Sihle-isipho Nontshokweni is an author, storyteller, scholar, facilitator and recently the host for The Ultimate Book Show. Her Nal’ibali children’s story Fly, Everyone, Fly was the 2021 World Read Aloud Day story which reached upwards of 3 million children in South Africa. She is also the author of Wanda which recently won the Skipping Stone Honor Award.

Sihle Nontshokweni is a PhD candidate at KU Leuven. Her research is focused on the successes and failures of school desegregation in post-apartheid South Africa. Prior to that, she lived in China, completing a master's at Peking University where she studied the aspirations of African migrant entrepreneurs living in Guangzhou, South of China. She has a deep interest in how racialised contexts affect identity and aspirations. Sihle is an avid reader, is passionate about creating positive content through YouTube and her personal blog sihlesapplecrunch.com. She is a lover of adventure and fitness, having completed a marathon and the popular Cape Cycle Tour.

Chantelle and Burgen Thorne are internationally published illustrators with over 20 years' experience in educational publishing. The two are now focusing on picture books for children with several more titles being released internationally this year, because the magic of children's books is that they're not just for kids. Avid bookworms themselves, they take great delight in the visual storytelling of picture books, art and text working together, every word and every image adding to the reader's experience. Both have fond memories of being read to as children and this inspires them to make their illustrations as engaging, honest and relevant to young readers as they possibly can – what a wonderful way to spend one's working day! They are represented by Paul Moreton of the fabulous Bell Lomax Moreton agency worldwide.