Natasha Kaplinsky OBE is a broadcaster and journalist, anchoring news bulletins across national networks over two decades. She has fronted numerous factual and entertainment programmes and is generally followed by a trail of sequins as the first winner of Strictly Come Dancing. Natasha is a passionate advocate for children’s rights, welfare, and education, representing numerous charities including Barnardo’s as their President. Her most important job is being mother to Arlo and Kika and guardian to the 47 pets who live on their farm.

Rich Knight is an award-winning BBC journalist. More importantly, he is also father to two boys who ask a lot of questions. They (and the challenges he thinks their generation will have to deal with) inspired him to write If I Ran The Country – a witty guide to taking charge and getting things done

Shappi Khorsandi’s career as a comedian and writer has taken her to all corners of the globe, appearing on stage, TV and radio including such shows as: Live At The Apollo, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, QI, The Graham Norton Show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, and as a contestant on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.

She is the author of the bestselling childhood memoir, A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English, and the novel Nina is Not OK. She also writes regularly for the Independent.

Rosie is a primary school teacher living in Lancaster with her husband Samir and their cat Kendrick. She is currently studying for a masters and PhD in Education and Social Justice. This is whilst working as Joint Country Co-ordinator for Days for Girls (DfG) UK. DfG is an International Charity providing women’s health education, preferably delivered by local women, alongside washable sanitary towels produced by volunteers in developed countries for those in need.

Rosie’s training as an Ambassador of Women’s Health Educator and subsequent distribution of washable sanitary pads on a trip to Kenya inspired her text for ‘That Time of the Month’. She recognised the need for a comprehensive, accessible and engaging book for young girls about menstruation. Her collaboration with Arianna is her first book for children.

Lisa Koestrerke is a German-Australian illustrator with a love for bright colour palettes, quirky subject matter, pattern design and experimenting with hand-made and digital techniques. Her vibrant illustrations are often inspired by everyday life, nature and food. Lisa graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Communication from the Queensland College of Art (Griffith University) in Brisbane, Australia.

Kanwaljit Kaur-Singh works as a local authority inspector for education and is Chairperson of the British Sikh Education Council.

Rebecca was born in Wolverhampton, but spent her childhood in a tiny village called Sound in Cheshire.

She studied Journalism at the University of Portsmouth, and has worked as a reporter and a primary school teacher, including three years teaching in China.

She now lives in Bratislava, Slovakia, with her partner and her Chinese rescue dog, Mushu.

Rebecca is available for UK school events. You can find out more information here.

SH!T BAG is based on Xena Knox’s own experiences with acute ulcerative colitis – juggling life-with-an-ostomy while studying and dating. She lives between London and her arable farm in Scotland with her husband; an unruly girl-gang of black devil sheep, Shetland ponies and Thoroughbreds; and a field of 5,000 dreamy peonies.

Kristina Kister is an illustrator and character designer from Essen, Germany. After graduating in Communication Design she worked as a junior art director in an ad agency in Düsseldorf, where she illustrated for clients like Weight Watchers, Fashion Designer Thomas Rath, DHL and many more.

Today she is a freelance illustrator illustrating pen&paper books, children’s books, developing character and concepts for German TV shows and all kinds of projects that involve illustration work.

Having a background as a graphic designer, her style is known for geometric shapes, unusual colour palettes and clear outlines. Working mostly digitally, she experiments with watercolour and pencil textures to give it an analogue feel.