Viviane Schwarz was born in Germany and as a child she loved books so much she mostly ate them. Once she realized there were people out there making them, she decided to make her own, to taste. She studied Illustration MA in Falmouth, Cornwall in the UK and shortly after moved to London, where she lives now. She has been nominated for many awards and even won some too – most recently she won the 2011 Booktrust Best New Illustrator Award. Her book There are Cats in this Book was shortlisted for the 2010 CILIP Kate Greenaway Award for the best illustrated book and it won the popular ‘Shadowing’ category which is voted for by children.