Brenda Clark began drawing as a small child and realized by the age of 17 that she wanted to become a commercial artist. She studied Illustration at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and graduated with an honors diploma in 1977. Shortly afterward, Brenda found that there was plenty of work for a freelancer in educational publishing and her first jobs were for elementary school books. This experience gave her plenty of published examples for her portfolio and a better understanding of how to interpret a story with pictures.#Kids Can Press was looking for new creators in the early 1980s and Brenda was ready to try illustrating picture books. She signed her first contract with KCP in 1983 for a story called Christopher and the Dream Dragon by Allen Morgan (no longer in print). All of the illustrations were created in black-and-white washes. Morgan wrote another charming story, called Sadie and the Snowman, which suited Brenda’s style and this time she was asked to illustrate in full color. #In 1985, the manuscript for Franklin in the Dark, written by Paulette Bourgeois, was offered to Brenda and by the following year it was published with rave reviews. Since then, Brenda has illustrated more than 30 Franklin titles and numerous activity books for the series. Franklin and his friends quickly became popular around the world and by 1997 the first animated episode of Franklin was televised. Brenda helped to launch a series of Franklin spin-off books. She also assisted with approvals for merchandise created from the illustrations. #One other successful collaboration with Paulette Bourgeois is the delightful Big Sarah’s Little Boots. #Brenda is still painting and lives in Port Hope, Ontario, with her husband and son.

Heather Collins lives in Toronto with her husband and two children and has been illustrating children’s books for more than 20 years. When Heather receives a manuscript she visualizes the story in her mind’s eye, even plotting the storyboards, before preparing her rough illustrations. She may work for weeks or even months before the pictures feel right. At this point she is ready for outside reaction and feedback and to begin adding detail and color, usually with colored pencils, paints or pastels. ~Heather’s body of work also includes many non-fiction books, such as the award-winning A Pioneer Story, which incorporates fact, fiction and over 400 line drawings, all lovingly researched and executed. Her latest book is Out Came the Sun, and was published in September 2007.

Rose Cowles has won awards for both illustration and design. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Sylvie Daigneault was born in Montreal, Quebec, where from a very young age she spent her summers at a country cottage. There was no television, no radio — just books, a lake to swim in and nature for inspiration, all of which gave her creative mind a chance to blossom. While at the cottage, Sylvie also learned how to garden, sew and knit with her mother. With her friend, she once built a miniature house on the beach made of small twigs and pieces of bark. It was very lifelike, had a stone path, a well, weeds for trees and a vegetable garden surrounded by a rustic fence. #From her early teen years, she increasingly enjoyed drawing and painting. In her late teens, she was recruited to a modern dance troupe and performed at La Place des Arts de Montreal. She majored in painting at L’École des Beaux Arts, which became part of the University of Quebec in Montreal. Engraving, etching, philosophy, sculpture, live model study and colour technique were also part of Sylvie’s training. Her inks, oil paintings and batik work were exhibited at different venues and galleries, but she eventually oriented her work toward illustration. #As soon as she moved to Toronto, she started her freelance career, illustrating children’s educational books and working for advertising agencies. Kids Can Press gave Sylvie her first book to illustrate, Simon’s Surprise. Since then, twelve of her illustrated books have been published. She’s been living in Cabbagetown with her husband, Doug Panton, also an illustrator who is presently Chair at OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design). In the company of her cat Iris, Sylvie spends most days drawing or writing if not planting something in the garden.