Karim Alrawi

Karim Alrawi was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He went to school in England and after graduation he worked as a writer at several theaters including the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Returning to Egypt he taught in the theater department of the American University in Cairo. He wrote four stage plays in Arabic that were produced on the Egyptian stage. His first novel Book of Sands won the inaugural HarperCollins/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction. He is the author of several picture books for children, including The Mouse Who Saved Egypt and The Girl Who Lost Her Smile.

Nahid Kazemi is an artist, illustrator and graphic designer. She has published many award-winning children's books, and was nominated for the Canadian Governor General's Award and the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Her recent publications include Over the Rooftops, Under the Moon and The Old Woman. She has exhibited her work around the world. Nahid lives in Montreal.