John Calder

Since 1949, John Calder has published eighteen Nobel Prize winners and around fifteen hundred books. He has put into print many of the major French and European writers, almost single-handedly introducing modern literature into the English language. His commitment to literary excellence has influenced two generations of authors, readers, booksellers and publishers. He is the author of several plays, a memoir and various non-fiction titles.

Tor Freeman

Tor Freeman was born in London and graduated from Kingston University with a BA in Illustration in 1999. She has been working as a freelance illustrator since that time. In 2012 she was awarded a Sendak Fellowship, and together with two other illustrators spent a month in Connecticut.

Ian Beck

Ian Beck is an author and illustrator known for his beautifully illustrated books which include his children’s fiction series Tom Trueheart (translated into over seventeen languages) and numerous picture books, including The Teddy Robber and Lost in the Snow. He has also collaborated with authors such as Berlie Doherty and Philip Pullman and continues to write and illustrate books for young readers.

Philip Waechter

Philip Waechter is one of Germany’s best-known illustrators. His children’s books have met with international success, most notably ME!, published by Random House. He lives in Frankfurt, is a member of the LABOR collective and loves football.

Satoshi Kitamura

Satoshi Kitamura was born in Japan and has lived in the UK for many years. His books have won many prizes, including the Mother Goose Award (for Angry Arthur) and the Smarties Prize (for Me and My Cat). Nowadays, Satoshi is back in Japan, where he studies Spanish in his spare time, and is working his way through Sepúlveda’s oeuvre in the original.

Kate Hindley

Kate Hindley lives and works in Birmingham. She studied illustration at Falmouth College of Art, and went on to work for two years as a children’s print designer at a studio in Northampton, whilst working freelance on children’s books and greetings cards.

Axel Scheffler

Axel Scheffler was born in Hamburg, Germany. He studied History of Art, before moving to the United Kingdom to study illustration at Bath Academy of Art in 1982. Since then he has worked as a freelance illustrator in London. He is best known for the children’s books he has illustrated through his partnership with author Julia Donaldson. Together they created The Gruffalo, which has sold over 13 million copies, in over 70 languages. He lives in London.

Read an interview with Axel Scheffler here

Chris Riddell

Chris Riddell is the creator of a wide range of books which have won many illustration awards including the UNESCO Prize, the Greenaway Medal (twice) and the Hay Festival Medal for Illustration. In 2015 he was appointed Children’s Laureate.