THE AUTHOR Makhosazana lives with her life partner David Lazarus, in the eclectic Arts town of Riebeek Kasteel, where she strives to live generously, with a sense of gratitude, mixed with a good dose of humour. Max, as she is affectionately called, was raised in a small village in KwaMagwaza KwaZulu Natal. It was a time that she recalls as being the safest and most beautiful of her life. Max is currently a board member of For Life Centre in Riebeek West, however she has invested over 24 years of her career navigating and performing in high-stress media environments, in order to grow personally and professionally. Her children's stories celebrate diversity and heritage, in the everyday lives of rural KwaZulu Natal. These stories teach children about different cultures and worlds beyond their own. Max seeks to uphold fading traditional Zulu values, and another of her core values is to be outrageously optimistic and constantly resilient. THE ILLUSTRATOR Dedré Fouquet is a full-time freelance illustrator, designer & conceptual artist with over 30+ years' experience. Illustrating for production studios, editorial publications or books, Dedré adapts her individual style to the content, creating original digital, painted or hand-drawn illustrations. When Dedré is not creating in her Stellenbosch studio, she can be found free-diving or kayaking the beautiful Cape coast. Previously worked with Oxford University Press, Cambridge University, Associated Magazines, Protea Publishing, Struik Publishers, Pearson Education, Maskew Miller Longman, Oshun and many others, including individual writers. Follow her work @dedrefouquet and see more of it at www.portfoliodedre.co.za.