Dr Mara Jordan is an artist, academic and wildlife advocate. Mara is an experienced and enthusiastic visual storyteller. She holds a PhD researching classical children’s literature and visual media and has applied her creative skills across a wide range of projects, from illustration to animated film and music video production. Currently she lives in Australia and besides lecturing and doing her artistic work she is a passionate advocate for the protection of wildlife. She works as a volunteer wildlife carer and her books are deeply inspired by her experiences with orphaned native animals. She hopes it will encourage children to respect and care for precious native wildlife. Mara enjoys drawing whimsical characters and inventing stories with strong emotional impact. Her inspiration is often taken from folk tales, myths, nature, her two cheeky cats, and all the other wondrous animals around her.