About the Author and Illustrator Born in South Africa, Linda Nissen Samuels, grew up surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. As an artist, she reflects that vision on canvas. She is passionate about the preservation of the environment and the need to inspire children to appreciate and protect the balance of nature. Linda's African landscape images, used by the charity WaterAid as their annual greeting cards, have proved extremely popular worldwide, raising substantial funds to support the provision of safe water. Her work has also been exhibited at the Royal Society of Marine Artists. Linda has run her own gallery in London and mounted several one-woman exhibitions in France. She has been awarded eight medals, including five Golds, at the International Grand Prix of Art in Cannes. In recent years, Linda has focused on creating books to make drawing accessible to everyone and range of beautifully illustrated children's books to introduce young readers to environmental issues. Easy draw book 'Draw Water and Other Things' is now in its second edition, and has been described as a 'classic'. Its companion, 'Draw Queens, Kings and All Things Royal' was published in 2015 and is on sale at Buckingham Palace, London. Suitable for all ages, Linda's simple, easy to follow diagrams make these books a must for all aspiring artists, unsure how to begin putting pencil to paper. In 'Elly's Adventure in the Animal Park', the first book in Elly's Ecology series, Linda's vibrant watercolour plates compliment her story in which Elly comes to realise how important insect life is to the survival of the planet. The second book in the series 'Elly's Adventure Down by the Sea', is an enchanting story that teaches children about the importance of protecting the marine environment. Elly and his friends want to build a fantastic sandcastle on the beach - but is a plastic bottle and straw, what they should use to decorate it? To find out more about Linda and her books visit: www.patopress.com