Maria Gianferrari is the author of several picture books. Hello for Maria is . sunshine after a snowstorm, the scent of cinnamon, happy greetings from her beloved mutt, Becca. Maria lives in northern Virginia with Becca, her scientist-husband and artist-daughter. This is her second book for Roaring Brook Press. Maria is also the author of Coyote Moon . To learn more about Maria, visit her website: mariagianferrari.com.

Patrice Barton is the illustrator of over twenty picture and chapter books, including the award winning picture books MINE! by Shutta Crum, Knopf, and The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, Knopf. Her chapter books include the Junior Library Guild selections The Year of the Three Sisters, an Anna Wang novel by Andrea Cheng, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and The Naming of Tishkin Silk by Glenda Millard, FSG. Patrice makes her home in Austin, Texas with her husband and sweet dog Archer. You can learn more about her at www.patricebarton.com.