Archives: Contributors

Paola Vitale is a graduate in Biological Sciences from the University of Padua, Italy. Paola has published international scientific papers and holds a PhD in developmental biology. A teacher, she is passionate about science. Paola co-ordinates science education projects and runs training courses for other teachers.

Séraphine Menu was born in France, close to the sea. After graduating with a degree in literature, Séraphine decided to travel the world instead. Once back home, she started writing about how nature and people interact.

Fleur Oury spent her school days drawing in the margins, but her passion for nature led her to study science. With a degree in biology in her pocket, she decided to reconnect with her second love, drawing, and graduated from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg. She now works as an author and illustrator but has a very special place in her heart for nature.

Raphaël Garnier is a creative director and artist. His work is varied and crosses many fields including graphic design, illustration, publishing, textile design and sculpture. Raphaël likes to tinker and invent a world with next to nothing. He designed the Art’bracadabra series of short films for the Centre Pompidou, which introduced children to the fundamentals of art in a playful way through an organic and dreamlike language.

René Mettler is a renowned French author and illustrator known for his captivating children’s books that explore nature and the environment. Born in Switzerland in 1942, Mettler discovered his passion for art early, inspired by his heraldist grandfather. He later trained as a graphic designer at the School of Applied Arts in Bienne, and moved to Paris in 1966, working as an art director before dedicating himself fully to illustration in 1971. Mettler has illustrated numerous acclaimed non-fiction children’s books, particularly for Gallimard Jeunesse, contributing to beloved series like Mes Premières Découvertes and Découverte Benjamin. His work was recognised with the ‘La Science Se Livre’ teen prize in 2012.

Magda Garguláková graduated in Art History from Masaryk University, Brno, in the Czech Republic. In 2011, she co-founded the OFF/FORMAT gallery in Brno, which showcases contemporary progressive art by young artists. As a curator, she handles operational, organisational, and promotional tasks, but her passion for books has always been strong. Garguláková has edited and published various art publications, including catalogues, specialist books, fiction and children’s books popularising art history. Since 2019, she has been an editor of children’s literature at B4U Publishing, using insights from her two young daughters for quality control.