Sabine Krawczyk went to Rouen’s School of Fine Arts in 1971 discovering her passion in Jacques Ramondot’s atelier. Before joining art school, she was an engraving artist. Unlike drawing, engraving embraces the unexpected, offering a canvas of surprises and liberation from the pursuit of perfection. In the ’70s, when engraving clung to black-and-white traditions, Krawczyk, guided by her love for drawing, ventured into the realm of colour and illustration. She is a laureate of the Casa Velazquez Prize.

Gilbert Houbre (1957) was born in Oullins, Rhône. He is an alumnus of applied arts studies in Lyon and with an Arts Déco diploma from Paris. He has illustrated engravings and watercolours for the works of George Bataille, Oscar Wilde, and Pierre Louys to name but a few. He taught at the Emile Cohl Art School and collaborated with Gallimard Jeunesse on the  My First Discoveries series illustrating Vegetables, The Turtle, and Light. In 2001, he created the Grandeur Nature series with Hachette Jeunesse, painting illustrations for Du loup au chien (From Wolf to Dog).

Monika Beisner was born in Hamburg in 1942. After art studies in Braunschweig, Berlin, London and New York, she has lived as a freelance artist in London, Ratzburg in Germany and Gozo in Malta. Realising the importance of text as a stimulus for her art, she embarked on a successful career as an Illustrator of children’s books, which earned her an international reputation and resulted in dedicated art exhibitions all over the world.

In the 1970s and 1980s when already a renowned illustrator of leading children’s authors, Monika Beisner began to write and illustrate her own children’s books.
Several of these, including Book of Riddles, Secret Spells, Topsy Turvy and Catch the Cat, became international best sellers. In 2021 she  published her autobiography in collaboration with Robert Bush

Céline Bour-Chollet (1965) is known for her mesmerising watercolour paintings, especially capturing the essence of French architecture and houses. A fine arts graduate, Céline inherited her artistic flair from her illustrator mother. Céline Chollet continues to be a lively resident of Auxerre, France. An artistic soul, she unveils the charm of her town through delightful narratives on her blog. She is a contributor to My First Encyclopedia of Why?

Danièle Bourdais (1939, Chaumont, France) is a French illustrator celebrated for co-creating the beloved Petit Ours Brun (Little Brown Bear) series with Claude Lebrun. A graduate of Nancy School of Arts, she ventured into children’s book illustration in 1972. Her work, Un Hiver dans la vie de gros ours, (A Winter in the Life of a Big Bear) earned her accolades, including the Golden Aiglon and a bronze medal at the Leipzig Book Fair. In 2021, she was awarded the highest French order of merit, civil or military, Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur. Known globally for her enchanting characters, especially Little Brown Bear, Danièle Bour continues to weave magic through her illustrations. She is one of the contributing illustrators to My First Encyclopedia of Why?

Pierre-Marie Valat (1953) was born in Saumur, France. He studied Decorative Arts in Paris and loves creating impactful images with a double meaning. He is also a children’s illustrator and has illustrated Colours, Fruit, Water, Inside the Body, Tractors,  Pirates, My First Encyclopedia of Why? and My First Encyclopedia of How?

Dominique Thibault (1950) is a French artist born in Reims. She trained initially in engraving and lithography, completing Fine Arts courses in Nancy and Reims. Her love of colour led her to move into illustration in 1980. She worked on several early titles of Gallimard’s Découverte collection Today, she remains dedicated to the world of children’s illustration, visual storytelling and creativity and has been published by Gallimard, Hachette Bayard Presse, Actes Sud Junior and Nathan.

Maurice Pommier (1946) was born in Peyrat-de-Bellac, and currently resides in Évreux where for many years he worked as a postal worker.  He embarked on his artistic career at the age of 40, unveiling his dual ability as an author and illustrator with Whale Hunters (Gallimard, 1986). He worked for many years with Pierre Marchand, the visionary founder of Gallimard Jeunesse, as an author and illustrator. Maurice specialises in architectural and documentary illustration, capturing the essence of the sea, traditional crafts, and nature in his artistic portfolio.

 

Claude and Denise Millet for are a French couple who jointly work as cartoonists, colourists and illustrators, above all for children’s books. They met on as students of the decorative arts in Paris.