? Susan Blackaby pursues her creative and professional lives across a flurry of pages. On the clock, Suz specializes in early literacy and has written hundreds of fiction and nonfiction titles for the K-8 audience. She is the author of Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox and Brownie Groundhog and the Wintry Surprise; Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen; and Nest, Nook, and Cranny , winner of the 2011 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry. She writes in a cozy retreat at the foot of the Cascades overlooking the Columbia River.? Joellyn Cicciarelli has been developing books and media for children, parents, and teachers for nearly three decades. She spent two wonderful years as editor for Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and is coauthor of The InvestiGator Club , a preschool program that earned the Association of Educational Publishers Golden Lamp and Distinguished Achievement Award. A wife and mother of two, Joellyn lives in Illinois, is an avid reader and collector of children's books, and loves to inspire others to share their gifts with the world. Carrie Schuler is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer.

Known for layered, textural illustrations composed of ephemera she collects, Carrie's most recent book, Drop by Drop (Loyola Press), earned a Moonbeam Children's Book Award, the International Book Award, and an Excellence in Publishing Award. Carrie practices, polishes, and shares her gifts in Chicago, where she lives with her wonderful daughter and whimsical cat.