Jozua Douglas (1977) was born in a teeny-weeny house near the banks in the north of the Netherlands. (Some say his distant grandfather was a famous knight who lived in a huge castle in Scotland, and that his English great-grandfather discovered Charlie Chaplin.) At the age of six, he learned how to write. He bought himself a notebook, made up stories and went on many exciting adventures with pirates, knights, and astronauts. Since then, Jozua has never stopped writing. There is nothing he enjoys more than writing for children. Jozua: “Children are open-minded and have lots of imagination. Their world is magical and mysterious. It’s a big challenge to work in this world.” Now, Jozua lives and works in Den Dolder, as an independent writer.

As a child, Hiky Helmantel lived on an island, where her father was a police officer. The island life had many peculiarities. Her family sheltered young seals, and Hiky loved riding ponies, building secret huts and going beachcombing. At a young age, she started recording her experiences in little sketchbooks. She followed in her father’s footsteps and became a policewoman in a town by the sea. After seven valuable years, she resigned. She followed the voice of her heart and attended an art academy, specializing in illustrative design.