Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog

John Paul Brammer is an author and illustrator from rural Oklahoma currently based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the author of the popular advice column ¡Hola Papi!, as well as a memoir in essays of the same name, published in 2021 with Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint. He is the winner of the 2022 Brooklyn Public Library Prize for nonfiction, as well as the Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and more. His forthcoming illustrated young adult novel, Samara, is to be published with Farrar, Straus and Giroux. You can follow John Paul on Instagram @JPBrammer.

Vanessa Morales is a Mexican illustrator and character designer with a deep love for nature and all things whimsical. She is the illustrator of Diego Fuego the Firefighting Dragon by Allison and Rafael Rozo and Monster Baker written by Laura Lavoie. Vanessa has worked as a freelance in animation for companies including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Kodansha VR Lab Japan. Vanessa was born and lives in the south of Mexico in Chiapas, and her artwork draws from the rich nature, culture, and legends of Mexico.