Amy Haarhoff is an illustration student, studying for her Masters from Falmouth University. She was raised on her dad’s macabre storytelling, her mum’s art materials, and an endless supply of library books. While researching for a project in a bookshop in July 2018, she came across a picture book that changed her life: Cicada, by Shaun Tan. She walked out with a copy of the book and a determination to create stories of her own. In 2019, her exceptional sample pictures for The Midnight Adventures of Ruru and Kiwi saw her win the 2019 Storylines Gavin Bishop Award for Illustration. In 2020 Amy's selection of completed illustrations for the book earned her a longlisting for the AOI World Illustration Awards. She lives in Palmerston North.