Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been published all over the world. When he was a child, he would imagine shapes forming on the mosque's carpet if he stared down long enough, which then swiftly disappeared and transformed into beautiful patterns when he looked up. He is pretty much the same as a grown up, too. His illustrations have earned multiple starred reviews and positions on the New York Times bestseller list including The Proudest Blue (with Ibtihaj Muhammad & S.K. Ali), the Yasmin series (with Saadia Faruqi), and The Inquisitor's Tale (with Adam Gidwitz). He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people.