Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, in 1805. His Fairy Tales, the first children's stories of their kind, which were published in instalments from 1835 until his death in 1875, have been translated into more than a hundred languages and adapted for every kind of media.

Bernadette Watts, known throughout Europe simply as Bernadette, has illustrated many dozens of folk- and fairy tales.

Born in England, she loved to draw from childhood. She studied at the Maidstone Art School in Kent, UK for a time under the tutelage of Brian Wildsmith. Bernadette's many beautiful books include The Snow Queen and The Bremen Town Musicians.

Bernadette finds her inspiration in nature. Today she lives and works in Kent. She has been illustrating for NorthSouth Books and NordSud Verlag since the beginning of her career 50 years ago.