Loewen, Nancy: - Nancy Loewen grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota, surrounded by library books and cats. She's published more than 140 books for children and young adults. The LAST Day of Kindergarten and Four to the Pole (co-authored with polar explorer Ann Bancroft) were Minnesota Book Award finalists. Her Writer's Toolbox series received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Nancy has also received awards from The American Library Association, the New York Public Library, and the Society of School Librarians International. Nancy lives in St. Paul and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She likes to read, cook, take long walks, and photograph oddities from thrift stores. Please visit her website at nancyloewen.net.

Guerlais, Gerald: - Born in 1974 in Nantes, France, Gerald grew up in nine different cities around the land of cheese. He graduated from the National School of Applied Art (also called Olivier de Serres) in 1998. Gerald's creativity blossomed at a web design company, an event studio, a video-games studio, and then several animations studios. Aside from illustration, Gerald has many other interests, including managing the French Comics Artists association "Rendez-Vous" (which published its first book at Akileos publishing in 2009), or co-leading with the Japanese Artist Daisuke Tsutsumi the artistic and charity project "Sketchtravel," a real sketchbook shared by 70 illustrators from all around the world.

Cox, Russ: - Russ Cox was raised by hillbillies in the backwoods of Tennessee. Without many modern conveniences, like a television or running water, he spent his time drawing, whittling, and throwing dirt clods at his cousins. With the bulk of his life spent in Pennsylvania, he met his wife; became a graphic designer; played in punk, alternative, and surf bands; had two kids; and started his own illustration studio, Smiling Otis Studio. Russ creates his art digitally and traditionally. He lives in Maine with his wife and three cats. Learn more at smilingotis.com