Juwanda G. Ford was born in New Orleans and worked in children's publishing before she wrote her first book, A Kente Dress for Kenya . She is also the author of Together for Kwanzaa, K Is for Kwanzaa, Shop Talk, and the Junior Library Guild Selection, I Like Hoops! , which was also selected by the Chicago Public Library as a Best Books of 2025 recommendation . Juwanda makes her home with her children in New Orleans. Joelle Murray is an artist passionate about character design and illustrations in various mediums. She is currently working as an illustrator for the Khan Academy Kids app, where she illustrates early learning books. She also works as a freelance character designer and illustrator.