Maciej Michno author page

Maciej Michno biography

Maciej Michno is a children’s non-fiction author and editor specialising in books about nature, biodiversity and environmental science. He graduated from the University of Trento in Italy with a specialist degree in computer science in 2006. He works as an editor and administrative manager at Cocai Books, an Italian publisher producing illustrated educational books about the natural world. His professional work also includes translation, proofreading and science communication.

Michno collaborated with naturalist Danio Miserocchi and illustrator Valentina Gottardi on Caduto: La seconda vita degli alberi, published by Cocai Books in 2023. The book examines the ecological processes that follow the death of a tree, including the ways fallen wood supports insects, fungi, plants and other wildlife. It received a Special Mention in the Non-Fiction category of the 2024 BolognaRagazzi Awards. An English-language edition, The Tomorrow Tree: How Nature Creates New Life From Old, was published by Phaidon in October 2025.

His subsequent children’s science book, Who Hid the Stars? How Light Pollution Changes Our World, co-written with Danio Miserocchi and illustrated by Valentina Gottardi, was published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers in March 2026. Translated from Italian by Sylvia Notini, it examines how artificial lighting affects wildlife, ecosystems and our ability to observe the night sky. The original Italian edition was shortlisted for the Premio Piccolo Galileo in 2024.

Michno also collaborated with Miserocchi and Gottardi on Still Water: The Wonders of Ponds, Pools, Wetlands, and More, which explores the biodiversity and ecological importance of standing-water habitats, including puddles, ponds, marshes and peat bogs. Translated by Sylvia Notini, the 64-page book was published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers on 18 August 2026 as part of its Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers series.