The Lightning Bird

Jaco Jacobs is the author of more than 280 children’s books and almost two million copies of his books have been sold. His work has been awarded 47 times and his books were translated to English, Dutch, Italian and Portuguese. He has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal twice and two of his books were adapted to film. Jaco lives in Bloemfontein with his wife, Elize, their daughters, Mia and Emma, three dogs, a cat and a pet python.

Iain Rennie was born and raised in Johannesburg and can be spotted out and about in the wild suburban jungles of Edenvale, where he currently resides. After a brief stint studying graphic design, Iain moved his studies to video production, being awarded his Bachelor of the Arts in Audiovisual Communication. Iain’s illustration style combines detailed linework with cartoon and dark humour, and is influenced by the works of old masters such as Albrecht Dürer, Franklin Booth, as well as more contemporary artists like Jamie Hewlett, Tim Burton and the works of Laika Studios. When he is not behind a computer or drawing board, Iain likes to punish his knees by running marathons and has completed the Comrades Ultra-Marathon three times. He is also a dog lover and owner, and is an above-average dog-walker.