Bill Slavin was born on February 12, 1959, in Belleville, Ontario, as the seventh of eight children. He illustrated his first book, “The Adventures of Zok the Caveman”, when he was seven years old. It was published in an edition of one. He has been writing and illustrating ever since. He has illustrated over one hundred children’s books, fiction and nonfiction, including Stanley’s Party by Linda Bailey, winner of the 2004 Blue Spruce Award, the Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award.#He also co-wrote (with his brother Jim Slavin) and illustrated Transformed: How Everyday Things Are Made, which won the Norma Fleck Award as well as the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award in 2006. In 2014, he completed his Elephants Never Forget graphic novel trilogy, fulfilling a lifetime desire to return to the world of comic books that he had inhabited in his youth.#Bill lives in the village of Millbrook, Ontario, with his wife, Esperança Melo, who is also an artist and the co-illustrator of Drumheller Dinosaur Dance, winner of the 2005 Blue Spruce Award. They have lived and worked in this community since 1990.

It was in a design class taught by Michèle Lemieux at the University of Quebec in Montreal that author and illustrator Melanie Watt created her first picture book, Leon the Chameleon, which was later published by Kids Can Press. Watt went on to create several more books, including the Learning with Animals collection and Augustine, which was named an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Watt has also illustrated Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? and Bearcub and Mama, which won the 2006 IRA Teachers’ Choices Project#Melanie’s best known book Scaredy Squirrel, has won many awards including the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award for Children’s Picture Book and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award. The release of Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, was met with enthusiastic reviews and incredible sales, confirming the arrival of kid lit’s newest superstar.#Chester,Chester’s Back! and Chester’s Masterpiece are about a megalomaniac cat who is every bit the antithesis to Scaredy. Chester has already become a bestseller and shows the breadth and creativity of Melanie Watt.#Scaredy returns to take a few more tentative steps out of his comfort zone in Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Scaredy Squirrel at Night. Melanie has often noted how the Scaredy Squirrel books helped her work out her own insecurities and fears, as the success of these titles has required her to venture out into the unknown, and like Scaredy she has found the experience truly uplifting.#Melanie currently resides near Montreal, Quebec.

Dušan Petričić is an award-winning children’s book designer and illustrator whose books include Bagels from Benny, The Enormous Potato and In the Tree House. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Scot Ritchie is an award-winning author and illustrator. He has worked with the National Film Board of Canada and been a judge for the Governor General’s Award for Illustration.#Scot grew up with one creative parent and one encouraging parent. He is convinced this is a recipe for success because he’s spent his life creating things, being fairly sure he knows what he’s doing – but never entirely sure. When you’re not entirely sure, you’re probably learning or trying harder.#Growing up in the port city of Vancouver, Scot had a curiosity about the world. He has been able to marry his passion for bookmaking with his passion for travel. Even before the internet, Scot would pack up his mini office and work from places as far afield as Chania in Crete, Berlin, Honolulu and a seventeenth-century stable in Amsterdam. Scot has been told this gives his work a wider appeal. Scot currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.#Scot’s books have been translated into many languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Korean and Russian.#He draws on paper then scans the ink line into his computer where the coloring is done. He is especially proud of his Exploring Our Community series with Kids Can Press.

Renée Schwarz has been making toys and other things for as long as she can remember. For the last ten years, she has written and illustrated children’s craft books. Using different techniques and odds and ends to make her strange creations is what she most enjoys. Books are her way to share the different ways she knows about how to make things, but she likes it best when her designs evolve into other things.~ ~After studying Fine Arts and Art Education at Concordia University in Montreal, she made toys to sell at craft fairs. Soon after, Renée started creating one-of-a-kind pieces for magazines and teaching adults and children how to make their own crafts. Writing and illustrating a series of craft books was just another step in sharing the fun of making things by hand. #After growing up in Montreal, she moved to the country a few years ago. Now she lives at the far end of a country road in the middle of the forest. Her world is populated with odd little creatures spying on visitors. She goes in to the big city every few months to look for inspiration and to pick up odd things to make into new creatures. If you see someone trying on empty boxes at the grocery store, it just might be her — they make great masks! Renée loves making things and most of her crafts are functional but with a funky twist. In fact, she finds it really hard not to add eyes and noses to random things. #Perhaps it’s because she’s a tad nearsighted (but never really got used to wearing glasses) that she sees the world a little bit differently. Faces peek out here and there, door handles between metro trains suddenly look like Pinnochio: a long nose, screw eyes and a surprised O mouth! ~Who is watching you now?