Sophie Kniffke (1955) was born in Strasbourg. She is an artist with a penchant for children’s book illustrations. She has a degree in fine arts from the University of Strasbourg and was tutored under Claude Lapointe. She found her muse in drawing. She started working with Gallimard in the ’80s and now with over 80 titles in her portfolio, she creates illustrations for publishers including Grasset, Rageot, Milan, Nathan, Gautier-Languereau and Lito.

James Prunier (1959) was born in Oran, Algeria. His father’s job as a pilot meant he grew up in very diverse landscapes: Lake Constance in Germany,  the Landes and Provence in France, and then as an adolescent, he was marked by the discovery of the industrial landscape of Lorraine, in which he identified a type of poetry. He went on to study at Epinal Art School and Fine Arts in Nancy. 1981 marked a turning point in his life when he won an art competition, propelling him into the realm of illustrated books. Hailed as the “Official Painter of the Skies”, a decade later, Prunier soared to new heights with the History of Aviation series. James is the illustrator behind the Dinosaurs, Trees, Trains, and Elephants in the My First Discovery series.

René Mettler (1942) was awarded the 2012 Prize for Science Books for Teenagers in Paris. He traces his artistic roots to a heraldic grandfather. After graduating from the School of Applied Arts in Bienne, Paris beckoned in 1966.  Starting initially in art direction in department stores and advertising agencies we went to work for a design studio. During a visit to London in 1971 he fell in love with illustration, leading him to devote himself to the craft. From 1985 he worked with Gallimard Jeunesse as an illustrator and author on a trove of non-fiction titles, winning multiple awards for his magnum opus, Le grand livre de l’arbre et de la forêt (The Great Book of Trees and Forests).

Daniel Moignot (1951) studied Classics before travelling all over Europe. A chance encounter with a film director in animation awakened his latent talents. This interaction resulted in six feature films and subsequent ventures into advertising. From 1988, Moignot continued his artistic journey moving on from cinema to begin a career as an illustrator. 

 

Tony Ross is a British illustrator and author of children’s picture books.

He was born in London in 1938. He honed his drawing at the Liverpool School of Art and has worked as a cartoonist, a graphic designer, as the Art Director of an advertising agency, and as Senior Lecturer in Art at Manchester Polytechnic. Tony has won many awards and his illustrations are internationally recognised – some have even been animated on television.

He may be known best for illustrating the Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon. He has also illustrated the Amber Brown series by Paula Danziger, the Dr. Xargle series by Jeanne Willis, and the Harry The Poisonous Centipede series by Lynne Reid Banks. For his contribution as a children’s illustrator he was UK nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004.

Donald Grant (1954) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He financed his studies for Fine Arts at the Pratt Institute by working as a taxi driver, then as a barman and musician. He spent six years travelling the globe, to learn and think about the world before choosing drawing as his medium for expression. This passion for travelling led him to France, where he settled and has now lived for the last 30 years. He has illustrated numerous children’s books in genres ranging from non-fiction, detective stories, and other types of fiction. He is also a children’s story writer. He illustrated numerous titles in the My First Discoveries series including Atlas of Space, Deserts, Dinosaurs at Large, Homes, In the Sky, Music, Planes, My First Encyclopedia of Why?, My First Encyclopedia of How?, My First Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, Prehistoric People.

Henri Galeron (1939, Provence) emerged as a prolific illustrator after graduating from the School of Fine Arts of Marseille in 1961. His journey encompasses works like Le kidnapping de la cafetière and illustrations of works by Jacques Prévert and Franz Kafka. Galeron’s graphic ability ranged from detailed acrylics to hatched pen and ink. He has illustrated over 100 titles and has worked with newspapers and magazines.

He contributed to My First Encyclopedia of Why?, My First Encyclopedia of How?, My First Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs.

Over a twenty-year period, Raoul Sautai and Ute Fuhr formed an author-illustrator team co-producing over 10 titles in the My First Discoveries collection for Moonlight Publishing and Gallimard Jeunesse. Raoul Sautai taught at the Art School in Le Havre from 1962, before becoming its director in 1988. During this period, he also worked for an advertising agency and a photo studio specialising in still-life images. Illustration and painting always played a central role in his work. He passed away in January 2010.

Over a twenty-year period, Ute Fuhr and Raoul Sautai formed a dynamic author-illustrator team co-producing over 10 titles for the My First Discoveries collection for Moonlight Publishing and Gallimard Jeunesse. Ute Fuhr graduated in visual and audiovisual communication from the Nice School of Decorative Arts in 1984. She produces audiovisual information programmes for the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, and also works on advertising graphics, based on illustration and painting. She carries out ongoing research into the mediatisation of reality. Illustration and the relationship between text and image currently form the focus of her professional interest.

Claude Delafosse (1951, France) is a French author and illustrator. He was the art director for the children’s magazine, Astrapi, for 15 years. He is also the illustrator of many media publications in France. In 2002, he began to work in animation and has broad experience in creating digital platforms. As a founding contributor to Astrapi at Bayard Presse, he was not just an illustrator but also the creator of the interactive comics and the Petipluche series.  

He is the author of over 25 titles in the My First Discoveries series, including best-selling titles such as Animal’s Underground, Castles Under Siege, Fish Underwater, Homes, In the Jungle, Insects, and the Pyramid, to name but a few.