Jacqueline Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio on February 12, 1963 and grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York. She received a B.A. in English from Adelphi University in 1985. She is a full-time writer and her books include Miracle's Boys, which won the Coretta Scott King Award in 2001 and After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers and Show Way, which won Newbery Honors. Her other awards include the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Jon J. Muth is a children's author and illustrator. His books have received numerous awards and critical acclaim. Stone Soup, a familiar tale set in China won a National Parenting Book Award. Books he has illustrated include Come On, Rain!, which won the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators in 1999, Gershon's Monster, and No Dogs Allowed. Zen Shorts is a New York Times Bestseller, a Quill Award nominee, and was awarded the 2006 Caldecott Honor. Zen Ghosts was published in September 2010 by Scholastic Press. His title, Hi, Koo!, is a New York Times Bestseller for 2014 and was published by Scholastic Press, as well.