Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, born in Barcelona, Spain, is a writer and creative director in constant search of new concepts for children's books. In 2014, she created a book for her two twin nieces for their birthday, which shortly thereafter became the first book in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series. This multimillion-copy bestselling series of picture books explores the lives of outstanding people. From Mahatma Gandhi to Aretha Franklin, to Prince, Sánchez Vegara researches complex careers and makes them accessible to young children, with her unique and mindful style of writing. She works with a diverse team of illustrators to make each book lively, eye-catching and motivating. Working for more than fifteen years for clients in top advertising agencies, her books combine creativity with learning, aiming to establish a new and fresh relationship between children and pop culture. ​

Living just outside of Cambridge with her young family, energetic dog and feisty chickens, Karen can often be found squirrelling away with her trusty pencils and rather fancy pencil sharpener. She is inspired by riotous colors and patterns, and she loves finding the most interesting characters in the most familiar environments.

"The Little People BIG DREAMS releases in June include this biography of one of the world's greatest athletes, as well as Rafa Nadal and Taylor Swift."

"cute illustrations...The [Little People, BIG DREAMS] series continues on its easy success of translating notable figures' experiences into digestible stories."