R. J. Owens is a serious dreamer, a big fan of parades, and an admirer of the strength, beauty, and intelligence of horses. His parade of books includes A Song So Black, So Proud and several other picture books that will be coming out soon. Owens is a member of the Society of Children's Book Illustrators and Writers, and he lives and writes by the bay, in Oakland, California. Charnelle Pinkney Barlow is an illustrator and expert tea drinker. Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, she was surrounded by art daily. Her passion for illustration grew after being introduced to the wonderful world of watercolor.

This led her to combine the joy she found in books with her love of drawing and painting. Her debut children's book, Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan, was nominated for Children's Outstanding Literary Work at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. She received her BFA in illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2010 and her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York, New York, in 2012. Barlow currently lives in central Illinois with her husband. When she's not drawing, she is baking, sewing, or reading with a cup of tea by her side.