Mari Lobo was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she spent her childhood playing on the streets and climbing trees. She was always fond of drawing and painting, and by age fifteen she decided to be an artist. After a quick detour—a degree in industrial design and a couple of years in the fashion industry—Mari moved to California and attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco, where she earned her master’s degree in visual development for animation. She lives in the Bay Area with her awesome classical musician husband, where she goes to concerts, on hikes, and to dinner with friends. But mostly she sits in front of her computer and draws for kids all day, every day because she loved being a child herself.