Susan McElroy Montanari has had many unusual pets over the years. She had a five-foot-long rat snake named Snookums, and her daughters once found a baby alligator in a neighbor's pool. She has spent much of her life on the beach and tidal creeks surrounding Savannah, Georgia. After several years in Norwalk, Connecticut, she has returned to live in Savannah with her husband and a cat named Tybee. This is her first book. Anne Wilsdorf's cat, Istanbul, likes to watch her paint. Once, when Anne was drawing insects, Istanbul jumped on the paper, trying to catch the bugs as soon as they appeared under her pen. She is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller, which received four starred reviews; Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluem≤ The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli; and Alligator Sue by Sharon Arms Doucet.

She lives and works in Lausanne, Switzerland.