Harriet Ziefert is the author of hundreds of children's books and the publisher of Blue Apple Books in Maplewood, New Jersey. Her books include the bestelling Sleepy Dog in the Step Into Reading series and the acclaimed A New Coat for Anna, a story of the devotion between a mother and daughter during hard times after World War II.

Norman Gorbaty was a leader in graphic design in a career spanning over fifty years, most notably as the art director for the legendary advertising agency Benton & Bowles, where he designed iconic ads for Crest, Post cereals, and the IBM Selectric typewriter, and groundbreaking covers for Timemagazine. After he trained at Yale, Gorbaty’s early career as a fine artist saw his work in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Gorbaty became an internationally recognized painter and sculptor and was the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Sleepy Dog. He passed away in 2020 at age 87.