Maree Coote is a writer, designer, illustrator, 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. 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 eight children's picture books, including The Gum Queen, Spellbound, Alphabet City Zoo, and The Black Pot Belly.
In 2017, Coote's Spellbound: Making Pictures with the A-B-C was shortlisted for the CBCA's Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.