The Bug Next Door

Born in 1973 in Bologna, Italy, Beatrice Alemagna is one of the most well known children's book illustrators working in France today. Alemagna graduated from the Istituto Superiore for Industrial Arts (ISIA) in Urbino, Italy and in 1996 she won first prize at the 'Figures Futures' competition at the Salon Du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse in Montreuil, Paris. She fell in love with the French publishing scene and moved to Paris where she has since worked with a number of renowned publishers. Winner of numerous prestigious awards, Alemagna was runner-up for the Baobab prize (2005, 2006, 2007) and received a special mention at the Bologna Ragazzi awards in 2007. She has published over 20 works with leading international publishers and her books have been translated into more than 10 languages.

'three cheers for Phaidon ...perhaps even more charming than its predecessors. ... inventive ... a totally believable world of little characters...The Bug Next Door explores friendship, gender and attraction in a beautifully understated, very human way.' Books for Keeps