Eloise Greenfield has published many children's books, including picture books, novels, poetry, and biographies. She has won many awards for her writing, including the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, given by the National Council of Teachers of English. In 1999 she became a member of the National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. Greenfield was born in North Carolina and grew up in Washington, DC, where she continues to live. She has a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren.

Jan Spivey Gilchrist has illustrated children’s books for over a quarter of a century. She illustrated the Coretta Scott King Award Book Nathaniel Talking and the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Night on Neighborhood Street, both by Eloise Greenfield. In 2000, she was inducted to the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. Jan lives with her husband in a suburb of Chicago. See more of her work at janspiveygilchrist.com.