Kate Hoefler grew up in the rolling hills of Ohio’s Appalachia—a home she returned to after a stint trying out bigger cities. (The heart loves the landscapes it loves.) She is the author of many beloved picture books for children, including Real Cowboys, which won the Friends of American Writers Chicago Award in Juvenile Literature. She makes her home with two children and a small dog who thinks he’s much bigger than he is.

Dena Seiferling is the author and illustrator of The Language of Flowers, and the illustrator of King Mouse by Cary Fagan and Night Lunch by Eric Fan, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, among other titles. She also creates and exhibits needle-felted sculptures. A graduate and former instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design, Dena lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband and two children.