Flavia Z. Drago was born and raised in Mexico City. As a child, she wanted to be a mermaid. When that didn’t happen, she began her career as a graphic designer and a children’s book illustrator. Her debut, Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, was a smashing success and #1 NYT bestseller. Flavia is also the author-illustrator of Leila, the Perfect Witch and two monster-themed board books, Monsters Play... Counting! and Monsters Play... Peekaboo!. She has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, was shortlisted for the 2018 Sebastian Walker Award and won the 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize. She loves colours, textures, and shapes and enjoys creating them with different materials and a bit of digital sorcery