Frenci (Francesca) Sanna (they/them) is an illustrator and picture book author from Sardinia, living and drawing in Zurich, Switzerland.

Their books have been translated into more than 20 languages and their work has been recognised, amongst others, by the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, 3×3 magazine, Communication Art, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher Weekly, The Guardian and The New York Times.
They have been nominated twice for the Swiss Children’s Literature Prize, and once for the German Children’s Literature Prize.
In 2023 Frenci was one of the receivers of the Literary Creation Grant from Pro Helvetia. 

They graduated in Architecture in Italy, before they decided to move from their beloved island to find home in Switzerland where they studied design and illustration in Basel and Lucerne and then attended a summer program at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
They have been working as mentor for various programs for picture book artists like The Boloklub and the University of Applied Arts of Lucerne in Switzerland and the AOI mentorship program in the UK.

Frenci really likes the sea, loves gelato, and has just learned how to ride a bike. 

Books
If you were a city, by Kyo Maclear, Chronicle Books, 2022
The More You Give,
by Marcy Campbell, Knopf Books, 2022
Perkin’s Perfect Purple, by Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn, Little Brown, 2020
My Friend Earth, by Patricia MacLachlan, Chronicle Books, 2020
Move Mr. Mountain!, Templar Books, 2019
Me and My Fear, Flying Eye Books, 2018
Andersen  – The Little Mermaid, Little Gestalten, 2017
Ein Loch Gegen den Regen, by Daniel Fehr, Atlantis, 2016
The Journey, Flying Eye Books, 2016

⚀ You can find Frenci on Instagram too