Sandra Dumais is an author-illustrator / giant kid based in Montreal, Quebec. Originally from Toronto, she moved to Montreal on a whim and has (mostly) been there since 2001.#She worked for years as a graphic designer, designing packaging, socks and patterns. She then started a business called Moon and Sparrow (which she ran for 10 years), creating stationery and posters for the children’s market, as well as licensed images in the home decor market.#Sandra published her first graphic novel, Crimes à la Ferme, volume 1, in 2018, followed by volume 2 in 2019. She has illustrated several award-winning children’s books, including Bob le Bobo (La Courte Échelle), Simone Sous les Ronces (Fonfon), The Fossil Whisperer (Kids Can Press), Les Ouï-dire (Fonfon) and La Première Mission de Gello (La Bagnole).#When not working in books, she is often in the classroom with elementary school children, leading workshops such as her very popular “Making Faces” workshop, presented to over 6500 elementary school students in Canada since 2020.#She loves painting, dogs and walking. And coffee.

Yong Ling Kang was born in Malaysia and grew up in Singapore. She is fascinated by storytelling, and has honed her craft through picture books, manga, cartoons and formal schooling in an animation program. Yong Ling has illustrated several picture books, including The Midnight Club, This House Is Home, Tanna’s Owl and William’s Getaway. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Mona Karaivanova is a freelance illustrator and an avid pencil fan. She works primarily on children’s book illustrations, pattern making and stationery. Mona is inspired by pine trees, long summer days, woodland creatures and good folk stories. She was born and grew up in Bulgaria, and is currently riding bikes in the Netherlands.

Kathleen Marcotte is an illustrator from the suburbs of Chicago. She earned her BFA in illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). She loves to create playful illustrations that can appeal to both children and adults and has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration and 3×3 magazine. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ellen Rooney grew up in the 1970s with three big sisters, two big brothers, her mom and dad, and various dogs, cats and other pets. Their house was a block from the town library, and Ellen loved to visit the children’s room where her next-door neighbor was the librarian. She probably learned the alphabet by searching the picture book shelves when she was still too little to go to school. She searched the K’s for Ezra Jack Keats, the S’s for William Steig and Maurice Sendak and the L’s for Leo Leonni. She started to dream about illustrating books herself.#On the way to becoming an illustrator, Ellen got distracted by a lot of other interesting things, so it took her a while to start making picture books. She always continued to learn about the world by drawing in a sketchbook. Now that she is finally doing her dream job, she is still inspired by her other interests, like painting, printmaking, people, science, plants, animals and graphic design.#Born in New England, Ellen carries the east coast in her heart while making her home in western Canada. She lives in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia with her husband and their dog. She loves to visit her big New England family, and the Atlantic Ocean, whenever she can.~Instagram: @ellenaroo