Enzo Pérès-Labourdette was born in 1991 in Le-Puy-En-Velay, France. He lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Pérès-Labourdette graduated from his Communication Design Bachelor in 2014. During his graduation year he worked on his first commission for The New York Times, had his work selected and shown at the Society of Illustrators and Art Directors Club in New York, and was named one of the “top 100 new creatives to watch” by CMYK magazine. In 2015 he received two prestigious talent development grants from the Fiep Westendorp Foundation and the Creative Industries Fund NL, and exhibited in the Van Abbe Museum. His work has appeared on the cover of The New York Times Sunday Review and he has illustrated for clients such as The New Yorker, Heineken and Dolce & Gabbana.
Enzo Pérès-Labourdette
Milja Praagman
Milja Praagman (born 1971) grew up in an old house on a dike, surrounded by lots of animals and space. She studied graphic design and illustration at the Academy for Visual Arts Sint-Joost in Breda. Her first clients were mainly newspapers and magazines. Later, she also worked as an animator for Sesamstraat, the Dutch Sesame Street.
Before long, she was brimming with new ideas for her own stories. One of these became her first picture book Mister Po, which won immediate acclaim from the press. Since then, she has been unstoppable. Her books include 100 Sleeps to Go (Picture Book of the Year 2013), Breakfast Buttocks, Join Us (Picture Book for Dutch Children’s Book Week 2018) and With You, a wonderful story about seasons and friendship. In 2016 she received a Silver Paintbrush award for Because I Love You So Much.
Gideon Samson
Gideon Samson (b. 1985) dreamed of being a professional footballer but instead became a writer, like his mother. And what a writer he is. His debut Niks zeggen! (Don’t Say Anything!, 2008) about bullying was an award winner and he became the youngest-ever winner of a Zilveren Griffel (Silver Pencil) for De hemel kan wachten (Heaven Can Wait, 2009). This was followed by Met je hoofd boven water (Keeping Your Head Above Water, 2010) and the sensational Zwarte Zwaan (Black Swan, 2012). Black Swan was awarded a Silver Pencil, both Eilanddagen (Island Days, 2016) and his picturebook debut Alle dieren drijven (All Animals Afloat, 2017) were awarded a Vlag en Wimpel (Flag and Pennant) and Overspoeld (Flooded, 2014) a Golden Frame. Gideon’s newest book, Zeb. (2018) was awarded the Golden Pencil 2019 and a Silver Paintbrush.
Author Photo © Jitske-Schols