Virginia Kroll is a prolific writer, with over sixty books published since 1992. A full-time author and speaker as well as a writing instructor with the Institute of Children's Literature, she writes on topics ranging from African folktales to universal themes such as siblings and heroes. She has received a long list of awards, including the 1998 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for a parenting book, the Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year in 2004, and the International Reading Association/Children's Book Council 2004 Children's Choice Award. BETSY LePLATT is a freelance designer and illustrator. She has worked for an advertising agency, corporate art department, and product design department. Her former clients include General Mills and Anagram International.