Rachel Katstaller is originally from tiny tropical El Salvador, where she studied strategic design. After a period in New York, where she attended the Summer Residency in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts, Rachel relocated to the Alps, together with her cat Hemingway, in order to pursue her lifelong dream of illustrating children’s books. Rachel now works for several international publishing houses and also has her own apparel brand, Las Furias. Hemingway still remains skeptical about the cold weather and lack of palm trees to climb.~Instagram: @rachelkatstaller

Laurel Molk used to sell her drawings to her neighbors. The going rate was a penny a drawing or six for a nickel. Later she went on to pursue drawing at RISD. After many years of freelance work, including designing athletic shoes and athletic wear, and creating windows on Newbury Street, she directed her energy toward illustrating and writing children’s books. She has published several books and has exhibited in shows at the Society of Illustrators.#In her spare time, she knits and rambles through the woods with her dog. But not at the same time.#Things she likes include chocolate in any form, dogs and Paris. She does not like mosquitoes, long meetings or the color pink (with the exception of pink bubble gum).#She lives near Boston with her family, a big black dog, a flock of ducks and, unfortunately, many mosquitoes.

Thomas Gibault was born in Paris and studied illustration in Strasbourg, France, before moving to Canada.#His passion for travel, adventure and mysteries led him to invent his own stories. He now lives in Montreal, Quebec, where he spends his time creating illustrations and characters for children’s books and interactive shows. Diversity and discovery are what make him want to write and draw every day.#Don’t tell anyone, but he and his cats are part of a secret society that fights huge monsters and ancient ghosts. Sometimes they also make friends with creatures from other dimensions; it turns out we have a lot to learn from them.~Instagram: @tomagibo

Chris Tougas was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and moved to southern California when he was five years old. Chris practically grew up in his father’s art studio. He was enamored with his dad’s sculptures and would often sneak into the studio so that he could run his fingers over the latest masterpiece. But Chris’s early talent was drawing. He drew every day and on everything (including on his sleeping sister!).#After high school, Chris majored in playwriting at the University of Alberta, before moving to Seattle to study fine arts and acting. These interests eventually led Chris back to California, where he studied character animation at the California Institute of the Arts.#Chris’s first job out of college was with Disney Publishing in Burbank, where he was easily the least talented drawer on the floor. But Chris learned a lot from the experience, including the fact that he was a lousy employee. After leaving Disney, Chris worked as a freelance character designer and began pitching TV shows and movies around Hollywood. It was at this time that an idea for a children’s book popped into his noggin, where it would lie dormant for two decades. 20 years after first writing the words Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star, Chris finally decided to revisit the idea, and he’s happy he did!#Chris is also the author and illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including Mechanimals, Art’s Supplies, and the Dojo Daycare series.