Make Facts Fun Again: Authors & Illustrators of Children’s Non-Fiction
PanelDarel Seow, Debby Ng, Emmanuelle Grundmann, Lena Anlauf, Vitali Konstantinov | Moderator: Lisa Zuliana Binte Zulkifli
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Learning doesn’t have to be boring. Non-fiction books can educate and entertain children all at the same time–but how exactly do we make facts fun for kids? Hear from authors and illustrators from Germany, France and Singapore about making science and history engaging for children. Join them as they discuss their research process, how they collaborate and the role of illustration in non-fiction, where one book becomes a whole series about different parts of the world.
nature and animalswritingillustrationstorytelling
Darel Seow (Singapore)
Darel Seow is an award-winning visual storyteller and educator known for illustrating tales of the natural world with a unique brand of wry wit and whimsy. His illustrated works include Marvellous Mammals: A Wild A to Z of Southeast Asia and Where Are All the Birds? His multi-disciplinary practice spans public art and interactive experiences, with commissions from the British Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum, and the Singapore Art Museum. Beyond his studio practice, he is a dedicated educator who has engaged 30,000 students from over 50 schools, using storytelling and play to explore man’s changing relationship with nature.
Debby Ng (Singapore)
Ecology meets storytelling in Debby Ng’s work, which brings conservation science out of journals and into everyday life. A Singapore-based ecologist, photojournalist, and National Geographic Explorer, she weaves photographs and narrative to translate research on infectious disease into stories about how people, animals, and the environments they share shape community health. She is the author of Marvellous Mammals, a children’s book that introduces families to Southeast Asia’s most elusive wildlife through vivid, research-grounded storytelling. Debby lectures at the National University of Singapore, where she completed her doctoral studies.
Photo by Wallace Woon.
Emmanuelle Grundmann (France)
As a child, Emmanuelle dreamed of rainforests, monkeys, colorful bird feathers so she could fly above the canopy. At six, she decided she was going to be an ornithologist and her path led her to the Bornean rainforest where she met orangutans for her Phd Studies. From this deep chlorophyll immersion is born Emmanuelle’s desire to convey her wonder for this world, and write stories of animals, nature, people and carry readers away page after page, to make them dream, laugh, think.
Lena Anlauf (Germany)
Lena Anlauf is a German author and book designer whose books have won numerous awards and have been translated into eight languages. She is part of Cornelia Funke’s residency program in Italy and has been selected as Writer-in-residence 2026 in Iceland by the Goethe-Institut. After studying book studies and philosophy, she is now researching historical picture books and working as editorial director for children’s and young adult literature at the German publishing house “kunstanstifter”.
Vitali Konstantinov (Germany)
Vitali Konstantinov is a German author, illustrator and comic artist. He studied architecture, graphic art, painting, and art history and has been writing and illustrating books for more than 20 years, which have been published in 40 countries. His work has earned the title “Best German Book Design” and he won the “German Children’s Book Prize 2025” for his illustrations in Genius Eyes – A Curious Animal Compendium. Vitali also presents his books worldwide at interactive readings and workshops.
Lisa Zuliana Binte Zulkifli (Singapore)
Lisa Zuliana is a passionate librarian dedicated to nurturing a love for stories from the very start of life. She curates and conducts vibrant programmes for children aged 0–6, their parents, and preschool educators, believing that a lifelong love of reading begins in the cradle. With a heart for imagination and play, she creates spaces where children can explore, dream, and grow through books. Her research interests centre on gender equality and the empowerment of young minds—because every child, she believes, deserves the confidence to think boldly and imagine endlessly.
Programme dates and times are subject to change.