Frané Lessac

Frané Lessac is an author and illustrator with 50 award-winning children’s books published throughout the world.  She grew up in a small town outside of New York City and had many pets as a child, including a monkey, snakes and a camel. Travelling has always been an inspiration in Frané’s life. Ever since she could walk, she’d wander off with her little red wagon trailing behind, collecting adventure stories to share. Frané visits schools, libraries and festivals, empowering both children and adults. Her most recent book is Our Country, Ancient Wonders, published by Walker Books, Australia.             

Steve Heron

Steve uses his forty years of experience working with children in social/emotional wellbeing to cultivate and underpin his writing. He blends the elements of heart, hope, humour and help to create children’s books that touch and tickle hearts. His picture book Ling Li’s lantern was recently awarded Northern Lights Book Award’s for the best picture book all ages category.

Kylie Howarth 

Kylie is award-winning, internationally published author and illustrator from Western Australia. She was raised in the country alongside her brother, dog, sheep, several orphaned kangaroos and one very cheeky echidna.  

Her obsession with animals also extends underwater as she has braved lionfish in Egypt, piranha and pink dolphins in the Amazon, marine iguanas and hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands and swum with whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales at Ningaloo, Western Australia.

The textures in Kylie’s picture book illustrations are created with her two adventurous young boys during their backyard art sessions.

Esther Krogdahl

Author and game narrative designer, Esther Krogdahl loves sharing her unique and interesting path through the world of games narrative design into children’s picture book publishing.

Grumbelina, Esther’s first rhyming children’s book, was inspired by her own daughter’s overnight tyrannical transformation at three-and-a-half and the desire to write for parents about this challenging yet rewarding time.