Before retiring from the lecture circuit in 2008, Jim Trelease spent thirty years addressing parents, teachers, and librarians on the subjects of children, literature, and the challenges of multimedia to print. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, he was an award-winning artist and writer for the Springfield Daily News from 1963 to 1983.

Cyndi Giorgis is a professor of children's and young adult literature and Director of Teacher Preparation in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. She has been recognized for numerous university distinguished teaching awards and is the recipient of the International Literacy Association's Arbuthnot Award for Outstanding Professor of Children's and Young Adult Literature. She has chaired or served on numerous committees for awards such as the Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, and the Orbis Picture Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for children. Cyndi is a frequent presenter at conferences.