The Katha Chest

Radhiah Chowdhury grew up in country NSW at the mercy of a highly enthusiastic children's librarian. She has been an avid lover of books ever since. She has edited books for children at Scholastic Australia, Allen & Unwin and Giramondo, and is currently a commissioning editor and audio producer for children and adults at Penguin Random House Australia. This has all been part of a crafty plan to make sure she is surrounded by books in all formats at all times. Radhiah's debut picture book, Jumble, was published by Omnibus Books in 2019. She is passionate about stories that reflect all the magnificent, different facets and experiences of our community, and has been an advocate for representative publishing in her work as both an editor and an author. She lives in southwest Sydney, where she recreationally grows mutant potted plants, and is currently outnumbered by her cats. They love books, too.

Lavanya Naidu is an animator, designer and award-winning children's book illustrator, born and raised in Kolkata, India. She has illustrated for numerous children's books. Her work has most recently been featured at the Asian Festival of Children's Content as a selection for their Digital Gallery 2020. Lavanya now resides in Melbourne and is currently working as Head of Design on the second season of the ABC Kids animated series The Strange Chores. In her spare time, she enjoys making and collecting dinosaur models!