Sam Baker is a storyteller for children who leads a fascinating and adventure-filled life. He learned how to read as a child from his teachers using the sight say method, making reading harder for him. Upon overcoming this, he's had the drive to help other young readers and young readers at heart learn to love to read and continue their education.A vast amount of Sam's career was spent elevating minorities and their career advancement. He intimately understands the importance of reading as the foundation of all learning. Sam Baker is 99 years old and is still writing stories and having storytime with kids. Oscar The Mouse is his second children's book."I wrote Oscar The Mouse to help children get excited about reading, and one of those ways is to write funny stories! There are too many kids reading below grade level. My goal is to change that with a book that's fun to read so that children feel a sense of accomplishment once they finish the book and can't wait to read the next one. Success is contagious!" A life-long artist and native of Frederick, MD, Ann was born to talented parents who nurtured her artistic gifts by providing supplies, education and constant encouragement. Ann fondly remembers her mother taking her on multiple trips to the local library. So many children's picture books - more than Ann's little arms could carry!Ann received her B.F.A. at Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), with additional study at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Hood College, and Georgetown University. She has served as a PreK-12 art teacher in public and private schools and enjoyed teaching adults with disabilities.Ann's paintings, public art projects, pet portraits, masks, and photos have been widely displayed and are in collections across the U.S.; her illustrations have been published in books, posters, and newsletters. She served as assistant curator of the local hospital's Women's Art Center Gallery for five years.Sam Baker's invitation to illustrate The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm gave her an entree into the wonderful world of children's literature. Her artwork for the book won an Honorable Mention for the Royal Dragonfly Award in the 2018 Story Monster LLC Contest.Ann lives with her husband Steve, an educator/musician/writer, the love of her life, and the father of her two adopted now-adult sons. She is eternally grateful for his support of all of her art projects, most recently as the model for Mr. Wilson - a character in the book.