ANTHONY BROWNE

Anthony grew up in a village called Hipperholme, in Yorkshire. He loved art and would spend hours drawing with his beloved father. He says of his father, "He was an unusual man - outwardly strong and confident, but also shy and sensitive - a bit like the gorillas I love to illustrate now. As well as drawing, he encouraged me to play a lot of sports, such as rugby and soccer and cricket. I was small for my age and I used to go to a fairly tough school - if I hadn't been good at sports, I would probably have been bullied."

After he left school, Anthony studied graphic design and then went on to paint the insides of people's bodies for medical textbooks. He found this fascinating, but after three years found that the work was becoming repetitive ("if you've seen one stomach operation, you've seen 'em all!") and instead began designing greetings cards. This in turn led him to illustrating children's books - his book Gorilla began life as a picture on a birthday card. Anthony lives in Kent and has two grown-up children.

Gorillas feature in many of Anthony's books. He says, "I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent - their huge strength and gentleness. They're thought of as being very fierce creatures and they're not." Anthony's illustrations also reveal his love of the Surrealist painters, whose pictures often depict strange, dreamlike scenes (look out for all the disguised bananas hidden in Anthony's books!). When Anthony first has an idea for a picture book, he says, "it's a strange combination of story and images. Deciding what will be illustrated on the pages of a book is like deciding on the scenes of a film." Anthony has won many prizes for his work, including the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal (twice) and the Kurt Maschler Award (three times). In 2000, he received the highest international honour for illustration, the Hans Christian Andersen Award, for his services to children's literature - the first British illustrator to win the prize since 1956.

POLLY DUNBAR

Polly Dunbar studied illustration at Brighton Art School and now lives and works in London. Author and illustrator of Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie, she thinks that colour is a brilliant way to cheer yourself up and whenever she's feeling grey, she puts on her best pink frock and paints! Polly is the daughter of the distinguished author Joyce Dunbar who she collaborated with on the picture book Shoe Baby.

EMILY GRAVETT

Emily Gravett is a graduate of Brighton University and the winner of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration. Her first book, Wolves, went on to win the 2005 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, the most prestigious award for children’s illustration. She has recently won the Booktrust's Early Years Award in the Emerging Illustrator category. A former traveller, Emily now lives in Brighton with her partner and their young daughter.

JANE RAY

Jane Ray was born in Chingford, North East London. After completing a degree course at Middlesex University in Ceramics and 3-D Design she began her career by designing greeting cards for Roger La Borde.

Jane's first picture book A Balloon for Grandad was shortlisted for the prestigious Mother Goose Prize for first-time book illustrators.

Jane's illustration style is instantly recognisable and she is well known internationally. The rights to her books are sold throughout the world and she has gained as much success in America as she has in the UK. Jane has regular exhibitions for her paintings and illustrative work. She has recently written her first picture book text, Can You Catch a Mermaid? And hopes to write more in the future.

Jane lives in London with her husband, a music conductor, and their three children.

CHRIS RIDDELL

Chris Riddell is an accomplished artist and political cartoonist for the Observer. He is well known for his collaborations with the author Paul Stewart on books such as Muddle Earth, and has also illustrated several picture books for younger children. He has won many awards for his work, including the Nestlé Gold Award and the rare honour of two CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals. Chris lives in Brighton.

ED VERE

Ed Vere studied fine art at Camberwell College of Art and has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1999. He is published in both England and the US. Ed is also a painter, working from his studio in east London and is represented by galleries in London and Los Angeles. After a year and a half living in Barcelona, Ed now lives and works in London.