Meet the author

Júlia Sardà.

Writer & illustrator · Spain · b. 1987

Júlia Sardà: Catalan illustrator behind The Liszts, The Queen in the Cave and Alice in Wonderland — richly textured, gothic-tinged, art-school-quality picture books for ages 5–10.

Júlia Sardà is a Spanish illustrator born in 1987 in Barcelona, whose richly textured, gothic-tinged illustration has become a fixture of the gift-shelf and literary-picture-book end of UK and Spanish children's publishing. Best known for The Liszts (with Kyo Maclear), The Forgetting Machine, The Queen in the Cave (her own author-illustrated work), and her Alice's Adventures in Wonderland edition. Sardà's style is detailed, slightly otherworldly, with a clear lineage from European folk art, mid-century children's-book illustration and Tim Burton-flavoured darkness. Strong giftability for ages 5–10. A core contemporary picture-book illustrator for readers who value art-school-quality visual storytelling.