Tomie dePaola (1934–2020) was the beloved author and/or illustrator of more than 270 books for young readers, including the children’s classic Strega Nona. He was the recipient of the Newbery Honor, Caldecott Honor, and the 2011 Children’s Literature Legacy Award for “significant and lasting contribution to children’s literature.” A native of Connecticut, Mr. dePaola studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his life in New London, New Hampshire. Visit his work online at Tomie.com.

Jim Lewis is an Emmy Award–winning writer and author who has been writing for frogs, pigs, and other Muppets since 1985, when he first met Jim Henson. In addition to working on various Muppet television, movie, and other projects, Lewis is cowriter of the Andy & Sandy series with Tomie dePaola; has “ghosted” books for Kermit the Frog (Look Before You Leap), Miss Piggy (The Diva Code), and Pepe the King Prawn (It’s Hard Out Here For a Shrimp); and served as executive producer of the Hallmark Channel series Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola. Lewis lives in Burbank, California, with his wife, Judy, and children, Danny and Mary Grace.