About the Author

Ava Keyes has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Her debut picture book, ‘Scapegoat’, aims to provide a valuable resource for children experiencing a specific kind of family bullying – family scapegoating. Ava is thrilled to have partnered with Little Steps Publishing in this important journey of self-discovery and hopes that this book will empower children and their families with hope, courage and positive communication.



Aleksandra Szmidt grew up in a town in the south of Poland and currently resides in New Zealand. In Poland, she worked as a graphic designer. Upon moving she decided to pursue her dream as a freelance illustrator. From her home studio, Aleksandra creates one-of-a-kind artwork for clients across the world. Her love of drawing plants and animals is attributed to her landscape architecture studies. However, she prefers to design magical things often detached from reality. The majority of her artwork is traditionally created with watercolour, gouache and coloured pencil. She also uses computer program like Photoshop. She loves her job and it brings her immense joy and an emotional connection to her artwork.