Julie Knutson is an author and educator with a wide-ranging background in history and the social sciences. She holds an undergraduate degree in cultural studies from NYU, a master's degree in political sociology from The London School of Economics, and additional post-graduate degrees in education and art history from Rice University in Houston, Texas. She is the author of a series of six books on agricultural "microproducers" titled Nature's Makers (Cherry Lake, 2019). Julie is an active member of the National Council for the Social Studies and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Traci Van Wagoner holds degrees in illustration from Utah State University and in toy design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. A longtime member of SCBWI, Van Wagoner has illustrated many children's books, and her work appears in magazines, newsletters, and on toys and games. When not painting, she is designing and developing games with her husband at Imagine That! Design. Her motto is live, laugh, and learn.