Jeanne Birdsall grew up in the suburbs west of Philadelphia, where she spent most of her time reading and daydreaming. She decided to be a writer when she was ten years old, though she didnโt circle back to that idea until she was all grown up and then some. Her first book was The Penderwicks, which won the National Book Award and was a New York Times Bestseller. Four other Penderwicks novels, all of which received glowing accolades and were New York Times bestsellers, followed to round out the series. She is also the author of several picture books and a chapter book. Jeanne's days involve plenty of time writing, gardening, and chasing around her two mischevious dogs.
Matt Phelan is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of picture books, middle grade novels, and graphic novels for young readers. He has received the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction (The Storm in the Barn), the Carolyn Field Award (Around the World and Snow White), the Jefferson Cup (Bluffton), and has been nominated for five Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. In addition to his own books, Matt has illustrated many books by renowned authors, including Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall and The Higher Power of Lucky (winner of a Newbery Medal) by Susan Patron.