Catherine (Cat) Ann Russell, moved to action in 2019 to address the infant and child famine crises in Yemen, wrote and published children's books to support organized emergency famine relief efforts through her Basketful Relief Project (www.basketfulreliefproject.com). She has written three children's picture books: Get to Bed!, The Little Book of Why, and Picco and Wren Three. From there, she wrote a children's chapter book series, The Pearls of Wisdom Series, each inspired by a Biblical Proverb: The Pond of Reflection, The Hyrax Song, and The Zoe-Chai Seed. In 2002, she started her own digital multimedia company in 2002 called Spike Productions (www.spikeproductions.com), after a career as a professional research scientist at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Cat lives in Lyons, Colorado, with her husband, Ed, and several farm animals, including two burros named Nikki and Norman.

Brooke Connor of Brooke Connor Design (www.brookeconnordesign.com) lives and works in Boulder, CO. She retired from a career as an environmental chemist after 28 years of left-brained activities, and now is a full-time right-brained illustrator. Brooke specializes in alcohol marker illustrations of birds and wildlife. Her style can be described as extremely colorful, imaginative, and whimsical. Other publications include works with her friend and author, Patricia Kittelson, including, Bixley Baines and the Beehive Fence, Bixley Baines and the Recycled Crayons, A Kid's Guide to Bryce Canyon, and Cedar Breaks for Kids.