Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children’s books. In 2014, she created a book for her two twin nieces for their birthday, which shortly thereafter became the first book in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. This multimillion-copy bestselling series of picture books explores the lives of outstanding people. From Mahatma Gandhi to Aretha Franklin, to Prince, Sánchez Vegara researches complex careers and makes them accessible to young children, with her unique and mindful style of writing. She works with a diverse team of illustrators to make each book lively, eye-catching and motivating. Working for more than fifteen years for clients in top advertising agencies, her books combine creativity with learning, aiming to establish a new and fresh relationship between children and pop culture.
Lizzie Knott
Lizzie Knott is an illustrator and graphic designer who grew up in Watford, Hertfordshire. Since graduating from Cambridge School of Art with a degree in Illustration in 2020, she has worked with a range of clients including the BBC and Comic Relief. She works digitally to create bright and colourful artwork which exudes joy and personality. She is fascinated by people and often illustrates vibrant characters, distinctive of her cheerful style. As well as being an illustrator, Lizzie has also worked as a children’s book designer where she designed a variety of titles from baby board books to flap books about science. She won a highly commended World Illustration Award in 2020.