Robert Starling is happiest when he is drawing, and now divides his time between illustrating for his own stories and for others. A former teacher, he now enjoys performing stories and running workshops. When not drawing, Robert can be found doing daddy duties, brewing strong coffee, or thinking about cake.
Sandra de la Prada has loved drawing since she was a child, but she’s also loved watching films, reading books and having fun. She is sure all these things, as well as studying photography and graphic design, and working on several different jobs, have helped her to become an illustrator. She published her first illustrated book in 2010 and hasn’t stopped since then. She lives in Barcelona and still does all the things that she loves.
Ruby Amy Thompson spent almost a decade working in entertainment and comedy television, before going back to school to study illustration – the best decision she ever made! When she isn't drawing, you'll probably find her enthusiastically batch cooking, playing video games or perusing local coffee shops with her fiancé, Lisa.
Samantha’s favourite thing about writing and editing children’s books is marvelling at how much can be said in so few words. She lives in London in a tall house with lots of stairs and has some of her best ideas while she’s on her way to the kitchen to make strong cups of tea. Her other great passion is football and she is a dedicated supporter of a team who don’t win very often.
Rachel WD and Ruby Clyde are also known as Shelf – a comedy double act that write and perform for adults and children. They are regular writers on series 7 of The Amazing World of Gumball (Cartoon Network) and currently have children's fiction and television projects in development.<br><br>Shelf blends standup with elements of musical comedy and sketch. Their live shows have been cult hits at the Edinburgh Fringe, transferred to Soho Theatre, and toured internationally. As award winning children's performers, Shelf have been resident artists at Great Ormond Street Hospital and created bespoke content for GirlGuides UK. They are founders of queer comedy collective The LOL Word.
Sam Caldwell is an illustrator based in Glasgow where he lives with his wife and two cats: Tonks and Luna. Sam loves inventing characters and creating images packed full of detail, texture and colour. He is passionate about animals and nature, and – when not drawing – can often be found exploring the Scottish Highlands.
Samantha Meredith graduated from Loughborough University in 2001 with a BA(Hons) in Illustration. She currently works from a little house in North London, drawing pictures all day whilst drinking tea and wearing panda slippers. She spends most of her time designing and illustrating children’s books. She also occasionally works in-house for various studios… but leaves the pandas at home.
