Jessica Kulekjian first discovered her love for storytelling during a young author's contest in elementary school. Even though she lost (three times!), she didn't give up writing. After years of practice, and with lots of encouragement from family, friends, teachers, and other storytellers, Jessica became the author of picture books, including Before We Stood Tall: From Small Seed to Mighty Tree . Jessica has an MA in teaching and works at a public charter school, supporting homeschooling families. She lives with her husband and three kids in Central California. jessicakulekjian.com @jessicakulekjian (Instagram) Jennifer Bower is the illustrator of over ten books, including The Funniest Man in Baseball: The True Story of Max Patkin . She grew up on a steady diet of classic cartoons and midcentury picture books, many of which still bear her bite marks.

Jennifer earned her BFA degree roughly twenty years after picking up her first crayon. She lives in North Carolina where she spends time knitting, working on crossword puzzles, container gardening, volunteering at Mitey Riders, and loving on her fur-babies. jennbower.com @jennbower (Instagram).