Maria Monte writes beautifully sweet, heart-warming, and fun stories that teach little ones great values, such as kindness and love. Her spare time is divided between family, caring for her young son, and writing children's books. A native of Melbourne, Australia, Maria enjoys mochas, watching comedies, and losing herself in wiki rabbit holes. Zoe Saunders lives in Cheshire, UK, with her son, daughter and husband. She has always had a love of artistry, and likes to sketch, paint and create sweet characters in her whimsical style. She is particularly fascinated by animals, both real and magical, and adores painting natural scenery and foliage. Zoe creates her artwork using either a traditional pen and watercolor, or digitally with her iPad Pro.
"★ ""A fantasy grounded in real life with a gentle message about loyal friendship."" - Kirkus Reviews ★ ★ ""A sweet tale about honoring the best of your past that young readers should enjoy."" - BlueInk Reviews ★ ★ ""A delightful story with many hidden messages to teach children about love, friendship, forgiveness and faithfulness. The illustrations are stunning and serve to enhance the story. It is a book that children will come back to again and again and is written in such a way as to help new readers develop their own reading skills."" - LoveReading4Kids ★ ""In comparing this storybook to The Giving Tree, I take my hat off to Maria Monte for putting a greater sense of compassion and gratitude into the tale."" - Readers' Favorite ★ ★ ""An uplifting picture book in which a girl forms a magical friendship that lasts throughout the years."" - Foreword Reviews ★ ★ ""Younger readers will likely relate to Ellery and her kindness towards others. Ellery's Magic Bicycle is a wonderful story for readers of all ages. It would make an excellent addition to any library."" - The Children's Book Review ★ ★ ""This tale of a young girl and a magic bicycle is alive with warmth and feeling."" - BookLife ★"