Maria Christania is an illustrator based in Milton Keynes. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Communication Design from Bandung Institute of Technology in 2008. Later, she pursued a Master of Arts Degree in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, graduating in 2016. In her career as an illustrator, Maria has written and illustrated over 30 children's picture books. One notable creation, "Jerry Giraffe and The Giant Butter Cookie," earned her an International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honorary Mention for Publisher in 2013 and a place on the IBBY Honour List in 2014. Her debut picture book in the UK, "Stop The Clock!", received a nomination for the 2023 Carnegie Medals for Illustration and was shortlisted for the Children’s Picture Book Award at the Derby Book Festival 2023.