Maree Coote is a writer, designer, illustrator, typographer and photographer. She is the author of two gold award-winning histories, The Melbourne Book and The Art of Being Melbourne, and is author and illustrator of eleven children's picture books, including When You Go to Melbourne , Spellbound , Alphabet City Zoo , and The Black Pot Belly . Spellbound won the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Special Mention Prize in Italy 2017, the Nami Island Illustration 'Distinction' award in South Korea 2017, and is shortlisted for the CBCA 2017 prize in Australia. Maree Coote is a writer, designer, illustrator, typographer and photographer. Her many creative passions converge in her sense of place and history, and she brings this to life through stunningly visual books for a range of audiences.