About Geneviève Després

Geneviève Després completed a degree in Industrial Design at the University of Montreal, but decided instead to pursue her first passion: drawing. She turned to illustration, and worked in the fields of educational publishing, advertising, editorial, and children’s literature. She then spent a few years in Europe, where she gave birth to her second child and looks for inspiration and explores different techniques. Since her return to Quebec she has illustrated over 40 books for children, including The Highest Number in the World and The Little Knight who battled Monsters.

Geneviève was awarded several illustration prizes such as Quebec-Wallonie-Brussels, Trois-Rivières Book Fair Illustration, ANEL-AQPF and was finalist at the Canadian Book Club Center, Governor General’s Litary Awards in 2019, Shortlisted Harry Black Award and Elizabeth Mrazik Award in 2020.

As a young girl, Geneviève was very athletic and always picked first for school yard games-even before the boys! Geneviève now lives in Saint-Lambert on the south shore of Montreal with her family and part of the summer in her new cottage at Les Escoumins where she can see some whales from her window!