à Montréal. Since then, he has offered simple, effective and colorful images. Often tinged with irony, Benoit’s style is marked by his interest in silkscreen and posters. He works with both traditional and digital techniques to build images that are designed to convey a specific and conceptual message.#Benoit’s works have won many awards, including the LUX Grand Prix Illustration 2012, LUX 2011 (Couverture de liver), the Applied Arts Illustration Award and the 3×3 Professional Show, and have been selected to appear in American Illustration 34, American Illustration 33 and American Illustration 32. Facebook: benoittardif91~Instagram: @benoittardifillustration