Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children’s books. In 2014, she created a book for her two twin nieces for their birthday, which shortly thereafter became the first book in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. This multimillion-copy bestselling series of picture books explores the lives of outstanding people. From Mahatma Gandhi to Aretha Franklin, to Prince, Sánchez Vegara researches complex careers and makes them accessible to young children, with her unique and mindful style of writing. She works with a diverse team of illustrators to make each book lively, eye-catching and motivating. Working for more than fifteen years for clients in top advertising agencies, her books combine creativity with learning, aiming to establish a new and fresh relationship between children and pop culture.
Melissa Lee Johnson is an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated with a BFA in Integrated Studio Arts and a Minor in Illustration from The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in May 2016, and was a finalist for a Mary Nohl Fellowship in 2017. She got her start illustrating for an alternative newspaper, and then created the 2018 Film Fest campaign for Milwaukee Film. Melissa has since worked on editorial, packaging, branding, advertising, and book illustration for a variety of clients, including Amazon, Macmillan Publishing, Parents Magazine, Hacienda Beer Co., Red Antler, and Three-Headed Design. Melissa’s packaging illustration for Hacienda Beer Co. was accepted into the juried Communication Arts 2020 Illustration Annual.
