Growing up outside of Washington, DC, Jashar Awan loved drawing and reading. In fact, he still does. For many years, he drew illustrations for publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, American Medical News, and Columbia Journalism Review.

Jashar made his debut as an author-illustrator with What a Lucky Day!. Publishers Weekly spotlighted him as one of the most promising children’s debut authors of fall 2020. His book Only Ants for Andy was selected for the 2023 and 2024 Choose to Read Ohio booklist.

Jashar is also the creator of Strum & Drum: A Merry Little Quest, I’m Going to Build a Snowman, and Every Monday Mabel. He lives in Ohio with his wife, Emily, and their son, Maxwell, who loves drawing and reading, too.

Rahele Jomepour Bell is an illustrator of picture books. She culturally is from Iran and happily enjoys adding American culture to her origin. She believes all people share a common home in planet Earth, but may differ in their skin color, way of life, and their thinking. She loves these differences and believes this is what makes the world a beautiful place to live.