Tjarko van der Pol (born 1983) studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. He made his debut as a children’s book illustrator in 2016 with The Poo Factory Theme Park, which went on to become an international bestseller. Since then, he has illustrated numerous picture books and non-fiction titles for children. His first author-illustrated picture book, I Want a Different Bed, was published in 2021. Tjarko is known for his detailed illustrations that always make attentive readers think – and smile. His work regularly appears in national newspapers such as NRC and Trouw, and his children’s books have been published in over fifteen countries.

www.tjarkovanderpol.nl

Liset Celie graduated from the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in 2016. She loves to explore and capture the magic of daily life, and does it with a great sense of humour. Her illustrations are bright, minimalistic, and have a nostalgic feel. She draws her inspiration from handmade toys, children’s art, vintage book covers… and children themselves. Working with them taught her how to improvise and turn literally everything into a bright and colourful rainbow. Liset illustrated books by Jan Paul Schutten and Anke Kranendonk. Follow Me! is her debut as a picture book author. She lives and works in Utrecht.

www.lisetcelie.com

Annemarie van Haeringen studied at the Rietveld Academy under Thé Tjong-Khing and also learned a lot about the profession of illustration from her fellow artist Max Velthuijs. Since her debut in 1985, her work has evolved from detailed watercolour and ink illustrations to whimsical line drawings featuring a
bold use of colour and plenty of space on the paper.
The Princess With the Long Hair, an entirely imaginary story, was awarded the most important Dutch prize for illustrators, the Golden Paintbrush, in 2000.
She won the same prize the year before, with Malmok, and again in 2005 for Bear Woos Butterfly. Coco, or the Little Black Dress was nominated for the
German Jugendliteraturpreis and Snow White Knits a Monster was awarded the BIB Golden Plaque. Both books were awarded a Silver Paintbrush, as well as And Then Sheherazade? And Then?. Her books have been published in more than 25 languages.
Annemarie van Haeringen is the 2025 Velthuijs Prize, a prestigious triennal oeuvre prize.

Jet Parent creates illustrations in which colour and atmosphere play a central role, often using vibrant and high-contrast palettes while ranging from moody to idyllic settings.
She studied Illustration Design at ArtEZ University of the Arts as well as Falmouth University. Her inspiration comes from nature, graphic novels, fairy tales, children’s literature and travelogues. She works entirely by hand, using mainly gouache and coloured pencils.
Follow Jet on her website.

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.

www.enzo.studio

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. Read more…

Thaïs Vanderheyden is a Belgian author and illustrator. She studied Art History at the Catholic University of Leuven studied art history and took drawing classes at the Municipal Academy of Art in Bruges.

In 2009, unable to find a suitable design for her second son’s birth announcement card, she made one
herself. Since then, she has managed to turn her hobby into her job and has illustrated and written a number of successful children’s books, such as Santa’s Little Spies and The Department Store Mice. Translations of her work have been published in French, Chinese, Korean and Italian. For Art All Stars she combined her education as an art historian with her talent for drawing, making art more accessible and appealing to young children than ever before. With Pili Pili and the Rubbish Dump Creatures, Vanderheyden playfully teaches children the importance of recycling.

Leo Timmers studied advertising and graphic design and worked as an illustrator for many years. He made his debut as a picture book author in 2000 with Happy with me and was awarded with a Bookfeather (most promising picture book debut) the same year. From then on he wrote most of his books himself.

Gus’s Garage was awarded the 2017 Children’s and Youth Jury Award, a price Leo Timmers has won eight times. His book Bang was awarded the prestigious Bookpeacock Award (best illustrated book of the year). A Home for Harry was elected Picture Book of the Year 2019 in the Netherlands and Monkey on the Run was chosen for the New York Times / New York Public Library 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Book 2019. Read more…

Caroline Ellerbeck (born 1975) is an illustrator who makes enchanting children’s books, which she publishes herself. She is motivated by the enjoyment of drawing itself, bringing to life something that did not previously exist. Colourful little universes full of funny characters, irresistible to both children and adults. And that’s exactly the intention! Caroline lives in Rotterdam.

www.carolineellerbeck.nl

photo ©Annemarie Andriessen

Sanne te Loo studied at the Academy of Visual Arts in Breda and has worked as an illustrator ever since. She writes and illustrates her own picture books and she also collaborates with various writers. Her books were published in the Netherlands, Germany and the USA.

www.sanneteloo.nl