Deloris Jordan is Michael Jordan's mother and the coauthor of Salt in His Shoes, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which Booklist called "inspirational;" Did I Tell You I Love You Today? , illustrated by Shane W. Evans, which was called "a tender read-aloud" by Kirkus Reviews ; and Dream Big . She is also the author of Family First: Winning the Parenting Game , a book highlighting the seven principles of parenting. Through her work with the James Jordan Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, as well as the Jordan Institute for Families at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mrs. Jordan is widely regarded as an advocate for children and families. The mother of five children and the grandmother of eleven, Mrs. Jordan lives in Chicago. Shadra Strickland studied, design, writing, and illustration at Syracuse University and later went on to complete her MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

She won the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 2009 for her work in her first picture book, Bird , written by Zetta Elliott. Strickland co-illustrated Our Children Can Soar , winner of a 2010 NAACP Image Award. She teaches illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit her online at ShadraStrickland.com.