Ai Akikusa is a Japanese artist, illustrator, and picture books author based in Tokyo. She graduated from the Department of Graphic Design, Tama Art University. After working at the Nakamori Design Office she is now working as a freelance artist. Some of her publications to date are as follows: Easy-to-use Coloring Pencils, Cute Animals with Coloring Pencils, Let's Go To the Zoo, Buk's Baby, Me and My Little Popofu, The Hairy One, Asahiyama Zoo, Parudemar the Bear, and Little Puddle.