Meet a few illustrators and authors speaking at the IBBY Congress

Natali de Mello

Blurb for When we go Home: Marlee’s parents are excited. "We are going back home!" they tell her and her brother. "Not my home," Marlee says. She knows the island is where her mum and dad grew up, and that she and her brother will get to do lots of fun things when they visit. But she’s never been there. And though her dad says a person can have two home countries, Marlee isn’t sure she believes him. But slowly, the warm welcome from her large, loving family, the coconut water she drinks on the beach and the many other delights she discovers on the island, from pigs on the beach to music at bedtime, help Marlee see that what her dad says is true. (Read the review in Quill and Quire)

Natali de Mello is a Brazilian-Canadian author and illustrator based in Ottawa, creating picture books and visual stories that blend imagination, design, and a touch of humour. I’ve been working in children’s publishing for nearly a decade, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and nature through a mix of traditional and digital media. My background includes an MA in Illustration from Falmouth University, a Certificate in Visual Arts and a BA in Architecture.

I’m the author-illustrator of Curious Capybara (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, 2026), and the illustrator of When We Go Home (Kids Can Press, 2026), as well as several other titles published with Planète Rebelle and Kata, including Suivez la capitaine fourmi! (2024) and Indrazaal et la quête de l’océan (2023). I’m currently working on new picture books as both author and illustrator, including projects with Planète Rebelle and Heritage. I’m also developing my first middle-grade graphic novel, Lyla and the Squirrels, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council—a story about curiosity, friendship, and small rebellions. Here is her Instagram page.

Sadé Smith

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Sadé Smith is the Canadian children's book author of Granny's Kitchen which was nominated for the Blue Spruce Award for the Forest of Reading 2023 and shortlisted for the 2023 Crystal Kite Award. She is of Jamaican descent and her books often involve food and recipes with colorful illustrations to capture the vibrancy and beauty of the Caribbean islands. 

Granny’s Kitchen is her debut children’s picture book illustrated by Ken Daley. Her second book Julie and the Mango Tree illustrated by Sayada Ramdial has been selected for the CBC Books list of 40 Canadian kids books to read in spring 2023 and the Barnes & Noble’s list of Most Anticipated Kids’ Books for August 2023. It has also been selected for the 2025 TD Summer Reading Club.

 Jean-François Sénéchal

Here is the Kirkus review of I will not be Scared

 

Here is the Kirkus Star review

The son of two teachers, Jean-François Sénéchal was born surrounded by books. After studying anthropology and writing a few texts on Haiti, he returned to his first love and devoted himself to literature. He was a frequent finalist for the Prix Jeunesse des libraires du Québec (Quebec Booksellers’ Youth Prize), which he won with Au carrefour (At the Crossroads). For this novel, as well as for Feu (Fire), he was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. He was also a finalist for the Prix du livre jeunesse des Bibliothèques de Montréal (Montreal Libraries’ Youth Book Prize) and the winner of the Prix Adolecteurs (Adolescent Readers’ Prize) and the Prix Bernadette-Renaud (Bernadette Renaud Prize) for Le boulevard (The Boulevard), which was included on the 2018 Honour List of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Jean-François Sénéchal received the 2017 Joseph S. Stauffer Award for Literature from the Canada Council for the Arts.