Angela Johnson was born on June 18, 1961 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She attended Kent State University and worked with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) as a child development worker. She has written numerous children's books including Tell Me a Story, Mama, Shoes like Miss Alice, Looking for Red, A Cool Moonlight and Lily Brown's Paintings. She won the Coretta Scott King Author's Award three times for Toning the Sweep in 1994, for Heaven in 1999, and for The First Part Last in 2004, which also won the Michael L. Printz Award. In 2003, she was named a MacArthur fellow.
Dav Pilkey was born on March 4th, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a steel salesman, and his mother was the organist at a local church. In 1984, Pilkey attended Kent State University as an art major. One of Pilkey's freshman English professors complimented him on his creative writing skills, and encouraged him to write books, which launched him into his career. He found out about a contest for students who write and illustrate their own books, with the winners earning the prize of publication. Pilkey began creating his first book, "World War Won," and entered it in The National Written and Illustrated By...Awards Contest for Students. Pilkey won the contest and flew to Kansas City, Missouri to meet the editors and publishers at Landmark Editions, Inc. Soon after the publication of World War Won, Dav moved back to Kent, Ohio where he had gone to college. In 1997, Pilkey won the Caldecott Honor for his book "The Paperboy" but is perhaps better known for his "Captain Underpants" series, which he had created while still in elementary school. His title Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers made Publisher's Weekly best seller list for 2011. His title's, The Adventures of Captain Underpants and Dog Man Unleashed, made The New York Times Best Seller List.
