Benjamin Lacombe is one of the leading representatives of the new French illustration. At the age of 19, he published his first graphic novel and several other illustrated books. His final school project, Cerise Griotte (Cherry and Olive), became his first children’s book and was published by Seuil Jeunesse in March 2006. It was published the following year by Walker Books (USA) and listed as one of Time magazine’s 10 best children’s books in 2007. Lacombe has written and illustrated a number of books since. He regularly exhibits his work, most prominently with the following galleries: Ad Hoc Art (New York), Dorothy Circus (Rome), Maruzen (Tokyo), Nucleus (Los Angeles), and Daniel Maghen Gallery (Paris). Benjamin lives and works in Paris with his dogs, Virgile and Lisbeth. Born in Denmark in 1805, Hans Christian Andersen was a writer of literary fairy tales, plays, poems, and novels. He died in 1875.