MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Her books include The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary and The Brass Charm by Monique Polak. Her art has been included in the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, and she has won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec.