Biographical note

Coral Vass is an award-winning Australian children's author. She has always loved telling stories and has been writing books for fifteen years.With numerous best-sellers, Coral's awards include the 2018 Speech Pathology Awards for Best Book for Language and Literacy Development—Indigenous Children, the 2019 CBCA Book of the Year Eve Pownall Award and the 2021 Caleb Picture Book of the Year Award. She has also been shortlisted for the REAL Awards, voted by the children of Australia. Coral’s books have appeared on StoryBox Library and ABC's Playschool. She is an ambassador for Reading Out of Poverty and is passionate about giving all children an equal opportunity to read. Follow her on her socials for more information: Coral Vass Website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. At an early age Heidi Cooper-Smith knew she wanted to write and illustrate picture books. But during a Visual Arts degree, she fell in love with Ceramics and spent the next 20 years covered in clay. Heidi rediscovered her passion for drawing in 2014 when she joined the online ’52-week illustration challenge’. Six months later she was offered her first illustration contract with Koala Books for Two Birds on a Wire. This wonderful experience inspired her to start writing, and in 2015 and 2016 she won the CYA illustrated manuscript competition. Kate and the Thing is Heidi’s first book as both author and illustrator. She was also the illustrator of The Other Brother.