Lori Haskins Houran is the author of more than twenty books for kids, including Next to You and Warts and All.

She lives in Massachusetts.

Joanie Stone was born and raised in Virginia, where she still lives today with her husband and young daughter. She spends her days painting in her light-filled studio in the country, surrounded by nature.

She uses her background in traditional hand-drawn animation to bring life and movement to her characters and fills her images with textures reminiscent of children’s books from the past. She hopes her images will inspire kids to pick up a pencil and create their own worlds through stories and art.