Australian artist Caroline Magerl had yearned to illustrate children's books since her childhood. At the age of six, her parents emigrated to Australia, leaving their family behind in the former East Germany. The picture books her German grandmother sent from behind the Iron Curtain coloured young Caroline's view of the world and provided a link with her heritage.

"After we arrived in Australia, my father built a steel yacht which was to become our home. We traveled up and down the east coast of Australia. On board we had no television so I read those books over and over. I loved them, with  their beautiful watercolour illustrations, and they always reminded me of  Omi. I still have them all. It was over 20 years later that I was reunited with Omi and we were able to look at them together.

I now have a daughter of my own, with whom I share this love of books. I have come to appreciate their importance on so many levels. This provides me with a great sense of satisfaction when I'm illustrating them".

Caroline is a self-taught illustrator and fine artist (being represented at a number of Australia's top commercial galleries). She has illustrated five picture books, eleven trade books and a number of works for educational publishing. Her next project is a picture book that Caroline herself has written, Hasel and Rose. This has been a labour of love, spanning a number of years, and is scheduled to be published in 2006, by Allen & Unwin (Australia).