Rebecca Bender has been making pictures for as long as she can remember. She was thrilled when her first book, Giraffe and Bird, won the OLA Blue Spruce Award. Her second book, Don’t Laugh at Giraffe, was a Blue Spruce Honour Book. When Rebecca is not painting or writing, she is working as a graphic designer and art director in the publishing industry. She tours schools and libraries regularly, rewarded by the rich experience of connecting with the children that know her stories. Rebecca lives in a lively household on a quiet street in Burlington, Ontario with her husband, two children, and two cats.