Derrick Barnes is the author of Like Lava in My Veins , Santa's Gotta Go! , the New York Times bestsellers The Queen of Kindergarten , The King of Kindergarten , and I Am Every Good Thing , which won the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award and the Kirkus Prize, and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut , which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Honor, the Kirkus Prize, and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. He also wrote the bestselling chapter book series Ruby and the Booker Boys . He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and their four sons. Shamar Knight-Justice also illustrated Ari J.'s Kinky Curly Crown and Ari J.'s Firefly Rescue (both by Ain Heath Drew), Big Tune: Rise of the Dancehall Prince (by Alliah L. Agostini), and Repeat After Me: Big Things To Say Every Day (by Jazmyn Simon). His artwork focuses on mixed media and unique textures and patterns.

He intentionally highlights Black and Brown children in his work because he believes that the fullness of their identities should be displayed, but are often overlooked in picture books. He is currently the Principal of Ethos Classical elementary school, where he is inspired daily by the stories and imaginations of his students. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.