Jackie Morris has wanted to be an artist since the age of six. At school, she was often in trouble for drawing and dreaming; now she gets paid to do both.

When she left school, Jackie went to Art College, first in Hereford and then in Bath. She worked on magazine illustrations and greeting card designs, and in 1992 was commissioned to do her first picture book, Jo's Storm, by Caroline Pitcher. Her highly-coloured, exquisitely finished and painterly images, particularly those of animals, have since become immediately recognisable.

Jackie now lives in a small cottage by the sea with her two children, Tom and Hannah, plus two dogs and four cats. Most of her time is spent painting and writing, and while she paints she listens to the radio or to music. Her favourite picture book is Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

Jackie currently has an exhibition (until 22nd January 2007) at The National Botanic Gardens of Wales near Carmarthen, displaying work from Little One and We Knew You'd Come as well as original paintings. Original artwork for Can you see a Little Bear and Lord of the Forest is also on display at The Wellwisher Bookshop, Devizes.

The Snow Leopard was published in 2007.