Gemma Merino won the prestigious Macmillan Prize for Children's Illustration in 2011 for her debut picture book THE CROCODILE WHO DIDN'T LIKE WATER. Published by Macmillan in 2013, the book has gone on to win a string of prizes, including the Coventry Inspiration Award , the Bishop Stortford Picture Book Award and the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award . She also has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Read It Again! Cambridgeshire Picture Book Award , as well as being longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal . Born in Catalonia, Gemma originally studied architecture in Barcelona and has worked in practices in Spain, Dublin, Tel Aviv, and now London, where she has made her home.