Heinz Janisch was born in Güssing, Austria. He studied German and journalism in Vienna. He has worked for Austrian radio since 1982 and is editor of the series Menschenbilder [Human Images]. He has published countless books for children of all ages and has been awarded many prizes, including the Austrian Prize for Books for Children and Young Adults, and the Bologna Ragazzi Award. He has also been nominated for the German Prize for Children's Literature. Heinz now lives in Vienna and in Burgenland, Austria. Maja Kastelic was born in Slovenia, where she studied painting, philosophy, and visual art theory. For several years she worked as a fresco restorer before devoting herself to illustrating children's books.

Prizes include the White Ravens Award, and her work has been displayed at the Illustrators' Exhibition in Bologna. Her last book for NorthSouth was Hans Christian Andersen -The Journey of His Life.