Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Manchester in 1849 and moved to America in 1865, where she launched a literary career in which she produced over forty books including A Little Princess (1905) and The Secret Garden (1911). Frances died in 1924.

Jason Cockcroft was born in Auckland, New Zealand. When he was a baby his family returned to the UK. He graduated from Falmouth School of Art and has illustrated over 40 children's books since. His books include How to Look After Your Dinosaur, Amazing Animal Journeys by Chris Packham, and the Bad Mermaid series by Sibeal Pounder. He has been nominated for the Kate Greenaway award and won the inaugural Blue Peter Book Award for his work on Geraldine McCaughrean’s retelling of A Pilgrim’s Progress. Jason lives in West Yorkshire.