Marie Lafrance studied graphic arts, etching, and worked as a printmaker before going on to illustrate children's books. Over her career she's earned three nominations for the Governor General's Literary Award, and she recently received the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for "A Hen for Izzy Pippik." Céline Claire is the author of many books published for children and young readers. Formerly a schoolteacher, she has collaborated over the past 20 years with several established French publishing houses, including Bayard, Milan and Circonflexe. She resides in a small village in northeastern France with her family.