Patricia MacLachlan's books range from picture books to chapter books and novels, and in all categories her reviews and her sales are consistently strong. She won the Newbery Medal for her book Sarah, Plain and Tall, and, more recently, wrote a picture book biography of Henri Matisse, The Iridescence of Birds, illustrated by Hadley Hooper. She based Barkus on the imagined adventures of her too-friendly neighbour's dog. She lives in Massachusetts. Marc Boutavant is a prolific author and illustrator who lives in France. His previous titles for Chronicle include Around the World with Mouk; For Just One Day; the All Aboard Train Puzzle, which was featured on the Today Show; the All Aboard Train Matching Game; The Night Before Christmas Pop-Up Advent Calendar; and the Sky High Building Puzzle.